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Sock It To 'Em Ada

Hope for the Future: A Little Girl Who Hates Gender Stereotyping

by Susana Polo | 11:16 am, May 3rd

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Becky Sayers‘ found a lengthy rant on her ten-year-old daughter Eliza‘s bulletin board, and, with the kid’s permission, offered it to Jezebel, who happily ran it. For a ten-year-old, Eliza knocks it out of the park.

So today I was reading a Mini Boden magazine ( some place in Sweden), and the magazine people asked questions to the kids who were modeling. The one question that ticked me off was this question:

“What is the biggest difference between Boys… and Girls?”

Here are some answers that were in this “magazine”. Kian, age 6, “Girls Like dolls, and Boys don’t”. Oh okay I know what you’re thinking “Oh he’s just six!”. Well you better listen to this. Stefano, age 7, “Girls wear pink, and Boys wear blue and green.” Okay you’re probably thinking the same thing. “Oh he is just 7. Well here is another one. Aiden, 6, “Girls like nail polish; Boys like Soccer Balls.’ Yeah I know he is six too. But getting closer to the older ones. Asha, age 8, “Boys are rougher and stronger.” Yeah he’s eight. Not six, or seven. He’s eight. He’s got a brain. He’s smarter than six and seven yr olds. It’s kind of old to me, because I am turning 11 this year. Okay so now that I have listed those Boys’ opinions, I am going to list the reasons why I think they are stereotypical.”

Eliza would like everyone to know that she doesn’t like pink (although she’s fine with Pink), or dolls, and is lukewarm on glitter, at best.

For one thing though I do like nail polish, but not just Boys like soccer. For example my friend Heidi is a master soccer player. You mess with her, she kicks you in the shins, or maybe just trips you on the field. Seriously I think you should stay away. For reals.

This almost makes me wish my mom had put some of my rants on religion and philosophy up on the internet when I was a kid. Wait… wait no it doesn’t. But overall, it seems like Eliza is off to a good start in resisting marketing, right a the point in her life when she might start getting some spending responsibility. Good on ya, Becky. Have a nice mother’s day.

You can read Eliza’s full essay at Jezebel.

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  • http://twitter.com/IM_SH IMSH

    This would have worked quite nicely in the scene from Kindergarten Cop after the boy proclaimed the biological difference between genders.

  • mom

    Yea, but you are so old there really wasn’t an Internet when you were ranting about religion and philosophy!

  • Quill

    And yet, the photo has a girl in pink and a boy in blue; she’s reading, he’s playing a video game.

  • http://twitter.com/GhostwriterJG Jenna Glatzer

    Quill, that might be the point of using that photo.

  • Meh

    I find the picture at Jezebels to be more annoying.
    That girl looks tough and angry and is probably supposed to represent Eliza.
    Thing is, she wears pink, and after reading that rant, I doubt the girl would actually pose like that…
    meh my hero is that 6 year old brother, for loving pink and getting whatever toy he likes */me remembers his barbie at that age*

    YAY! GO 6 year old Brother!

  • http://profiles.google.com/joanna.moylan Joanna Moylan

    Go Eliza! Girl power!

  • http://www.loudmouthman.com Loudmouthman

    My Daughter Alyssa is 7 , she hates buying clothes because they tend to be Pink or Girlie so she shops for boys shorts and trousers because they are blue. When we goto parties she asks for the boys party bags. She is a big Dr Who ( Tennant ) Fan and currently has me reading any Green Lantern and Blue Beetle comics she can get her hands on. Though our little boy of 2 is managing to meet many of the expected traits for 2yr old boys playing.

    Neither Sharon or I set out with an agenda for or against stereo typing and there are plenty of prams and dolls and makeup kits that Alyssa has inspected and ignored to testify to this. Whilst I am , as any parent would be , proud and happy with my daughters ( and Sons ) choices I know that Kids will be cruel and some teachers crueller ( is that a word ? ) so as parents we have to prepare Alyssa for the onslaught of pressure to accept and conform which we doubt she will take part in since she shows no interests ( yet ) .

    Whilst we see her playing with girls her own age we know that there will be some Girls who will pick on this perceived difference and Girls bullying can be socially insidious compared to a boys physical bullying.

    I love that my Girl asks for the comics she wants and knows the things that keep her entertained and with luck we can teach her that being an individual need not be a lonely experience through her early teens.

  • Anonymous

    I feel like I am already fighting this with my 3 year old son. He has been saying more and more lately which are girls or boys stuff, or how pink is for girls and that he wants everything blue. Right now my only answer is to say something along the lines of how I’m a girl but still like Batman or whatever he might be talking about at the moment.