Children Feminism and Role Models: Too Many Links! - Children and Gender Part 2

Hi,

So my last post was about children, prejudice and dressing up. This post is about children, prejudice and feminism. But this is a little different; the last post was about dressing up in stereotypical clothes. This is about inspirational role models and dressing up.

This link is about a girl, whose mum encourages her to dress up as great women throughout history instead of Disney princesses:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2323795/Mother-shuns-Disney-Princess-ideal-dresses-daughter-REAL-heroines-history-commemorate-fifth-birthday.html

I think what I said in the last post, explains what I want to say about how important dressing up and playing pretend is to children’s development, and how it will affect who they become. So I will skip all that. But, what I didn't go into much detail about is the demeaning and prejudice (I am using that word a lot) characters that girls are encouraged, or even restricted to dress up as. Disney Princesses included.
This link is about the effects of Disney on society:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsy3BblcjCA

This link is called what Disney princesses teach girls but it is also about what Disney princes teach boys:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yAqgatzuT0

But it isn't just Disney who are using weak female role models. Celebrities and movie characters are often anti feminist and bad for body image.
Cameron Diaz talks about having body hair as a bad thing even though it is natural and OK. shaving etc. is a choice, and she is promoting the idea that it's not OK not to shave:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWcaM_Y9Xt8

This is a 'ThosePeskyDames' video about sexism in geek culture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrVYDv7hhSQ

Basically young girls are dressing up as girly pathetic Disney princesses instead of strong capable women.
This link should some it up:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei6JvK0W60I

This is interesting too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyJec7DZyoQ

Here are some good female role models throughout history:

Ada Lovelace: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace

Amilia Earhart: http://www.ameliaearhart.com/

Hedy Lamarr: http://www.hedylamarr.com/

Marie Curie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie

Delia Derbyshire: http://www.delia-derbyshire.org/

Mary Seacole: http://www.maryseacole.com/maryseacole/pages/

Joan of Arc: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_Arc

Emmeline Pankhurst: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmeline_Pankhurst

Boudica: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boadicea

Catherine of Siena: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_siena

Eva Peron: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Peron

Rosa Parks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_parks

Jane Austen: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/austen_jane.shtml

Jane Goodall: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall

Cleopatra: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra

Beatrix Potter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrix_Potter

There are so many more and also many modern day role models for strong girls.

http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/100import/

Bye.
     

Kid's Toy Ads - Gender and Children - Children and Gender Part 1

Hi,

Today In our Kleeneze catalogue, we found a dressing up box for children. The ad lookes like this:

The page on the right (Page 33) advertises a product called "Dress Up Trunk" which sounds like a good idea; A dressing up box for little children with 5 readymade outfits. You even have a boys or girls option.

 But.... all the boy’s clothes are adventure characters like a pirate, a Native American, a cowboy and a knight. There is also a fireman outfit which is a career character as well. The girls outfits on the other hand are all about looking pretty; a model, a movie star, a princess, a bride and a Ballerina. Although the movie star, the model and the ballerina, (even the princess at a push) are all careers, every one of these characters is pretty, pink, and they all have something to do with looking beautiful. The bride character usually relies on a boy to be groom as well. It is sexist and demeaning, as it implies that being pretty and getting married is all a girl should do, and being active and strong is all boys should do. Why can’t girls be pirates, fire fighters, Native Americans, cowgirls or knights. And why can’ t boys dress up as Grooms, Princes, Movie stars, Models and Ballet dancers too. There are so many things to pretend to be, yet the girls can only be pretty and the boys can only be action heroes.

 I dressed up as a strong action characters when I was little, and I know boys who dressed up as weaker more dressed up characters, when they played pretend. Why is being a strong girl or a pretty boy so unusual? Boys can be ballet dancers and girls can be fire fighters so why can’t they pretend to be these people when they are small? This is just one example of the way people are made to feel they have to be a certain way ‘because’ they are male/female. This tells small children that they must be a pretty and glamorous girl or a strong and adventurous boy; otherwise they won’t be a proper girl/boy because they are wearing the wrong dressing up clothes for their gender.

Maybe they should start selling pirate clothes for girls and ballet clothes for boys. Restricting the character choices is like saying. You’re a girl so you can’t be a pirate/fire fighter etc. Or you’re a boy so you can’t be a Ballet dancer/ model etc. Would you tell a child that they can’t be what they want to be because they are a boy/girl?    

I hope that people start to sell dressing up clothes for children that allows them to be whatever they want. Or maybe they could do historical characters like black beard, Florence Nightingale, Shakespeare and Joan of Arc.

This might seem like a small thing but this happens all the time and people grow up to believe that being a girl restricts you to just being pretty and sweet all the time and being a boy means you have to be active and strong.

Links:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VqsbvG40Ww

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZn_lJoN6PI

 

Have a nice day

 

 

Bye!