Recently the newspaper published an article about a mother in Georgia who created a new super hero for girls after realizing that her daughter wanted nothing to do with the standard fairies and princesses so often associated with little girls. I thought the idea was a brilliant one and that it was great to have some more variety, but I was taken aback by the overall tone of the article. In all honesty, I was actually infuriated when I first read it, but I've taken a few days to cool down so as not to go on a tangent of a half formed and immaturely written argument.
The article begins with a story about a 5-year-old girl who "played with race cars and dressed up as Superman" instead of singing "Bibity-Bobity-Boo" and dancing around in tutus. Her mother decided to create a new super hero named Super Tool Lula. Super Tool Lula wears a blue jumpsuit, green goggles, and a tool belt. After explaining this story of this woman and her adorable daughter, the article continues on to address a growing princess craze that overall seems to be deemed as BAD.
Going back and rereading the article I realize that they do make some very valid points. After young girls grow out of the princess phase, there is some cause for worry about the impression of the importance of appearance that it leaves. However, I do not think this idea is well presented. It is not so much the early years of princesses that cause these kind of ideas, but rather the TV shows, magazines, and clothing/makeup commercials that girls view when they are older. The girls aisle does tend to be extremely pink, but the idea that pink is a girl color is a corrupt stereotype all in it's own, and to suddenly try and avoid it, as a radical interpretation of this article might suggest, only makes matters worse.
There are several places in the article that make the Disney princesses out to be the bad guys. To that I say: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? One mother "didn't ban princess stuff, but she avoided the Disney characters." Disney princesses were such a large, wonderful part of my childhood that I think it is extremely unfair to deny little girls the opportunity to experience the joy that these characters bring or to act as though it is unhealthy for girls to love them as I did. Cinderella taught me to follow my dreams, Jasmine taught me to make my own decisions, Pocahontas taught me to accept other's differences, and Mulan taught me to fight like a girl. There's a reason princesses have become so popular. It is because most little girls love them, not because we force them to, but because they just do.
That's not to say all girls will like princesses, but alternatives aren't as hard to find as the article made them out to be. Last time I checked there was no sign over the toy section of Target saying "Girls Only Allowed In Isles Containing Barbies, Baby Dolls, or Dresses". If they don't want any of the glamour, show them the Hot Wheels or try a blue bike instead of the pink one. Once I hit age eight it was bye-bye princesses and hello Yugio. My Barbies were secret agents not fashion models, and instead of the Bratz movies I watched Justice League. If girls don't want the stereotypical fairy wings and tiaras that's fine, and there are plenty of alternatives for them to chose from.
Moms, if I were to make a suggestion to you having recently lived in the "little girl world" very similar to your own daughters, embrace the princesses and the fairies. It's totally natural for them to love it, and it helps build the idea of being proud to be a girl. Disney princesses are a must have in any household, but keep a nice balance between Cinderella and Mulan. However, don't get crazy with the girly stuff either. Make sure they know ALL of the options and banish the FOR BOYS and FOR GIRLS labels as soon as possible. If your daughter doesn't like the standard little girl items, Pokemon, Yugio, Batman, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Hot Wheels, and even Greek Mythology are all nice alternatives to try.
Princesses aren't bad, but Yugio is pretty awesome too.
Don't forget to also check out Super Tool Lula at http://www.princessfreezone.com/
