ThreadBare said:

SCNDLS said:

So, nobody thinks this is the least bit exploitative, making a 5 year old boy the posterchild for something he may not fully understand? His parents could have fully supported his choice to dress like a princess and written the book without putting him on national television or in magazines. That's not protecting him IMO.

That was my take on it, Sandals. I caught it on some morning news show while eating breakfast and thought it was totally exploitative. I wonder what his feelings will be in 10 or 20 years.

If he is being raised to believe there is no shame in it, why would he feel anything but proud in 10/20 years...even if it was just a phase?

I can't understand this argument at all, it makes people who say this look like they actually really feel that he should be ashamed.

I can't imagine you thinking that way, ThreadBare...but that's totally how it comes off.

This reminds me of my childhood.

My best friends name was Terry and mine Theresa. He was going to marry me someday, or so he told me when he was 9. He loved all things fashionable and pretty. He was the best person to play Barbies with and he was forever sneaking on his little sister's tutu. This, back in 1970 did not go over well. He also loved to pirouette and was very good at it.

By the time Terry was 9 he pretty much knew not to make out a real xmas list or ask for what he really wanted for his birthday. The only thing he would get on his list were crayons and coloring books anyway. By the time he was 9, I was being told not to allow Terry to play dolls with me. That he had a problem and I was encouraging it.

Terry, when he played with toys he wasn't suppose to, got his ass beaten. Despite his dad being a drunk it was Terry that was clearly the embarassement to the family.

Eventually they moved back to upstate Maine where they were originally from and I lost contact.

It still saddens me to think of Terry and how happy and giddy he was when doing the exact things he knew would get his ass beaten when found out. He had a choice, get his ass beaten or get his spirit beaten, maybe in the end he got both beaten I don't know.

I don't know if doing this nationally with just one boy as the focus is so smart. But I do know it has to be done. Most men aren't effeminate and most women prefer masculine men. However, given how many women out their drool over Prince it should be clear that some women like their men on the fancy lesbian side. Sooooo there.

JustErin said:

ThreadBare said:

That was my take on it, Sandals. I caught it on some morning news show while eating breakfast and thought it was totally exploitative. I wonder what his feelings will be in 10 or 20 years.

If he is being raised to believe there is no shame in it, why would he feel anything but proud in 10/20 years...even if it was just a phase?

I can't understand this argument at all, it makes people who say this look like they actually really feel that he should be ashamed.

I can't imagine you thinking that way, ThreadBare...but that's totally how it comes off.

But, he's being raised to know very well that, even if there's no shame in it, his behavior is different. So different that his mother has written a book about it and they've appeared on morning TV shows. When the TV host asked him a question, he seemed very bashful. Kids are like that, minus the cameras and hype. But I wondered whether he wanted to be there. His parents seem to like the attention. But they're not the ones who are going to face some very cruel kids however long he does this. And, if he comes to a place where he begins to prefer dressing like other boys, how will he feel about telling them, I wonder?

Mind you, their approach is fairly contrary to what mine would be, I gather. But that's second to the issue of exploitation that I perceived.

ThreadBare said:

JustErin said:

If he is being raised to believe there is no shame in it, why would he feel anything but proud in 10/20 years...even if it was just a phase?

I can't understand this argument at all, it makes people who say this look like they actually really feel that he should be ashamed.

I can't imagine you thinking that way, ThreadBare...but that's totally how it comes off.

But, he's being raised to know very well that, even if there's no shame in it, his behavior is different. So different that his mother has written a book about it and they've appeared on morning TV shows. When the TV host asked him a question, he seemed very bashful. Kids are like that, minus the cameras and hype. But I wondered whether he wanted to be there. His parents seem to like the attention. But they're not the ones who are going to face some very cruel kids however long he does this. And, if he comes to a place where he begins to prefer dressing like other boys, how will he feel about telling them, I wonder?

I have to agree. While all the attention is "positive" or "supportive" (depending on how you look at this), the sheer enormity of it makes how he is progressing a spectacle... when his parents seem to be of the position that it shouldn't be a spectacle. I guess I just don't understand the logic of that.

