Monday, April 5, 2010

I'm too tired for this

I guess Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are getting a lot of crap because their daughter, Shiloh, wants to dress as a boy and be called "John." Whatever. If anything, we should be upset at Angelina for sucking the hotness out of Brad, but that's beside the point.

I am thinking that kids play around with roles of all sorts, all the time. And given that the girl role has become so sickeningly pink and princessy, not to mention over-sexualized and extremely bitchy, I can't blame a little girl for thinking "No thanks, call me John." Boys get all the breaks, anyway.

I don't know why people make such a fuss over things like boys playing with dolls or girls wanting to wear boy clothes. In some ways, it's much easier for girls, as things like clothing have become more a-sexual, at least in the sense that girls can wear jeans and tee shirts, just like boys. And girls can be "tom-boys" without much stigma. It seems like boys are much more marginalized when they like something girly. In my own experience, when I worked in the princess hat shop(pe), I witnessed numerous crying boys being led from the booth because they wanted a princess hat, and that was simply not allowed. Similarly, I saw mothers telling little girls they they must have a pink princess hat, not a blue one. It makes no sense to me. Sure, I understand the possible societal judgment a child can face if it strays too far across gender lines, but I don't think that's what these parents are afraid of. They are afraid that their child will be "turned gay" by a doll or a truck or the misapplication of a color that was just being itself, meaning no harm.

Get over it.

It's all ridiculous, but it's there. I am going to set up my old baby doll crib for babywhumpus, once I get off my ass and clean the thing up. If he wants to play with it, he's more than welcome. If not, he can store his numerous stuffed animals there and be done with it. But the boy should have the chance to play with Barbies if he wants to.

2 comments:

Kate said...

I agree. What's behind this HUGE resurgence of ultra-genderfication? (yes that's a word. MY word. :-D) I dont' remember it being like that when I was a kid in the '80s and early '90 - no one said "boo" if I ran around in a flannel shirt and little Levi's, or a pink frilly dress and maryjanes.

Do you read The Feminist Breeder's blog? I think you'd like her...

Anonymous said...

i couldn't agree with ya more!!...i remember my aunt tell'n me when i was a baby...my cuz'n used to dress me up...in a dress and wheel me around the streets of winona in a buggy and everyone would say "what a cute girl"...though she had 3 other brothers at the time to pick from...i was the "choosen one"...and that's really how i became the internationally ignored lyp-sync'n performing illusionist barely standing before you today!

(of course...i blame my cuz...who was 10 at the time...fer make'n me her very own personal breath'n betsy wetsy doll and meticulously plott'n with the color wheel and her evil little mind to turn me into the non hetrosexual that i've become)

ummmm...insert laugh here

Mattress~