Last year, in honour of International Women’s Day, I destroyed a toy that I believe lowered the glass ceiling for my daughter and didn’t help my son’s view of women. On March 8, 2010, I gave Stripper Barbie a funeral. I’ve reposted the You Tube video below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpWZGb_QyKo]
If you want to read more about what what prompted me to give Barbie a funeral, check out my post from last year, International Women’s Day, Movies, and Stripper Barbie.
This year, I have nothing so dramatic to destroy on March 8 except for a pair of girls’ red shoes. These shoes are heeled and are no doubt made from the carcinogen family of plastics. For a couple of years now, Vivian (and occasionally William) have paraded around in them, slipping every third step. It’s rather like watching Bambi trying to stand on ice. Generally I toss the shoes back into our dress up box before a trip to the ER is required. Then, a month or so later, I hear the clip clop of uncertain steps again.
It’s not so much the colour of the shoes that bothers me: Dorothy’s red sparkly footwear helped her return to Kansas, and I have my own peep toe pumps that make me stand well over 6’ tall. I’m all for fun footwear.
But I cringe when kids are strapped into heels that cause them to walk as though their feet have been bound since birth. If I cared enough, I’d critique Tom and Katie over their choices in Suri’s footwear, but I don’t. Other people can equip their children how they see fit.
All I really know is that I want my daughter to be able to take confident strides; she’ll need them to climb through the glass ceiling.
Cue the dirge for the funeral procession. Rest in peace, trashy-girl shoes.
Smiles.. and more. Thankyou for making me feel guiltless about stripping my children of their slipshod clucking fantasy worlds and reinforcing my point of view that 11 year olds have no reason in the world to wear Barbie mini skirt and tank top bling that have their looks rival Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver…
How long before the Barbie Dancing Pole outstrips pink pony in popularity, after all there is supposed to be a stripper Burlesque Babe in us all, right?
I don’t look forward to fashion arguments in the tween years, and I wish you strength!
I’ve heard there is burlesqu-er-size for kids, which makes my skin crawl. Another fashion item that makes Mary Wollstonecraft’s skeleton go into the fetal position is words on the back of kids’ butts. I’ve seen it on some size 6 pseudo-yoga pants: “I’m cute.” Please.
Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for your wonderful comment on Baobab Papers for Little Principality of Small Immensities, thanks so much 🙂
PS : Burlesque has hit it big here in Italy with a reality TV show and the current carnival season offers excuse galore for further aesthetic abuse of girls not yet in training bras sporting aspirant feather bowers and bodices for miniature wine barrels..and I wonder when did some of these mothers take their last look in the mirror. So yes look-no-bra-bodice-ma-hands notsocute Burlesquekidz is already here..
It’s already there? You describe it well, in a scary way. It belongs in Sports Illustrated’s “Signs of the Apocalypse” column.
As a tomboy through and through, to this day I still have daily battles with my heels. How do women walk/drive in them?? It’s a baffling mystery of the universe no scientist has ever fully explained…
Kudos to you for guiding your daughter to run through that glass ceiling with non carcinogenic, ergonomic shoes!
I think it’s likely easier for moms who are tomboys or have tomboys. I own no stilettos, just wedgie heels. I too feel more comfortable in high tops than heels. Thankfully, Vivian is very sporty…so far.
Love this tradition!
one question: did your kids get to witness Stripper Barbie’s Demise? and will the witness the Red Shoe Funeral?
These all sound like titles of great rock songs btw.
No, they didn’t witness either funeral. Tomorrow, after bedtime, I will take out the shoes (they’re hidden now) and say Rest In Peace as I chuck them into the recycle bin or garbage. I can’t even bring myself to donate them.
Love the rock song comment!
This is hysterical. I don’t have girls but one of my sons used to love walking around our house in a pair of red mules that look quite like the ones in your picture. A few days after we moved into our first house, I was standing in the front yard, making conversation with a new neighbor. I was convinced we were the trashiest family on the street, and was trying to make a good impression. Out comes my 2 year old son, naked except for the red mules, he poops in the grass, then goes back inside. I’ve never recovered.
I’m glad to have found your blog!
