|
Post by Very Funky Disco on Aug 19, 2011 14:54:58 GMT -5
I completely agree with everything you've said. Lately, I've been reading blogs from parents who have a son with feminine interests - and it's inspiring to see parents who are open-minded and accepting of their children's choices, but also disheartening to see how much opposition they still encounter for allowing their children to just be themselves.
Not quite gender-related, but still wardrobe-related - I do think Lady Gaga's meat dress was going too far. But there are also real issue to be concerned about - such as it must be rather unsanitary, it's also a waste of food, and it probably smells up the place. A boy wearing a pink dress, on the other hand, is completely harmless in and of itself. The only potential for harm would be the reactions from judgemental and closed-minded people.
|
|
|
Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Aug 21, 2011 14:02:35 GMT -5
I'll love to read the blog those parents are doing about their son. Do you happen to have the link handy?
By the way, our conversation reminded me of something else that has always greatly irritated me: the fact that some schools make it a rule that boys can only have their hair a certain length. For example, there was a news story a year or so ago about a little boy who was accused by his school of having hair that was too long. Both he and his parents refused to have it cut, so he ended up being kicked out of school. Which is utterly ridiculous. Not only was this an invasion of self-expression, but also a form of bullying when you think about it. It was just carried out by adults rather than children.
While I thought Lady GaGa's meat dress was a cool and creative way to make a statement, I do think you've made some really good points.
|
|
|
Post by Very Funky Disco on Aug 21, 2011 14:36:22 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Aug 24, 2011 9:15:01 GMT -5
Thanks for the links, Quags. I'll be checking them out, a little later. Actually, the first one is about a daughter who brought a Star Wars bottle to school - and was told by boys that girls can't like Star Wars. That blog then brought links to other blogs and sites about parents raising non-gender-conforming boys. I don't know where kids come up with such silly notions - I guess we have no choice but to blame the television commercials. The producers and toy companies really need to wake up and realize that there are girls who are going to like Star Wars, while there are boys who prefer Hello Kitty. This reminds me of when I was in the second grade, and really into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I can't recall for sure if it was a gender thing, or the fact that he just wanted to bully me, but there was a boy in my class who criticized me for liking TMNT. Then he saw the fanart I'd done and realized I knew more about the show than he'd previously assumed. ;D
|
|
|
Post by Very Funky Disco on Aug 24, 2011 16:41:08 GMT -5
Yeah, there's a question of how much of it is actually the fault of those boys - and how much of it is the fault of the toy companies and stores that carry toys. It was wrong for those boys to pick on her, regardless - but they must've gotten the idea that Star Wars is "for boys" from somewhere. It's not something they would have just made up themselves.
I wonder if those boys were Star Wars fans themselves, but I haven't seen that addressed very much. Although, some have suggested that - once those boys get older - they'll be complaining how they can't find a girl who likes Star Wars. I'm not sure of how true that is, though. I know some metal head guys who think that girls shouldn't listen to heavy metal - or listen to bands that are heavier than a certain band (Led Zeppelin, for example).
Of course, it's possible that those boys may have thought she was a poseur. They may have thought she had never actually watched the movies, and only owned the merchandise. I can understand how annoying that must be - but, still, questioning her "true" fanship on the grounds of her being a girl...
|
|