Riley on Toy Marketing

[Honeybee]

This amazing little girl deserves her own thread:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CU040Hqbas


Thank you from a grown up woman who ALWAYS wanted to be a super hero and was MEH on the whole princess thing.

[Mr Smith]

Saw this on youtube earlier. Smart kid is smart.

But I should not have read the comments, really should not have read the comments. First rule of the internet is do not read the comments.

[Brandyjane]

What a cutie! My own four-year-old is going through a major princess phase right now, and she only wants to wear purple. So, we went ahead and got her a couple of princess Barbies for Christmas, but we also bought her a hot wheels race track, a bug microscope, and some dinosaurs. Guess which toys she hasn't even played with at all. (Hint - They both wear pink dresses.)

[Honeybee]

Some of those comments are very trolly - but it looks like most people are hitting like and not dislike.

I mean, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a girl or boy loving pink or wanting to be a princess (as long as they don't grow up thinking they are one and deserve to be treated as such) - but it's the overwhelming push towards that that's gotten out of control.

[Misplaced]

That was a great little video! She's so right.

I was a tomboy from a young age. I played with Barbies, but I also played with Transformers and GI Joes. Now, all four of my daughters are definitely girly-girls (God's joke on me, I think ), but I've never pushed them one way or another when it comes to the toys they want. (Which should be obvious, since I'm utterly baffled by their need to wear dresses instead of pants, and play "princess" all day long. )

[Kylah618]

You go, Riley.

I hated the pink, frilly, and girly when I was little. My brother's GI Joe's were far more interesting than babydolls and princesses. The only princess I ever pretended to be was Princess Allura from Voltron - and only because she flew a kickass giant mechanical lion.

[tish]

Such a wise little girl! I wanted to be Pocahontas when I was little, so of course I was very happy when my daughter chose Xena Warrior Princess to emulate! We like the Barbie and Disney princesses, however do not relate to them.

Son still wanted the Transformers and Power Rangers....the red one!

[Honeybee]

When I was little, I did have the kick-ass Sci Fi Princess of all time in Princess Leia to look up to, and I sure did!

But I have spoken to my students about the Disney Princess thing, and I have realized that the second generation princesses like Belle and Ariel had a lot more personality than the classic princesses like Snow White and Cinderella - something that was very deliberate. I remember loving Sleeping Beauty, but she's barely in the movie. It was the prince's story and he got to do all sorts of awesome things.

[EntAllat]

But I should not have read the comments, really should not have read the comments. First rule of the internet is do not read the comments.

LOL.

Yes.

[Misplaced]

But I have spoken to my students about the Disney Princess thing, and I have realized that the second generation princesses like Belle and Ariel had a lot more personality than the classic princesses like Snow White and Cinderella - something that was very deliberate. I remember loving Sleeping Beauty, but she's barely in the movie. It was the prince's story and he got to do all sorts of awesome things.

Yep, I agree about the deliberate changes. My favorite Disney chick isn't a princess: Mulan. That girl can kick ass and save a kingdom. Just sayin'.

My oldest daughter likes traditional fairytale princesses--more like Sleeping Beauty. My second oldest is into all (kid-appropriate) versions of Cinderella. If she loves a movie, there's a chance it's loosely based on Cinderella. My third daughter (who is only four) is just into princesses in general. We used to have a huge collection of Disney films on VHS, but got rid of them when she was a tiny-tot. And the only Disney princess film streaming on Netflix is Tangled. Which she likes well enough, but isn't obsessed with.

Honestly, I think parents go a really long way in making a kid comfortable in their own skin--like Riley. Her dad listened to her little philosophies--really listened and supported her. One of my sons went through a pink phase. He'd want to wear a "mommy shirt" to bed at night, and it was always a pink shirt. He did that from the age of two until only very recently did he stop (He's eight, and we had nothing to do with stopping--he just seemed to grow out of it). Neither my husband nor I batted an eyelash over it. My husband has always been comfortable with his masculinity, and has had no problem doing some seemingly "feminine" things when it suits him. (He's done some beautiful cross-stitches over the years.) So, having a son who seemed to love pink (though he did always say, and still does, his favorite color is green) didn't worry my husband.

And while my mother took a while (read: years) to adjust to my quirky tomboy ways (my mother is a mega girly-girl), I was raised primarily by my father and step-mother--both of whom accepted and loved me for all my weirdness. And still do. My mother, bless her heart, is finally resigned--and my biggest supporter. She reads my fanfiction.