Toy ads would have us believe that all girls are happy and love sunshine and cupcakes, while boys are active and busy building and smashing things. When was the last time you sat and watched cartoons on a Saturday morning? Recently, I snuggled in bed with my husband and 9-year-old daughter to watch some ‘toons. […]
This originally appeared on The Princess Free Zone. Republished here with permission. When Michele Yulo expressed her frustration that all of the clothes for baby girls were pink and flowery, someone told her, “Girls like pink. Get the f-ck over it.” Why is it that there are those who feel the need to be hateful, mean-spirited, or […]
This originally appeared on The Princess Free Zone. Republished here with permission. Asking girls to always be clean, proper, and pretty sets up an unrealistic expectation that hurts their ability to play side-by-side with the boys. Here’s a news bulletin: Little girls sweat. Oh, and sometimes they even stink. Yep, they play hard and get […]
This originally appeared on the Princess Free Zone. Republished here with permission. Every day there are numerous articles and stories about children who defy gender stereotypes. It seems that kids who dare to be themselves in the midst of a society that often disapproves of their choices are incredibly newsworthy—and they are becoming more and […]
This originally appeared on the Princess Free Zone. Republished here with permission. My daughter loves sports and has played soccer and baseball, and is currently playing basketball. She’s a really good athlete—highly coordinated and focused. Coaches love her. There are a few girls in the basketball league she’s playing in, but she is the only […]
This originally appeared on the Princess Free Zone. Republished here with permission. Having a kid means understanding that anytime or anywhere you might find yourself in the middle of a very serious and deep conversation. In my experience, one minute you can be talking about a new toy, and the next whether or not you […]
A slightly different version of this originally ran at The Princess Free Zone. Republished here with permission. There is a lot to be said about Ruth Padawer’s recent piece in The New York Times Magazine which asks the question “What’s So Bad About A Boy Who Wants To Wear a Dress?” As gender related topics often […]
This article originally appeared on The Princess Free Zone. Republished here with permission. Right on the heels of Disney’s controversial introduction of their pre-k princess, Sofia, comes another disappointing piece of news on the gender front from Lego Land. Posted in Bloomberg Businessweek online, the article “Lego Is For Girls” announced the addition of a […]
This piece was originally published on the Good Men Project as part of a special series on the End of Gender. This series includes bloggers from Role/Reboot, Good Men Project, The Huffington Post, Salon, HyperVocal, Ms. Magazine, YourTango, Psychology Today, Princess Free Zone, The Next Great Generation, and Man-Making. I’d like to present a hypothetical situation. What if you discovered that the words “girls are allergic […]
