Blog Archives
“Girls Can’t Be Superheroes”
My daughter K is mildly obsessed with superheroes. And while I take full responsibility for having planted the initial seed (and watering it daily with encouragement and the occasional new superhero-themed book or shirt), she’s taken the idea and just run with it.
“K, what do you want to wear today?”
“A superhero shirt, superhero underwear and pants that tie…if we have them, please.”
When we first introduced K to superheroes – your typical Batman, Superman-type fodder – she expressed an interest in them, but it didn’t become a daily undercurrent. And in fact, her enthusiasm was dampened for a bit last fall when a classmate told her that his daddy said, “Girls can’t be superheroes.”
Balancing Conflicting Messages
K: “Did you see me today in my tumbling class? How I fell off the tall balance beam twice, but I got back on? ‘Cause I’m going to get better at that! Weren’t you proud of me?”
Me: “I did see you! And I was proud of you! Were you proud of yourself?”
K: “I’m always proud of myself.”
K Interlude: Episode 3.4
Interludes from K this week:
1) K sees someone on the street and says, “I think that person is a witch” (woman is wearing all black with a black hoodie that’s up, kind of like the point of a hat).
We pass the woman, K glances back and says, “no she’s not a witch.” I say “what does a witch look like?”
Gender Stereotypes and Expectations, Part II
You’ll recall that a few months ago, I highlighted a blog I found interesting that focused on the author’s son and the outrage they encountered over his chosen Halloween costume.
In a continuation of the theme around gender stereotypes, I found this quite interesting:


