Women in Art 278 Magazine January 2016 | страница 7

from the editor

Shaping our
Reality

Shopping for a baby offers a stark (and
rather foreboding) reality between birthing a
daughter and a son. Girls are offered clothing
that is pink, frilly, princess-themed and the like.
Boys are offered superhero outfits, designs
featuring police, firemen, vehicles (motorcycles,
trucks, etc). We indoctrinate parents into gender
norms as well as the children who will wear the
clothing. It’s perplexing that boys, in my culture,
wear bold colors (reds and blues) and girls wear
softer hues – typically shades of pastels. I feel
the color palette relates directly to the tolerance
we have in shaping children’s personalities –
boys are permitted to be loud and bold but girls
are taught to be quiet, respectful and supportive
(as opposed to authoritative / leadership roles).
Although unorthodox, I dress my daughter in
both “boys” and “girls” clothing because I don’t
want to confine my daughter to a particular
set of “rules” or societal expectations. It’s not
that I don’t acknowledge her gender; rather the
opposite is true. I want to raise strong, proud,
educated, knowledgeable girls who have a

Of course, the attire for babies is just the
beginning … being a breastfeeding mother in
this country