The Kid has been invited to a "Spa Party! Hair! Nails! Face!" for this Saturday, at a "Community Bible Church!"
It's for the 8th birthday party of one of her classmates.
Not her best friend, mind you, but given that there are only four kids in her class, well, they're all friends, aren't they, more or less? And they all are -- all of them are nice kids, all of them are good kids, I like them all.
But what in shit is this, I would like to know?
Spa day? For eight year olds?
Hair? Face? Nails? For eight year olds?
Here's how you can learn to be an object? Eight year olds?
Yes! Time to be subsumed by the patriarchy! You're never too young! And in case you didn't get the message! We're holding it at the Community Bible Church!
I considered saying no -- the kid is eight, after all. Hasn't got her own car, couldn't find the Community Bible Church on her own if she did have one -- and I still might.
But she does have to learn what the patriarchy looks like sometime.
I might say yes and then lecture against it afterwards. That might be even more evil.
1 hour ago
6 comments:
I wonder whether there's something you could say beforehand. I guess this is really a question about your daughter, and I'm curious (as the father of a two-year-old girl) whether it's possible to "plant a seed", as it were; to set her up to think about it in her own way rather than merely taking it as given. If not, then the lecture afterward!
The Kid will be fine. She thinks for herself and she writes fine poetry. Even if she comes home from this party looking like a tarted up member of the new Hitler Youth, she won't be taken in by the crap thinking behind all of it. At least not for long. Besides, like it or not, the Kid has to live in this town. She's going to have to mingle with the natives.
-L
The Kid will be fine. She thinks for herself and she writes fine poetry. Even if she comes home from this party looking like a tarted up member of the new Hitler Youth, she won't be taken in by the crap thinking behind all of it. At least not for long. Besides, like it or not, the Kid has to live in this town. She's going to have to mingle with the natives.
-L
I think she'll be fine, too. If, however, you do decide to say no, I hope, when the host asks you why, you tell her the truth--that your family considers this type of submission-to- the-patriarchy indoctrination immoral. Community Bible church people need to hear that from us.
I doubt the host would ask why. This is the South. But I've talked to the kid, and we've decided she can go. I didn't have to point out all the patriarchy issues -- she brought them up herself, and told me she wasn't sure she wanted to go to the party, because of them. But she decided she would go, and not do the make-up and hair part, because she didn't want to support the oppression of women. But she would put on nail polish, she said, if it was purple nail polish, because she does like purple. She asked me if she should tell the little girl why she wasn't doing the hair and make-up. I told her she should follow her heart. (I thought about saying yes, of course she should, but the kid is, after all, only eight. She can start the Revolution when she's 12, maybe.)
you know, she's doing pretty good, that kid.
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