Please Join Me in Sending a Gender Email!
As I walked down the hallway of my daughter’s pre-school classroom, I heard a strange noise. “Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.” What was that noise coming from my daughter’s classroom? I looked in the door, thinking it would be a hand-made musical instrument or a child knocking blocks together in a certain rhythm. I was dismayed to look in the door and see the noisy culprit – high heeled shoes on the three-year old girls. The girls were walking slowly and gingerly around the classroom, trying not to fall because of the shoes. Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop. The three-year old boys, in contrast, were moving around the room with ease and comfort.
I was then motivated to write what I now call my “gender email.” I’ve sent it to the schools and camps that my daughters go to, asking them to think critically and intentionally about how gender plays through for students/campers.
One comment on “Please Join Me in Sending a Gender Email!”
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Julie,
I found your letter and ideas quite intriguing!
I was a little confused by one point, which seemed to be the catalyst for this entire episode. You seem to be insistent on giving the children the freedom to choose their own gender roles and keeping their options open as much as possible.
However, you suggest removing the shoes from the dress up box!?!?!
Clearly both the boys and girls in this class are drawn towards the more stereotypical gender roles (at least as far as shoes go). Why would you try to bend them towards your idea of how they should view gender?
If it would have been only the boys wearing high heels and the girls running around unencumbered, would you have been distressed?
Once you have decided to let the children choose their own gender identity (good bad or indifferent decision) leave it at that and just let girls be girls.
Harvey Weinstien