ROFL! I can’t stop laughing at that image. And I love how your son just wandered back inside, like he did that all the time. I am still laughing!
Thanks for stopping by.
I am with you! I have three daughters. I had planned to raise them to be rough and tough, and as good as any boy. But my daughters are very “girlie” and thus challenge me to raise strong, girlie girls…which leaves me at a loss. What I would give to throw out their high heels, tiaras, and other princess gear. But my children would revolt and my life would be AWFUL. I guess they are stong after all!
You are outnumbered! I feel your pain. It does help that Vivian’s more sporty than princess. She also doesn’t mind getting rid of things, which makes it easier. I do explain that shoes should help us walk better (not worse) and that this is especially important when we’re still growing. She bought it.
Also, my SIL (a tomboy herself) raised a strong, girlie girl who turned into a strong, athletic, outspoken young woman. It can be done!
Just curious…who got her the stripper Barbie? Some Barbie’s strip to get through college so Ken doesn’t have to foot the bill…
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Stripper Barbie was a hand-me-down. I’m not sure why I didn’t vet it when I went through the bag, but I was probably too busy tweeting…
Looking forward to visiting your blog!
Stripper Barbie is, like, all about freedom of expression maaaannnn. Your assault on children’s toys makes me so happy. I would love to introduce you to my sister. You two would get along splendidly!
Love your stoner voice. I seem to good at critiquing toys. Maybe I can get a job panning things.
Shall I assume your sister has kids? If not, would she like to borrow two?
Destroying things is fun! Stripper Barbie? Have you seen Pregnant Barbie? Her tummy opens up and the baby is inside. I’m assuming childbirth is that easy.
Great avatar, by the way. I think I’ve heard of Pregnant Barbie but have blocked it from my mind, like the time I ate fried bologna. Both are vomit inducing.
I had no idea there was a stripper Barbie. We have Skanky Ho Barbie. My 69 year old aunt mailed her to my daughter for her 5th birthday. Skanky Ho Barbie has pink and white streaks in her her gothic black hair, a tattoo, a cleavage revealing halter top, and a micro mini to complement her hair streaks. She’s clearly high maintenance. It takes time and some big bucks to maintain that kind of look. I’m thinking she and Stripper Barbie could get together and make a whole lotta money if they wanted to. I’m also thinking, who the hell do they have working in the ‘let’s design a Barbie department’ these days?
“Amen sista” to the red shoes. For the sake of International Women’s Day and prior to disposal, smashing those shoes to pieces with a hammer might be quite therapeutic.
By the way, Thing 1 and Thing 2’s new hairstyle – hysterical!
My good friend, Jo! I am LMAO at Skanky Ho Barbie. One has to wonder if your aunt regrets not dressing a bit more…daringly? If we can resurrect stripper Barbie from the landfill, my Barbie can meet your Barbie in Soi Nana or Patpong.
Smashing shoes with hammer = brilliant.
By the way, I was looking through “old” photos of your 29th Bday and my 30th last night! Am missing you big time…
Stripper barbie is out of control but those red shoes seem somehow worse. I mean, that heel is unrealistic for a child to pull off without a really sexy dress.
Seriously though, I am actually glad a parent is thinking critically about how toys affect their children. I don’t think that happens enough and I think inequality is something that is placed into our brains when we are young and reinforced over the years. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I am still thinking about this line in particular: “I think inequality is something that is placed into our brains when we are young…”. I think you’re right.
And I’d like to think things are changing, but in some ways I think they’re getting worse.
Thankfully, my girls outgrew Barbies by the time they were about eight. I wasn’t a “girly-girl” and they’re not either (most of the time). Those shoes hurt me to look at…yikes!
Wendy
“Ode to Joy” is playing in my head right now…so nice your girls outgrew them.
Heels for kids always weirds me out. We’re in the throws of the princess crap here and I wish I could turf it all out. Barbies too. Although, have you noticed that nobody blames batman for having an unrealistic physique? Don’t boys get body image issues??? I think they must.
Good point re Batman. Though male “action figures” tend to be fairly clothed (wrestling stars aside). Still, I think male body image problems are on the rise. When I was in high school, a six-pack was 18 beer short of a 2-4.