This article takes a look at how defined gender roles are at a young age, the lasting impacts, and recommendations to counter them. I like how it says the princess culture is "okay" if you approach a certain way (give real world examples of successful princesses or watch movies like Brave).
My mother was a great example for me growing up. She taught me that it is okay to be unique and debate others including love ones.
What do you think? Should people change the way little girls are treated?
I think that yes, to a certain extent certain parts of this article are right. I agree that we should not buy children gender tailored toys, by doing so we encourage them to adopt a label that may not be best for their development. Boys are given fake tool sets so that they can identify with the labor macho label, and likewise girls can be given baking sets or tea party toys. By doing so we can unwittingly establish a trajectory for a child, perhaps even limit their horizons.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the author that we should not encourage girls to aspire to be princesses. Not only does this detract from intellectual and personal value of the child, but it propels what I perceive to be a consumerist nightmare. Indeed we should teach young woman to forge respectable lives for themselves, and not to rely on the tribute of others like a princess would.
The article also mention the topic of perpetually reinforcing beauty, which I believe is only bad if the parent neglect the child's other exceptional attributes. Of course a child will have a chance for developmental issues if we only refer to her as 'pretty' throughout her life. But this does not mean that it is not a good thing to tell your girl she is beautiful, so long as you begin or finish by telling her smart she is and let her know how important she is to you.