Girl=Princess

My niece is a princess fanatic.  Actually, I think both of my nieces are.  When in princess mode, Eva swoons and smiles and bats her eyes.  She loves playing prince and princesses and, begrudgingly, John has married Eva about 113 times.  For the most part, this is part of being a girl.  I'm not sure if I ever said I was a princess, but I sure felt the love for all things poofy, sparkly and twirly.  I don't find anything wrong with this.  While boys are loud, smell disgusting, play in dirt and smash their trucks together, girls dress up, play princess and are, by and large, a little more delicate.  However, I've seen my fair share of princesses playing in the mud.  Who says they can't?

I never really gave much thought to the whole girl=princess, boy =gross thing until I started compiling a list of good princess books for the library.  Just googling children's princess books brought me to a number of different sites where I would inevitably read how one mom didn't want her princess loving girl reading about helpless females waiting for a man.  It was a bit nauseating.  What is wrong with the prince rescuing his love?  In many of these stories the princess is under a spell or trapped in a castle.  These are not problems she can solve on her own.  It isn't as if the solution to her problem is that she needs to open a door and she just doesn't know how to turn the knob.  Nowhere in these stories do they insinuate that the princess is stupid. 

I'm all for teaching girls that they are powerful, smart and can grow up to be successful in their chosen field.  But if we constantly talk in disgust about a man coming in to save us, it will inevitably lead to men no longer acting like men.  I'll post later about my thoughts on feminism, but for now let me leave you with a scenario I encountered yesterday.  I went to Menards to purchase some supplies for my new closet.  You know me and I love doing projects.  While my husband would have gladly gone to the store to pick up my supplies, some of which I knew would be heavy, I thought it would be easier if I would go since it is my project.  As I was attempting to put 8 foot pieces of laminate shelving into my cart, not 1 or 2 but 6 MALE employees passed by me and didn't even bother to ask if I needed help.  While I know this doesn't speak well of Menard's costumer service, it also screams that chivalry is dead.  Could this have a little something to do with the fact that women are constantly screaming that we are equal and can do it all with out a man?  I think so.  I did indeed load the shelving myself, but I would have gladly taken the help if offered.  Rest assured the Fiene boys will restore chivalry...even if it kills me.