Photo Part 1 & 2

From: Brianna

Bryan, age 4, my youngest sibling and only boy of five girls is seen wanting to be Elsa. This is not because he is feminine or expressing homosexual characteristics but simply because he wants to be the strong independent character, Elsa. He sees Elsa as a hero, and wants to be like her. I also incorporated my sister Courtney, Age 6, in her princess dress. Bryan wants to play dress up with his sister, he doesn't understand why she can wear dress and he cannot. However, my younger brother is being raised in strong conservative christian household where a boy wanting to wear dress is a ‘red flag.’ My sister Katie, age 12, grabs the dress and yells “No Bubby! Dresses are for girls!” as he struggles to pull the dress from her grasp. He stares at my dad as he states, “No mans, dresses aren't for boys. Play with your fire truck, you're a boy.” You can see on his face that he doesn't understand why he can’t wear the dress, he just wants to be Elsa. He is being taught “gender norms,” that dresses are for girls and trucks are for boys. In “Two Cultures of Childhood” it states “children do not merely learn by rote which toys are for boys and which are for girls.” Children aren't born knowing whats acceptable for boys and whats acceptable for girls, they are taught. When growing up, toys and games children play are usually associated to gender and behavior. Boys toys are usually associated to being strong, violent, and a hero, whereas girls toys are associated with being a princess, makeup, and household duties like cooking/cleaning. A young boy wanting to dress up like a princess goes against the “normal” standards of how a child should act. Toy companies market certain toys for certain genders teaching children that they should stick to their own gender roles and should not venture far from them. This is reinforced by most parents and is even stricter when it comes to boys. When my sisters want to play with trucks, nothing is said, but when my brother wants to play with a dress or a doll its alarming. Children are innocent and just want to be able to express themselves, adults tend to pervert a child’s actions into something they’re not. We should let kids be kids and play with whatever toys they find an interest in.