this – along with other topics such as affordable housing, the mta, and mounds of dog poop all over the sidewalks – pisses me off beyond belief. like, really pisses me off. like, if i were to meet the editor who thought this “why is angelina turning shiloh into a boy” article was a good idea, i’d probably spit in their face. and don’t get me started on glenn stanton.
from jezebel, who i back 100% in their assessment:
Apparently when Brad was on Oprah a while back, he mentioned that Shiloh wanted to be called John. The mag reads: “It doesn’t appear and Brad and Angie are forcing Shiloh into boys’ clothes” but “Angelina could easily persuade Shiloh to wear something more feminine” and “in the end, the parent is responsible for how a toddler dresses.” Then there’s a quote from Glenn Stanton, Director of Family Formation Studies at the conservative organization Focus On The Family. He says: “Little girls have never been women before.” O RLY? “They need help. They need guidance of what that looks like. It’s important to teach our children that gender distinction is very healthy.” The mag adds: “Though he says there’s nothing wrong with girls not wearing dresses, he believes parents should make sure they still look feminine.” Dude continues: “Parents need to be the parents and guide their children. You don’t want people asking, ‘Are you a little boy or a little girl?’ That will start to sink in.”
STFU. seriously? i won’t get into the bigger picture issue of society’s creepy celebrity obsession and need to know EVERY SINGLE THING THE FAMOUS PEOPLE ARE DOING AT ALL TIMES etc etc. here’s the thing: it is completely, totally awesome that this little girl is apparently finding role models OTHER than the horrific examples of “femininity” that kids are being force fed today. when i was little, i climbed trees and rode horses and rolled in the dirt and absolutely, positively refused to put on a dress. my hair was short, because that was the easiest way to care for it – and i am sure i liked it that way. i had skinned knees and was obsessed with star trek and lost in space, major don west in particular. i insisted, for a period of time, that everyone should call me “don.” NOT “dawn.” DON. and yes, people mistook me for a boy sometimes – which i actually delighted in.
(that’s me. i think i was three years old.)
and you know what?
it (gasp) didn’t damage me! ZOMG! i am very happy with who i am now – thanks to mom and dad who (well, with the exception of that one easter when i had to wear the pink dress and cried my three-year-old eyes out…oh yeah, and that itchy wool thing for the family portrait…) let me be my own little person, no matter how “not feminine” or gender indistinct that was.
go on, shiloh/john. you have a fun life. and you always look way happier than that little high-heel-wearing suri kid….
(via jezebel)