my husband said, looking at me as if it were my fault.
What can be so bad about a kid wearing gendered clothing?
But when my daughter declared it againI want pink!I felt a vague sense of uneasiness.
They worry about the images of helpless princesses waiting for a man to rescue them.
They worry about their daughters being under the spell of savvy marketing.
They worry that girls will be forever fixated on how they look.
But Blachorwho never was a pink, tulle or tutu fan herselflearns to see beyond the color.
Mari had no such fear.
For her, pink was the color she loved.
There was no baggage weighing it down, because she wasnt carrying any yet …
Pink was the focal point for her expressions of fun.
Pink was her enthusiasm, her joy and her uncomplicated, beautiful, sparkling love of life.
A girl can like pink and a boy can like pink, I tried to explain.
A girl can like blue and a boy can like blue, I went on.
There are no colors that only boys can like or that only girls can liketheyre all the exact same.
Because (Specific Boy) must not be hearing this enough.
For now, in any case, I keep telling my toddler her favorite color is green.
As in, No, she doesnt even know what ice cream iscan we leave it that way?
So I know how to take the heat.
What am I to do about culture, though?
Its a lifetime fight.
One mom in my daycare with two daughters has never let a Disney movie into her house.
Do I want to do that, too?
I was the weird kid.
I wont subject my daughter to being left out.
But I dont want the world to make her that way either.
Change the Ending (and Have Fun With It!)
But as Blanchor advises inThe Feminists Guide,parents should have a sense of humor about it.
Make a list of wishes your daughter might ask to be granted from her fairy godmother.
Its your brain and shes been right here all along!
Remind girls that they are their own heroes.
