I was not excited about this topic when I first read over the list. I am most certainly NOT a girly-girl. My least favorite color is “pink.” Ruffles and hearts on clothing make me squirm. I wear make-up and style my hair on special occasions only.
And yet, not wanting to delve too deeply into the feminist aspects of such a question, I realized that I don’t have to look any further than my two girls to see the wonderful diversity of what is feminine.
Firstborn is my “tomboy.” She runs and plays and climbs and bikes like a maniac. She dances ballet grudgingly, eagerly awaiting the day when she is old enough for the hip-hop class. She has taken to crying whenever I force her to wear a dress, wanting to be “cool” instead of “pretty” (I wonder at times if she is 6 or 16). Yet she also “mothers” her siblings on a daily basis. She loves her long hair and is again growing it out from mid-back to low-back. Her favorite color is yellow, and she loves all things princess. She is feminine.
Girl-Twin is my girly-girl. She sleeps with 3 baby dolls every night, hand-me-down toys that big sister never cared to play with for long. She adores babies and cries when she has to stop holding them. She begs to wear her dresses, swishing them like a bell EVERY time I put one on her – she has even taken to wanting one over her footie pajamas when she goes to bed. She already pliés and sautés (bends and jumps) through her ballet moves like a pro. Yet she pushes the toy cars on the road rug with precision accuracy. She is my only child who doesn’t freak out when dirt/hair/anything sticky is on her hands. She commands her siblings like a small general. She is feminine.
[Project 24 is a Creative Photography Challenge that I am applying to my own art form -- writing -- and pursuing with several photographer friends via Facebook.]
And yet, not wanting to delve too deeply into the feminist aspects of such a question, I realized that I don’t have to look any further than my two girls to see the wonderful diversity of what is feminine.
Firstborn is my “tomboy.” She runs and plays and climbs and bikes like a maniac. She dances ballet grudgingly, eagerly awaiting the day when she is old enough for the hip-hop class. She has taken to crying whenever I force her to wear a dress, wanting to be “cool” instead of “pretty” (I wonder at times if she is 6 or 16). Yet she also “mothers” her siblings on a daily basis. She loves her long hair and is again growing it out from mid-back to low-back. Her favorite color is yellow, and she loves all things princess. She is feminine.
Girl-Twin is my girly-girl. She sleeps with 3 baby dolls every night, hand-me-down toys that big sister never cared to play with for long. She adores babies and cries when she has to stop holding them. She begs to wear her dresses, swishing them like a bell EVERY time I put one on her – she has even taken to wanting one over her footie pajamas when she goes to bed. She already pliés and sautés (bends and jumps) through her ballet moves like a pro. Yet she pushes the toy cars on the road rug with precision accuracy. She is my only child who doesn’t freak out when dirt/hair/anything sticky is on her hands. She commands her siblings like a small general. She is feminine.
I am so glad that I can appreciate the diversity that makes my daughters feminine (and by extension, what makes my crazy little man masculine). And then again, what just makes them uniquely who they are, all labels aside.
[Project 24 is a Creative Photography Challenge that I am applying to my own art form -- writing -- and pursuing with several photographer friends via Facebook.]
:<)
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