[Edited 1/9/11 11:43am]

I wish that these people thought it through a little bit more. First they should of asked "what did they want the outcome to be for him", "what did they hope that he would gain from this experience". My guess is that they would want him to feel more exceptable and likeable. That is fine. However he is learning that while hundreds of complete strangers think he and his parents are the coolest, hundreds of others think his parents are evil and dooming him to an eternity in hell. Grown celebrities can not take that kind of critisism, how to we expect a little boy to.

What I would want would be for the boy to come to know that although he was unusual and atypical he certainly wasn't unique. At Halloween there was a woman that blogged, I think, about her son wearing a Daphne costume ( the pretty one from Scoobie-Doo) and how other mothers reacted. It would be nice if they had met eachother. It would be nice if Princess Boy had met up with others and they ALL would have been on a talk show together so that he was not treated like the last of the Dodo birds or the elephant man.

Princess Boy needs to meet other Princess Boys, not a whole bunch of adults with opinions.

Deadflow3r said:

It would be nice if Princess Boy had met up with others and they ALL would have been on a talk show together so that he was not treated like the last of the Dodo birds or the elephant man.

Oh, I can't let that go unmet, dodo to dodo.

it's wonderful that the family have embraced & normalized this behaviour because this kid isn't going to change.. everyone around him accepts the way he is.

he should grow into a confident princess man & it would be nice to think that by that time people won't bat an eyelid.

cute little fella. i admire his mum.

Deadflow3r said:

I wish that these people thought it through a little bit more. First they should of asked "what did they want the outcome to be for him", "what did they hope that he would gain from this experience". My guess is that they would want him to feel more exceptable and likeable. That is fine. However he is learning that while hundreds of complete strangers think he and his parents are the coolest, hundreds of others think his parents are evil and dooming him to an eternity in hell. Grown celebrities can not take that kind of critisism, how to we expect a little boy to.

What I would want would be for the boy to come to know that although he was unusual and atypical he certainly wasn't unique. At Halloween there was a woman that blogged, I think, about her son wearing a Daphne costume ( the pretty one from Scoobie-Doo) and how other mothers reacted. It would be nice if they had met eachother. It would be nice if Princess Boy had met up with others and they ALL would have been on a talk show together so that he was not treated like the last of the Dodo birds or the elephant man.

Princess Boy needs to meet other Princess Boys, not a whole bunch of adults with opinions.

PositivityNYC said:

Deadflow3r said:

I wish that these people thought it through a little bit more. First they should of asked "what did they want the outcome to be for him", "what did they hope that he would gain from this experience". My guess is that they would want him to feel more exceptable and likeable. That is fine. However he is learning that while hundreds of complete strangers think he and his parents are the coolest, hundreds of others think his parents are evil and dooming him to an eternity in hell. Grown celebrities can not take that kind of critisism, how to we expect a little boy to.

What I would want would be for the boy to come to know that although he was unusual and atypical he certainly wasn't unique. At Halloween there was a woman that blogged, I think, about her son wearing a Daphne costume ( the pretty one from Scoobie-Doo) and how other mothers reacted. It would be nice if they had met eachother. It would be nice if Princess Boy had met up with others and they ALL would have been on a talk show together so that he was not treated like the last of the Dodo birds or the elephant man.

Princess Boy needs to meet other Princess Boys, not a whole bunch of adults with opinions.

Co-

I think that there is absolutely nothing wrong with this story. The same goes for Brad and Angelina's daughter Shiloh style of choice or Tinkie Winkie's purse for the matter. I think that people get too hung up on the choices that little kids make. They are children. How many people still like the same style of dressing that they liked when they were little children. I use to like the princess-look too...when I was 4. But, as a 37 y.o., there is NOTHING pink in my wardrobe. And even if this little boy grows up to still love pink and Shiloh still wants to dress as she does now...so be it. As for the now defuncted Telly Tubbies....I used to work at a daycare too. There are a lot of toddler-aged boys that play with or carries their mother purses. That show wasn't made for adults, it was made to cater to a specific age group. It was a show for toddlers-pre-schoolers.