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Why "I am NOT a VOLCANO!"

Why "I am NOT a VOLCANO!"
click the volcano for the due explanation
"In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." — Gordon B. Hinckley
Exaggeration is the spice of life

Book I am Currently Reading: Peter and The Shadow Thief

Monday, March 29, 2010

Touchy Topic Tuesday: Shiloh Jolie Pitt, Suri Cruise, my son, and gender roles.

Touchy Topic Tuesday:
Shiloh Jolie Pitt, Suri Cruies, My Son, and Gender Roles.





When my son was just 17 months old, he asked for a kitchen for Christmas- complete with food and a phone to talk on while he whipped us all up delicious things to pretend to eat.

He was also known to carry a doll around and tell random strangers that he wanted to marry Elmo.



Once, while Lilly- then 2 years old- played dress up, he slipped on her Tinkerbell wings and flew around the room. This, coupled with the kitchen, the dolls, the headbands he wore in his hair and his constant requests for me to paint his finger nails, I had to wonder.


My thought process remained brief and unfinished for the time being when my son flew up to me, and said "Mom! Look! I a bug!" He later told his dad that he was an airplane.


While Mahone still occasionally says that he wants to marry Elmo, or his best friend Connor, insists that he get to use the pink plate at dinner, and sometimes still dresses up like Tinkerbell and asks for glitter, I have decided not to be worried.


The child is only 3 years old. His dad cooks, carries around a baby, and I think that all he knows about getting married is that you marry a person you love. He loves Elmo. And he loves his best friend Connor. In fact, he says, just as often, that he's going to marry Lilly or Scarlet, or even myself. So he certainly hasn't attached it only to boys.

Now, I have to make it clear that I am not a celebrity stalker. I don't care who left who or who is too thin. I don't care who is doing drugs, or who has gone broke. As far as I am concerned, people like this don't really exist. They only live on my television and on the big screen, and only normal, sane, and otherwise unassuming people live on the planet known as Earth.


However, I have a weak spot for kids, and when I saw this article I totally identified.








So Shiloh is a tomboy.



I grew up with 5 uncles. On a regular basis, I caught lizards and snakes, pitched tents, wore board shorts to swim, pretended I was Indiana Jones while digging in a pile of dirt to find crystals one of my uncles had hidden. A common activity was for my uncles to make authentic looking treasure maps for me, and bury treasure.



I also pretended to have a penis, and tried, more than once, to make out with my life sized cricket doll when I was 6. (Okay- not my proudest moment, and a rather embarrassing confession that I haven't even told my husband until now...but hey, all is fair in love and blog land.)



Oh, and for the record, I had a short hair style, just like Shiloh. My mom was supportive. And I was a little girl. But I'm all grown up, heterosexual, in fact, I'm really kind of girly, and though I honestly wouldn't miss an opportunity to make out with Kira Knightly, I really don't exhibit any bisexual or homosexual tendencies.


And the reality of it is, if she DOES grow up to be bisexual, or gay, or heterosexual, whose business is it anyway? Limelight or not, Shiloh is going to grow up and she's not a puppet. She'll make her own choices.

What really gets to me is that no one can mention Shiloh- boy clothes or not- without sizing her up next to Suri Cruise.


Just because Suri is miss priss with a two million dollar wardrobe doesn't really mean that Shiloh should be that way. The Jolie-Pitt kids wear hand me downs...just like any NORMAL kid in the U.S. who doesn't have famous parents.




For the record, I don't even care about her heels. I, for one, think they are adorable, and if they didn't cost an arm and a leg, I'd probably buy some for Lilly to wear to church. SO CUTE!!!!

What bothers me about this princess is that her clothes look a little grown up. Like miniature reproductions of something a can-can dancer, a lawyer or a French call girl would wear... it kind of reminds me of Claudia from "Interview With The Vampire"- a woman trapped in a child's body.






In the meantime, my son has graduated to wearing an Indiana Jones hat, a Superman Cape, and throwing worms at his sisters.






Personally, that sounds like 'all boy' to me.
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So, what do you think????
Is Shiloh gay?
Is Angelina forcing her bisexuality onto her daughter, choosing a 'favorite' and living vicariously?
What about Suri? Should she loose the heels?
What about your children? Do you encourage gender roles?
Let us know!!!!

