Did I wake up in 1953 by mistake?

[perennialanna]

I've just had an email from the local Children's Centre with their summer programme. There are two themed weeks.

One is Pirates and Princesses, the other Fairies/Wizards.

Oh goodness will I be feeding back my thoughts on that, once I've taken the swearing out because the only contact I have is some poor bloody admin who doesn't deserve to get my full and frank opinion on the subject.

And they ask me why I don't go to mother-and-child groups much...

Comments

[clanwilliam]

1953 would have been less gender stereotyped, I suspect.

[perennialanna]

1953 would have wondered why on earth children needed a summer activity programme when there were fields/bomb sites a-plenty...

[perennialanna]

In clarification, these are all events that an adult needs to accompany a child to, they aren't holiday childcare for working parents.

[nineveh_uk]

As would actual pirates!

[perennialanna]

Indeed! Which is an excellent opportunity to shoehorn in a link to Scott Lynch winning the internets, which is why I am currently reading The Lies of Locke Lamora (and wondering why no-one else seems to have spotted the Bujold nods - "Request and require you" indeed, and an Isla Durona).

http://fuckyeahscifiwomenofcolour.tumblr.com/post/37413846476/author-scott-lynch-responds-to-a-critic-of-the

[coughingbear]

That is brilliant!

I was stumped, in the London Aquarium shop last weekend, to see that they had two stands of pirate-y things (hats, cutlasses, etc); one lot in black/grey, and one lot all in pink. All over.

[perennialanna]

Because pink looks so much better when it's running with gore?

So far, Locke Lamora is stuffed with women doing things, running businesses, having jobs, without any comment at all. It really makes me realise how this is missing in so much fantasy.

[coughingbear]

I've always thought so.

I like Locke Lamora very much, but haven't got round to the sequel yet.

[caulkhead]

I would be tempted to go as a pirate princess, but suspect your version is better.

What reaction do you think Small Child would get if she turned up as a pirate and declared she was Anne Bonny?

[perennialanna]

Probably ok - but what about a boy who didn't want to be a pirate?

[clanwilliam]

Dress him up in white with a veil, hand him a hammer, and announce that he's Thor, pretending to be Freya.

That way he can also thump anyone who decides to mock him for being "girly".

[perennialanna]

Oh. brilliant!

This is why everyone should study mythology.

[antisoppist]

Arggh. When Small Daughter was at our Children's Centre, I was impressed to hear a member of staff saying to a shocked father at pick-up time "Fred picked that dress from the dressing-up rail. He likes the red frills." In other words it isn't all of them. Not that that helps you in the current situation. I suspect they will be perfectly happy to accommodate a female pirate but discouraging of male fairies.

Son, who was told "elves are for girls" by his little friends when in year 3 is finding the argument easier now they have reached the Lord of the Rings stage.

[perennialanna]

Of course, the trouble in this house would be that no-one is going as an elf, the murdering raping bastards, etc. We are firmly with Pratchett not Tolkein.

[antisoppist]

Murdering raping bastards is still better than people thinking they're twee - an assumption that round here gets you invited round to watch the army of archers arriving at Helm's Deep.

[clanwilliam]

At least from the wizard point of view, there's Diane Duane's Young Wizards, which is admirably egalitarian.

[perennialanna]

Missee Lee!

We'll have legionseagle telling us off for forgetting her. Pirate and Latinist too.

[legionseagle]

Indeed. Plus Grace O'Malley