Cinderella Ate What?

A couple of days ago while while drinking my morning coffee, I was perusing the news channels and this headline caught my eye, "Cinderella Ate My Daughter."  Of course that made me pause. The host was interviewing Peggy Orenstein, the author of the book with that title, which explores the hyper-feminizing of today's daughters.

Holy cow...I can't believe I'm not the only person to have this thought.  I don't have any kids, so maybe I'm not totally qualified to weigh in on this issue...which the woman on the other end of the debate called a "non-issue."  But it has seemed to me in recent years that little girls are being pinked, sparkled, and princessed to death.  Upon the Christmas Season arrival of our kid's bikes at the bike shop, I remarked to one of my co-workers about my belief in the "overgenderification" of our kids.  This after I'd assembled a little girl's shimmery pink bike with purple accents, glitter, flowers, a basket with a plastic flower on the front, and pink tassels.

I have these same thoughts when I see glittered baby-doll t-shirts with such slogans as "Princess" and "Spoiled."  While I don't usually ride in the front seat the feminist bandwagon, I am pretty sensitive when it comes to female equality.  I simply can't see how a young woman can learn to have confidence in her own talents and abilities while wearing tight sweatpants with "Daddy's Best Asset" splashed across her behind.  (I'm NOT making that up).  It seems the clothes and toys shoved at girls today send more of a message of "weaker sex entitlement" and "this is what boys like", than of being strong and self-reliant.

Last summer the hubby and I stayed with a divorced friend of his, who's tween daughter's room also doubled as the guest room.  Upon entry, guests are assaulted with pink walls, a pink comforter, pink fuzzy pillows, a white dresser with flowers, and a large sparkly wall-hanging proclaiming "PRINCESS."

I don't remember my childhood toys being so overly gender-oritented.  Granted, I've never been accused of being overly girly.  As a young girl I constantly frustrated my mother with my tomboy tendencies.  I liked to fish and play in the dirt.  Heck, as an adult I like to fish and play in the dirt - some things don't change.

I have nothing against girly girls who want the pink room.  I just wonder how many girls actually want the pink over-feminized room, and how many think that's what they're supposed to choose. Or, how many parents choose it for them, whether they're trying to ensure their daughter's femininity, or they just think it's cute.  Again, as a non-parent, I can't say.

But regardless, I have a nagging feeling that even here, more than a decade into the 21st century, that women's equality and societal image is actually going backward.

I think, even though I don't have a daughter (I don't think two female dogs count), that I'll check this book out and see what Ms. Orenstein has to say.  I think it'll be interesting.