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**All photos (except the ones of my child) are courtesy of Google.com

10 comments:

Brittanie Gordon said...

I LOVE that my 3yo wears heels.. well wedge's but still.. And IMO Suri doesn't dress too old.. she is always covered up (which is a HUGE improvement from all the youngen's we've seen at the mall) Her clothes aren't custom made (usually) it's just a style that is in. It's traditional and I LOVE it. Our kids don't wear anything with character and they are known to wear sweater vests 3 days a week.. We just prefer that look. I also could care less what famous people and their kids are doing!

One Photo said...

One thing you learn fast about little girls is that, by the time they are three (sometimes much earlier) they will sometimes refuse to wear clothes or shoes bought for them that they do not like. They also really enjoy choosing their own clothes, exhibiting when given the opportunity to do so, their own inherent style and panache. So I suspect that all Angelina and Katie are doing is letting Shiloh and Suri do just that, show their personalities through the way in which they dress. I am sure at the same time that both Angelina and Katie would just love it if the press and everyone else left their children alone to just be what they are, kids. I agree with Brittanie I really don't care what famous people and their kids are doing.

eureka! said...

I don't really have an opinion about the famous kids, but I think it's really great that you are letting your son expose his true colors and letting him play with what he wants to play with! I think that's how it should be for all kids! Whether he grows up to be straight, bisexual, or gay, you let him be himself and I think that is the most important thing. Extra mommy points for you :)

Anonymous said...

I love that you posted this. It drives me crazy to see all the ignorant articles in the gossip mags that just perpetuate the stereotypes for genders. There is nothing wrong with how Shiloh dresses. I love that her parents are letting her be who she wants to be. The only thing that drives me crazy about Suri is how much her clothing costs. I've heard comments here and there about Kate Hudson's son's hair length and that irks me too. Gender stereotypes are ridiculous.

Oh, and I loooove that the Jolie Pitt clan wears hand me downs. That is awesome!

liz said...

I think you are right about your son and letting him just be and think what he feels. We have a little boy who asked for a kitchen, has a pink dolly stroller and wears his mommy's heels, but I don't think that necessarily has some deeper meaning.

I think Suri with the heels is TOO MUCH. If for no other reason that it isn't good for proper development to wear shoes like that (she's been wearing heels for some time). Just my opinion. :)

Serene is my name, not my life! said...

I was a huge tomboy. Cut-offs and t-shirts were my wardrobe. I hated dolls and loved my brother's he-man toys. I think I turned out just fine! Proven by the fact that I married a man and have a closet full of heels.
I have many, many pictures of my oldest boy wearing princess dress-up clothes, wearing heels, make-up nail polish, etc.Of course, he has an older sister.
But he is growing out of it and is becoming more interested in being a super hero than a princess.

J.B. said...

You are a terrific mother. Some things that I misunderstood as a child were because I was aware of all the energy my parents had on their response. If they had said the same words to me calmly, I think I would have forgotten the incidents. Some that I remember because of all the energy involved; I misinterpreted and knew that I was bad. Otherwise why would my parents be so upset?

Lourie said...

My girls are girlie girls. Especially the younger one. She runs like a girl. I was just noticing this the other day. Her sister runs more like an athlete. But both are girlie. My son has been all boy from day one. Ocassionally he will carry a doll or stuffed animal. But usually he is crashing, bashing, crushing and growling.

Me, I was a tomboy too. Played in the dirt and mud. Hung out with boys. Now, I am girlie too.

Kids like to play with dolls one day and guns the next.

Sometimes the amount of money spent on these kids is absolutely sickening. It's good to know that Shiloh and the others have hand me downs. However, she there are plenty of ungirlie girl clothes. Just me.

BTW I love Touchy Topic Tuesday!

Modern Mommy said...

Very thought provoking. Following you via blog hop, follow back please: http://modernmommyreviews.blogspot.com/. My son is 7 months old and plays with his big sister's kitchen set. Do I think he's going to ba gay? No and even if he was, I don't think it would have anything to do with what he played with or wore as a child. It would have a lot more to do with whatever God has in store for him.

Modern Mommy said...

OOPs...*be...Also, how did you get the comment thing to pop out?

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