tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post7173332661167189549..comments2024-03-26T02:27:06.176-05:00Comments on Tales of Faerie: What's With the Princess Hate/Can Passivity Ever be Good?Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-42455192813560000322014-09-21T10:38:33.444-05:002014-09-21T10:38:33.444-05:00Definitely - my niece is like that! She used to lo...Definitely - my niece is like that! She used to love princesses, and now she's that little bit older she doesn't want to go anywhere near them. It's almost like a phase every girl goes through, and it either sticks or doesn't.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13311936206951108530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-43915918544825988042014-09-21T09:12:13.047-05:002014-09-21T09:12:13.047-05:00It's true, Princess culture is marketed in suc...It's true, Princess culture is marketed in such a young and overly girly way-in fact I've noticed that little girls tend to be either Princess obsessed, or declare they outright HATE Princesses, as a way to separate/mature themselves. It's seen as a thing to outgrow. Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-88627814805284126392014-09-21T04:07:04.493-05:002014-09-21T04:07:04.493-05:00I can see how that's a good idea to get prince...I can see how that's a good idea to get princess-y girls interested in other things, and of course not all girls are just stereotypes; all people are made up of different attributes. But sometimes it just seems like sometimes society generalises too much, and assumes all girls like girly things and everything has to be made girly for them to enjoy it, which isn't the case. But children are often better mediators than we give them credit for, and know what they do and don't want to be like.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13311936206951108530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-81892849429776514052014-09-20T17:37:11.406-05:002014-09-20T17:37:11.406-05:00I saw a similar book (or maybe even the same?) at ...I saw a similar book (or maybe even the same?) at the house of my niece last week. I flipped through and found mostly gender-neutral stories (like, the words of "Twinkle Twinkle" or other stories that happened to feature girls, but they seemed to be a good variety-one story had a girl with a pet dragon, which I thought was pretty cool and not stereotypical. The princess sports story is interesting, although there are girls out there who are way into princesses and not sports, so making it princess-themed may be a good way of getting her interested in sports (I myself was way more into princesses than sports growing up). My sister and friend keep trying to get me to do the Disney Princess Half Marathon, which a lot of girls run in tutus and tiaras. I love the idea that girls can be girly girls, but sporty at the same time-we're complex and not just one version of girl.Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-53328101383817473032014-09-19T15:12:51.099-05:002014-09-19T15:12:51.099-05:00I don't think princess culture in itself is ba...I don't think princess culture in itself is bad, but it's how people interpret it that makes it bad. Like you say - it's not healthy to look at all passivity as automatically negative, and lump all princesses together as passive. Interesting point about queens & power though, hadn't thought of it like that before.<br /><br />What irritates me is that princesses are often used as a go-to topic for young girls, without stopping to give them another option or consider that they might not actually like princesses. For example, I found an awful book recently called 'Stories For Girls' (what the hell is that about, since when have stories been gender-specific?!) in which there was a story about a girl being left home with her dad. She had some friends round, and her dad suggested they have a sports day. But according to this book, sports are not appropriate for girls unless they're princess themed. So they had a princess sports day, and all had to wear tiaras and tutus to take part & things like that. That's when princess culture makes me feel a bit sick. But then, that too isn't the fault of princess culture in itself, it's society's interpretation of it that's causing the harm.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13311936206951108530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-76170950691909567562014-09-19T10:52:01.032-05:002014-09-19T10:52:01.032-05:00Yay! This makes me so happy! Not that things are r...Yay! This makes me so happy! Not that things are really messed up at work, of course, very sorry about that...but this is the power of fairy tales. We can identify with the main characters-males AND females-and they can inspire us to get through the rough parts of life! thanks for sharing!Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-31630100116261638212014-09-19T10:49:37.581-05:002014-09-19T10:49:37.581-05:00That's really interesting-I didn't realize...That's really interesting-I didn't realize many women were limited, even in their rights to raise their own children! Really puts more perspective on how you interpret stories...Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-61066535108761324532014-09-18T16:04:28.980-05:002014-09-18T16:04:28.980-05:00This post actually came in handy today. Things at...This post actually came in handy today. Things at my job are kind of a mess and a lot of it makes me pissed off. However, I have to deal with a lot of people that it is not okay to be confrontational with. So I told myself to remain poised, control my anger and . . . be a bit like Cinderella for the day. I'd like to think I did okay with that.Adam Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16129844426168129584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-58952926110226406222014-09-18T14:19:50.349-05:002014-09-18T14:19:50.349-05:00Another thing about staying home with children, is...Another thing about staying home with children, is it wasn't always a right women had. When you read older biographies of women in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, sure middle class