Pink Nailpolish Turns Boys Gay: A Celebration of Forward Thinking

I have just finished reading an article about a new J Crew ad featuring a Mom, her 5 year old son, and some quality time involving pink nail polish. ( article here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1376105/J-Crew-ad-featuring-year-old-boy-neon-pink-toenails-sparks-debate-gender-identity-children.html?printingPage=true ) You may have read similar rants in the past, but I feel the need to express myself once again on this issue.



Anyone who has children knows that they will like what they like and that they couldn't care one fig about social constructs such as "gender identity". They care about being able to spend quality time with their parents, and doing things their parents do. If the picture featured a girl working on a car with her Dad, I doubt anyone would have spoken up against it. There is nothing wrong with a girl liking cars, dirt or wanting to be President someday; by the same token there is nothing wrong with a boy liking dolls, nail polish or showing his emotions. I had hoped that we were past all that.



It frustrates and saddens me that this photograph is not seen as a celebration of the bond between parent and child in a day and age where parents spend more time out of the home working and kids have less quality time with them.



Growing up, I wore pants, played football, rode my bike and hiked in the woods. I enjoyed math and science, climbing trees, and lifting heavy things. I am not a lesbian, but if I was, it would not be because of those things. I have a husband who is loving, caring, and does the dishes, the laundry and takes care of our son while I work to bring in a second income. He is straight too. I'll tell you, I much prefer having a forward thinking husband than an emotionally constipated one. Why influencing sexual orientation even comes into question for a 5 year old is beyond me. When did we become a nation of Sigmund Freuds where everything comes down to sex?



I would like to point out for the record that we currently have women in just about every career position from small businesses to huge international corporations. Women exist in just about every level of government. Women wear pants, work on cars, provide for their families, vote, write books, research...the list goes on. Last I knew, there were no population issues in the United States. This photograph serves to illustrate the inequality of the larger picture- women have been able to take on many rolls that have been traditionally held by men, but men are not shown the same courtesy. Feminism at its core is not about women becoming more like men while men sit idly by and watch their identities erode; it is about the celebration of equality and the freedom to choose the paths that fit us best. It is about the transcendence beyond stereotypical "girl" and "boy" associations.



I think we could learn a lot from this little boy. We need to stop being inconsistent, to let go of all these little things that don't matter and learn to appreciate the things that do.