Comments on: Raising a Girl

By: Meleah

Meleah — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:33:15 +0000

I just wanted you to know that I referenced this post and your blog in general in my post today. You are one of my absolute favorite blogs to read. You rock!

By: half pint pixie

half pint pixie — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:10:44 +0000

I hadn’t thought much about the issue of clothing, with an 11 month old I foolishly assumed that it’d be a few years before having to search past the “sexy” clothes. But, in the store this week, starting at size 3-6 months “Future Supermodel” hmmmm… no! It’s so wrong, but you know, someone must buy them or they wouldn’t make them, sad really!

By: Eva

Eva — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:42:06 +0000

I know there are scary clothes for 5 year olds, but I’ve even seen scary baby clothes: onesies for babies that say “does this diaper make my butt look fat?” and even pacifiers that said “I’m a princess like my mom.” Who buys these things? And it’s SO hard to find girl toddler clothes that aren’t pink and boy that aren’t blue with trucks and sports… not that there’s anything wrong with trucks and sports and blue or pink and princesses, but it’s nice to have options.

I study gender in adolescents and beyond so I try to always be conscious of these issues, especially with B/G twins, but it’s really hard not to fall into these traps. Thanks for asking the tough questions!

By: Swistle

Swistle — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:26:45 +0000

Um, I meant “*groannnnnn*” Who even knows what a “gorannnnn” is?

By: Swistle

Swistle — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:26:13 +0000

*gorannnnn* I don’t KNOW. It seems IMPOSSIBLE.

By: kate

kate — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 23:53:59 +0000

I don’t know….i wish i did! Don’t get me started on the clothes thing…i have been disgusted since my 2 year old couldn’t fit into her 2T pants because they were low-rise/tight butt. Hello, she was two? I started buying boy’s pants for her, that works… but jeez. She’s now 3 and goes to a preschool that mandates a school uniform. Uniforms for preschools seems ridiculous at first but after seeing what alot of little girls are wearing these days…maybe it isn’t that bad an idea after all.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 23:28:19 +0000

It certainly won’t be easy. I’m already trying to make conscious choices in my language and how I praise but I hope to start by modeling the same self-esteem I want her to have. We also don’t turn on the tv. I know it’s just a small thing but if that helps to keep unhealthy images out of the home than it’s worth the effort.
Of course, having read an article about how girls are fast outperforming boys in school, I have my worries about raising a boy as well.

By: Kerry

Kerry — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 23:21:15 +0000

Good questions. Let me know when you find the answers.

By: Pann

Pann — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 23:09:40 +0000

I think Kelly Jo is spot on!

My girls both love getting all dressed up, being pretty and then going out to look for bugs, play in the dirt, and dig for worms… Meanwhile, they are both really good at math and love science as much as they are verbally gifted. I have taken a lot of care to have them go to schools where I think they will be able to learn and grow with a minimum of sexist crap.

The fact that they live in a world that is obnoxious and filled with a degrading onslaught of women negative images and sentiment breaks my heart, but it also strengthens my own resolve to try to model appropriate responses.

That said, I’d also like to point out that boys and men are also subject to a great deal of ridiculous and unrealistic expectations. Just check your spam folder and you’ll find some amusing examples therein.

Moral of it all: we the moms and dads need to talk about it when the time comes, and try to help teach the difference between real and hype.

By: Shrijnana

Shrijnana — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:49:51 +0000

Great post. As a mother of a 11 month old daughter I think about this often, too. I don’t have answers, but I tend to agree about being a good role model and being careful about clothes. We limit media viewing in our house (no TV at all), which I hope will help a little, too. Maybe we could start a clothes boycott. A very large number of parents who stated very publicly why they refuse to shop at certain retailers or buy certain brands might have an effect. I stopped shopping at Kohl’s when I saw them selling bras in size 4-6X but I never told Kohl’s that. My mini boycott would be much more effective if they knew why they lost a customer!