If you know me offline, I’m sure you’ve already heard that when I was little, I had a dress just like this one. I loved that dress. It was purple, and velvety, and I remember being told I couldn’t wear it anymore because it was too small, and as a small child I reasoned that since I could clearly fit the dress on my body, it must not be too small.
I think this is the same faulty reasoning that plagues a lot of adults, actually.
So I no longer have a purple dress of my very own, but being a parent means that I can dress my daughter up in one. Fortunately, Pixie didn’t seem to mind. It makes it hard for her to crawl (OH DARN), but she does seem to have an interest in pretty things. No matter how much I encourage the tomboy traits, I can’t make her not like pretty pink ponies.
Which is fine. If she wants to be girly, that’s okay. I enjoy being feminine sometimes too! I just don’t want to pigeonhole her into the extreme gender stereotyping that seems to go on with lots of toddlers and with toddler toys and clothes. If you ever start to wonder how social imprinting affects gender identity, make sure to include a stroll through the baby and toddler section at your local department store in your educational efforts.
