Leave the Princesses Alone!

Okay, what is it with all the princess bashing? I don't entirely get the princess obsession, but seriously, it's harmless and appears to be a normal phase a lot of kids go through. But I've now read multiple fb and blog posts filled with hand-wringing about how Disney princesses are teaching our girls that they need to wait for a man to rescue them, and they should be sure to look pretty in the meantime.

Frankly, that's bull. And I can say that with confidence because I've watched the princess movies at least five time each in the past year. (I know, you're all jealous.)

For starters, none of the princesses seem concerned about their looks. Are they pretty? Yes, but then so are the female leads of every other movie. They're pretty just because they are, and they're indifferent to it (Belle, Tiana,) it makes them the target of jealousy (Snow White, Cinderella,) or it's irrelevant (Mulan, Pocahontas.)

Now, some of the earlier princesses do dream of romance. Snow White has a duet with the prince who will ultimately give her "love's first kiss" right before the Queen orders her death, but she doesn't look to him for help. In fact, there's no indication she gave him much thought other than as a distraction from her chores. Cinderella tells the mice she dreamed of romance the night before, but she doesn't expect this to be her reality. It's just a dream, and she says so. When the invitation to the ball arrives, all she wants is a night off from her drudgery at a party (the life she would have had, incidentally, if her stepmother hadn't squandered her inheritance.) The prince pursues her at the ball, and when she finds out the man she spent the evening with is the heir, she is as shocked as anyone. Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) also dreams of romance, and pretends, with the animals, that she is dancing with the lover she also met "once upon a dream." When an actual man enters the fantasy, she allows herself to be romanced, but here's the twist: unbeknownst to her, this man is already her betrothed. She doesn't know he's a prince, and when she's informed she must return to her royal life and wed the prince she is promised to, she weeps for the man she already fell in love with. If she really had been romanced by a commoner in the forest, her story would have ended tragically. It was only coincidence that her love was also her prince.

But in later years, romance drops out of the picture. The princesses sacrifice themselves for family (Belle, Pocahontas, and Mulan.) The romance there comes in the traditional way, slowly, over time, by getting to know someone. (And in Pocahontas's case, it doesn't even work out.) Two princesses, Jasmine and Merida, reject romance outright. Jasmine eventually succumbs to the pursuit of a determined suitor, but only after he proves himself worthy, and Merida manages to stay single. And Tiana just wants her restaurant. It's only after she saves the prince herself, repeatedly, that she starts to fall for him, but even after they wed, she rejects the royal life in favor of her own dream.

I could go on, but seriously, watch the movies yourself. Some of the older ones are products of their time, but the princesses all have virtues besides looks, and these are shown to be the ones of real value.

My daughter plays princess all the time. She watches the movies, then acts out scenes. Never once has this involved "looking pretty" or romancing a prince. When she plays Cinderella she washes the floor and tries on my shoes. When she plays Ariel, she swims in the sea. When she plays Jasmine, she flies around the world on a magic carpet. And when she plays Mulan, she fights with a sword.

So basically, moms, chill out. Your daughter's princess obsession doesn't mean she'll grow up insipid and useless any more than my obsession with astronauts as a child made me a world-class athlete with an advanced science degree.

Snow White dresses done!

Four dresses in various sizes. I'm making the most of this style, so I've got a big jump.

If you're interested in purchasing one, please leave a comment below or email me at kuzibah@hotmail.com.

Sewing Day

Four "Snow White" dresses, half sewn. Just need to sew the elastic channel around the neck, and add elastic, and make a small hem in the bottom. Hope to be done tomorrow night.

Took a break after the first two to make up and print some business cards. I know I may be getting ahead of myself here, but it makes it feel more real to me.

Also designed a cardboard tag to hang on the dresses. The art is by me, based on an illustration by Beatrix Potter (from the Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse, one of her later books. The doodle on the business card is also by me, and also based on a Beatrix Potter illustration.) The back of the card will have the size and the price.

Incidentally, if you'd like to buy any dresses from me, I make them in sizes 2T to 5T, and they cost $35 plus shipping. Leave a comment if you're interested or have any questions.

My First Craft Show (coming in December)

My sister and I share a serger. That is, we split the cost and it migrates between our houses as we need it. Anyway, I got it back from her last night and my husband is taking our daughter to visit his parents tomorrow so I can have an epic sewing day.

See, as I mentioned in my last post, my daughter only wears dresses, and she especially wanted princess dresses. The problem is, they're expensive. Like $60 at the Disney store. And the costume ones aren't that well made. They're for playing dress up, and my daughter wants to take them to the playground.

So, I designed my own.I used a simple peasant dress pattern, modified to add a full circle skirt (for twirliness) and then just constructed variations on a theme. Now she has six: Snow White, Tinkerbell, Minnie Mouse, Jessie the cowgirl (from Toy Story,) Rapunzel, and a Halloween print one. I've also made some for her friend who is also a big Disney fan.

I've gotten lots of compliments. Several people have said, "you ought to sell these."

Finally, I decided to go for it. I've rented a table at a geek-friendly event in December. (Get info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/200288623453172/ ) I'm committing myself to sewing 12 dresses in assorted styles. Eight, so far, have been cut and await sewing, and hopefully I'll get a lot done tomorrow.

I'll keep you posted.

"Minnie Mouse" dress

Same dress, with cardigan, boots and leopard print hat, modeled by Clare

Living with the Princess

About a year ago, my daughter Clare decided she was only going to wear dresses. Since then, I've heard that this is not uncommon in girls. They go through a phase for or a year or two where it's dresses all the time. I don't mind, except for her reasoning. When I suggest she might want to wear shorts or leggings (because we're going to the playground or it's chilly) she informs me that, no, she has to wear a dress, because "girls wear dresses and boys wear pants."

I have no idea where this notion comes from. Most people I tell this to say, "TV," but I'm pretty sure not. Her favorite shows are Curious George and Handy Manny, and you'd be hard-pressed to find two more barrier-breaking shows. George's neighborhood is as diverse as Sesame Street (a previous favorite) and when Handy Manny needs advice on how to fix something, he goes to Kelly, the (female) owner of the town's hardware store.

Yet this rigidly-defined gender stereotype persists. My husband and I were watching an episode of the old "Dick Van Dyke Show" recently, and when Mary Tyler Moore came onscreen in her signature capri pants, Clare started to laugh. "She's dressed like a Daddy!" she declared between giggles.

And it's not like I'm super-girly. In fact, I've worn a dress once in Clare's life that I can recall, and that was the day she was baptized. Not that this stops Clare from suggesting every morning I change out of my jeans and put on something more appropriate (i.e. a dress.)

The one comfort I take is that her clothing seems to be the one concession she makes to traditional gender roles. She keeps up with any boy on the playground, and has never blinked at her female doctor or our female minister. She's even down with one of her friends having two mommies (although she did ask why one of his mommies didn't wear a dress.)

Obligatory Opening Post

Hello everyone,

Just a first little post here to make sure everything is in working order.

I'm going to be using this blog to promote my little business selling princess dresses (and other handmade goods.) If you've seen my daughter lately, you know my work, and is you're interested in purchasing one, drop me a line. I'll be posting new designs and my vending schedule here.

I'll also probably blog a little about my thoughts, because, why not?

Thanks for visiting!