I'm in the middle of reading the great new book by Peggy Orenstein (Cinderella Ate My Daughter) and thought I'd pause to go check her out at West Portal Books. I wish I'd finished the book before going to hear her talk because I never like to ask questions at the end if I haven't read the book.
As parents, we'll always be fighting something. Instead of saying no, no, no to Disney Princesses, Sesame Street, etc., it's important to find alternatives that you can say YES to. Other fairy tales such as Athena or Joan of Arc are great. It's important to channel your energy and passion into positive stories, ideas, and playtime activities.
And lucky for all of us, Peggy Orenstein is compiling a list of resources! "Obviously your girl should engage in outdoor activities and sports; pursue arts, music, science and culture; play with gender-neutral toys and toys that challenge notions of gender; do all kinds of things. But to specifically counter the hyper-feminized consumer culture, to find things you can say “yes” to that feel equal rather than compensatory to “girlie” products, try some of the following." -Peggy Orenstein
Here are a few of my favorites:
Campaign for a Commercial Free-Childhood
Anti-Sexist/Anti-Consumerist Children’s Books
