On Princesses

There’s an interesting dialogue occurring between mothers of young girls, partially precipitated by Peggy’s Orenstein’s book Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture. I’ll admit I haven’t read the book so will refrain from discussing it in particular. And although I agree with Orenstein’s overall assertion that the “media machine” aimed at young girls is evil and that parents need to stay engaged and on top of what their daughters are doing….hasn’t this been the case for a long time? Disney Princesses and Barbie and the color pink are nothing new. Isn’t trying to find your own identity within a larger pop culture part of growing up? Don’t we all have to learn what to believe and what we ourselves hold true?

In fact, I grew up in the opposite side of the “girlie-girl” spectrum where I would have rather been dragon slaying Prince Phillip than sleeping beauty Princess Aurora. I didn’t play with Barbie, didn’t have a particular love of the color pink and I still struggle(d) with body image, depression, and whatever else life threw my way. For a long time I questioned whether slaying dragons precluded me from being pretty; whether I could ever love myself if I was wearing pink. But part of my struggle was based on a difficult relationship with my own mother. I don’t doubt that she loved me, but like a lot of mothers and daughters, we didn’t always agree on my choices and I think that informed me more than whether or not I believed in fairytales.

Enter Z, my own a girlie-girl who gleefully proclaims her love of all things pink in the middle of the princess aisle at Target. My reaction hasn’t been to pull her frantically in another direction, but rather to look and talk and eventually we move on to games and puzzles and books. As parents Casey and I try to limit her exposure to the media, but we’re realistic about it. We give her space to explore her own world and interests and, most importantly, we stay engaged to make sure that the messages she is receiving are positive ones.

Being a parent isn't easy. It's not sunshine and ponies and plopping your kid down in front of the TV and letting them absorb the world unfiltered. Z tests her limits every day, but ultimately, it’s more important to us that she knows right from wrong, that she is kind and generous, that she is confident and comfortable within herself. I don’t feel the need to agree with all of the sparkle and glitter with which she surrounds herself. But I do need to support her as a girl so that someday, as a woman, she will feel that she’s capable of slaying that dragon in the biggest, pinkest, fluffiest dress she can get her hands on.

Inspiration : 0711

When I start thinking about pulling boards together, I never really know where it's going to take me or what's going to end up here. It's an interesting process of collecting and editing; it's thinking about the best way to communicate a thought, a feeling, an idea in the most cohesive manner. Often I don't know what I'm trying to say until I'm finished. Ultimately, I have to let go of what's been weighing me down and coax a lightness that's been difficult to come by lately.

This board is very tactile for me: feathers and braids and scrunchy straw hats; simple, neutral and elegant with a shot of brilliant color. Perhaps the perfect metaphor for a glorious summer?  Happy July!