and aristocratic women were home, but it didn't necessarily translate you were able to have full control over your children despite what wishes might be. Boys were likely to be sent away at a certain age unless the family could afford a private tutor or the wife with the husband's blessing was allowed to continue his education, but this was not the norm with sons. Which was one reason you see many women in their letters and diaries rejoice at a daughter, the female child they can keep with them longer and there is a desire for a bond. Now the girl might be sent to a convent in the later years to finish their education, but women still, depending on their own education letter, might be able to educate them themselves longer. While The Duchess does take some liberties with Georgiana's life and bio, the thin tenure of control a women had over her children and rights as mother, is well portrayed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-22220692618760326292014-09-18T09:38:23.069-05:002014-09-18T09:38:23.069-05:00Definitely, thanks for sharing it! Yes, it's a...Definitely, thanks for sharing it! Yes, it's a really complicated topic. I'm all for promoting women in different leadership positions and encouraging young women to realize they have the same potential. But so often the feminists arguments end up degrading any traditional female roles, which is completely backwards in terms of validating females! <br /><br />Yeah the book was really good. I didn't actually read the whole thing because it was really long, but I got through his childhood and entering baseball and first years there and I still learned a lot! So inspirational. I haven't seen the movie either.Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-10362239135826931942014-09-18T09:34:48.518-05:002014-09-18T09:34:48.518-05:00Very interesting! I hope my library has at least o...Very interesting! I hope my library has at least one of these books! Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-34153361425170893292014-09-18T00:23:14.102-05:002014-09-18T00:23:14.102-05:00I've read Walking on Water and some of The Roc...I've read Walking on Water and some of The Rock that is Higher. Both of which are about inspiration and stories/fairy tales, and God. Both of them have a few pages talking about how men and women need to be reconciled, and how marriage should be a symbol of that but often isn't thought of that way. And about how language seems to have been degrading and that we need words to think, and the less words we have, the less we'll be able to think clearly.Emilyn J Cloverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00892659942186331664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-61772611546059830842014-09-17T22:44:43.550-05:002014-09-17T22:44:43.550-05:00Thanks for posting the video, Kristin--glad it was...Thanks for posting the video, Kristin--glad it was helpful! Your points on passivity were really interesting because it's another part of the whole argument on princesses (and women in general, really) that people seem to often miss. Writer4Christ mentioned that women shouldn't be looked down for choosing to have a family, and I think that it partly stems from the bias that having a family is a "weaker" pursuit, when in reality raising kids can be a very difficult thing to do--for both men and women, in fact! To say that staying at home makes women passive is definitely denying a huge part of the picture. And your descriptions of Jackie Robinson, Pam, and Jim were spot-on. I should probably check out that biography you were reading, as I know Jackie Robinson as an American icon but am not as familiar with his life story (there's a movie out called "42" but have yet to see that either).Counoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-44905328975640883532014-09-17T14:59:29.748-05:002014-09-17T14:59:29.748-05:00Thanks! And yes, there are so many female characte...Thanks! And yes, there are so many female characters out there now that represent different types of strong females. Have to admit I'm not too familiar with Sailor Moon though but that's interesting that she becomes queen-that's pretty rare but that's great!Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-6172826124319397942014-09-17T14:50:54.026-05:002014-09-17T14:50:54.026-05:00Exactly! Taking care of house and children is an e...Exactly! Taking care of house and children is an extremely important job. Just as women shouldn't be confined to their stereotypical roles, neither should they feel guilty for not climbing the corporate ladder.<br /><br />I love Madelein L'Engle's fiction but haven't read any of her nonfiction. What would you recommend?Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01097525403940409218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-4728906471970493972014-09-17T14:26:51.472-05:002014-09-17T14:26:51.472-05:00Great article and clip. This recent trend has been...Great article and clip. This recent trend has been bugging me too and I think it's unfair to single out princess culture when it itself isn't bad, we just don't always couch it right. My fav princess role model is still Sailor Moon. Lots of positive princess role models who are also super heroines, so emphasis on responsibility and getting things done yourself. But also the main princess becomes queen and the message from the beginning is always even when married the queen has the powerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6968132365438511409.post-66529221802461794132014-09-17T03:15:01.905-05:002014-09-17T03:15:01.905-05:00Why is it thought of as a bad thing to be taking c...Why is it thought of as a bad thing to be taking care of children? To me, that kind of implies that children are not worth being taken care of and taught and encouraged, and read fairy tales to. It also sounds like the sort of thing a man would say to wave away the idea that women's roles are as important as men's.<br />What is man? What is woman?<br />Madeleine L'Engle talks about it a bit in her nonfiction books. She's an inspiration.Emilyn J Cloverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00892659942186331664noreply@blogger.com