It has been said and written that women’s fashion magazines make many women feel inadequate and self-conscious. While I have not completely escaped these feelings and acknowledge how these feelings would surface by looking at images of inachievable (because it is “unreal”) beauty over and over, my personal bouts of inadequacy surface when looking at kids and home magazines/blogs.
This realization made me laugh out loud as we pulled away from Walmart (yup, Walmart – the mecca of back-to-school gear). We needed to find a backpack for our daughter/soon-to-be primary student. I had brought her shopping for backpacks earlier in the week and had her try on plain coloured ones and got very lackluster results. “I can have that one if you want me to.” “Do you want to keep looking?” I asked. And so we did.
As we are pulling away from Walmart, my daughter is joyfully singing the praises of her new pink Disney princess backpack with 2 glued-on “gem” hearts. She extolls it’s virtues – “It has 2 pockets for my papers and two side pockets for my drinks and it fits me and it sparkles and it has all my favorite princesses on it.”
It was at Walmart that she also found a pair of new sneakers: white with shiny, sparkley decals of Disney princesses. I pointed out these adorable plaid ones and these cute “Vans”-esque ones, but she was set on the sparkly rainbow princess ones. “These are good Mom.”
In my line of work – curating/cultivating a handmade emporium, my research takes me to all kinds of great magazine and blog sources for adult fashion, home design/goods, and kids fashion and goods. And so I get exposed to images of quirky, cool kids in amazingly adorable outfits that do NOT involve any Disney at all.
But Millie has definate ideas of what she wants to wear. It began at 2 years old when I couldn’t get a dress or tights on her, to now, at almost 5 years, when I can’t get a pair of pants on the girl. And now we are in the height of Disney Princess and Barbie fever.
I am sure our situation is not unique. I know there are plenty of moms with a similar aesthetic and value system as myself whose daughters have strayed for the rainbowy, glittery, flouncy glory that is Princess and Barbie. But when I look at these magazines (Small Magazine, Papier Mache) and blogs, you can’t help but to wonder: What happened here? I don’t hate on the blonde haired, blue eyed, ridiculously skinny and well endowed plastic dolls but I don’t endorse them either. How does my daughter prefer this dress (source: Disney Store)
over this (via Love Gorgeous Clothing)
or this (from Ainslee Fox)
Some years ago, while browsing some magazines with my mom, I showed her a parenting magazine I love, Cookie. She made an observation about the child models and how made up they were. She felt some of the images made the children look sexualized or adult looking. And the unrealness of the fashion spreads – trying to look like a kid had a cupcake on his face to appear real when you know a stylist applied this cupcake strategically.
And so, with Millie in the backseat singing away about her princess friends, I laughed and then smiled knowing that THIS is real. Her place right now – Barbie, Princess, Fairy and all – is the best place to be. She is real and really, I wouldn’t want it any other way.
(Millie last year with her old pink backback.)
