It's gonna take all of us.
January 1
Act #1: Adding pink, glass slippers to my 5-year old son's dress-up trunk. Allowing my kid to be a kid, to imagine and create freely without the confines of gender stereotypes.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
How It All Started: Add Pink to Your (Son's) Closet
To be an activist is to "act" in support or opposition of a worthy cause. I've never seen myself as an activist. Like many of you however, I often get completely and utterly overwhelmed with the suffering and injustices that seem to be multiplying all around me - in humanity, in our environment, in our spirits. As a Generation-X female juggling a career, motherhood, a 2-hour daily commute, and aging parents - for years I struggled with the question: Can a 5-foot-one, painstakingly average, already-stretched, 40-year old woman living in Berea, Kentucky really make a difference at all? This blog is an attempt to commit to one small act each day that supports the principles in which I believe - fairness, a violence-free world, cooperation, diversity, respect for the earth, and basic human acceptance. You're probably already demonstrating "activism" in your daily life without even realizing it. Trust me, if a regular 'ol gal like me can call herself an activist, so can you.
It's gonna take all of us.
It's gonna take all of us.
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Thank you. That's what I have to say first.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I am a woman and I hate pink. This is not because I am a "tomboy" (yes I love sports, getting dirty outdoors and hate to cook), a feminist (although I proudly wear this label), or have a horrible memory attached to the color. There was a point in my early childhood when I preferred this color over any other. I don't use the word hate very often, but when it comes to pink, I feel it personally. I don't mind that others love it and wear it daily. What I do mind, is that society has decided that only females, gay men and now breast cancer supporters can like this color. For example, a professional football player can't be found wearing pink on national TV unless it's breast cancer awareness month (only then is it cool). Thank goodness athletic companies like Nike and Asics have saved us from looking less feminine when we are exercising by adding lots of pink to our active wear and tennis shoes!!
I say all of this to say thank you for adding pink, glass slippers to your son's dress up trunk. Continue to allow him to imagine beyond the societal constraints and gender stereotypes. You never know what kind of influence he will have on others in the future due to this kind of free-thinking atmosphere. I am a product of a similar upbringing and have been told that I have made people both question and think differently about things.
Thank you so much for sharing your journey and thoughtful insight! I'll try to put my boy in more pink to balance out the gender inequities :-) Thanks also for putting your convictions to action!
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