sasha81

I think we might agree on more points than you realise Jen! What I am talking about is the greater overall picture of cultural norms and society. You will always be able to point out individual cases which disprove an overall idea in any topic of debate. I don't disagree that children will enjoy playing princess games and superhero games. I would point out that if 90% of the children came dressed as princesses on WORLD book day that perhaps they might not be getting that balanced view. Did any of the girls dress as a female author, a female politician, a female explorer, pilot or other role model? The balancing out you did with associating words and reading with the day probably went some way to providing that balance I talked about. But if you step back for a moment and ask yourself WHY 90% of the children came dressed as princesses I think you'll get some way to understanding where I and many others are coming from. As for my personal parenting, I don't 'allow' my daughter to play - she chooses, we discuss, she learns. If she wanted to be a princess she would. She has some princess books (not many granted) but she identifies much more greatly with different characters, spiderman and pirates being two of her current favourites. There are choices she might make which I may disapprove of but if they are her choices made by having all the information I will respect that. We also plan to home educate so hopefully this will continue!

Well, I suppose you could say I am over thinking it if you view it in simplistic terms (truly hoping I don't sound patronising there!) The thing is it's not just me who thinks it and it's not just me who feels the stereotyping of young children is harmful. What I was hoping to do by linking to the dissertation piece before was to draw attention to the myriad of research which has already been done on this topic which demonstrates how and why this kind of role modelling can be damaging to kids. I agree the piece itself is an opinion piece but the opinion has been influenced by many many research articles. I agree that pretending and fantasy play is important when it is part of a healthy mix of other things. My daughter plays mummies and ballerinas and dinosaurs and pirates and all sorts, I hope I have achieved the balance (Ha, we'll find out in 30 years or so I guess!) What I feel is perhaps more of the problem is when that balance and mix is not respected and kids don't get that mix. What with the constant gender stereotyping which occurs in toys, advertising, media and everyday life this balance gets harder and harder to achieve. The women in these stories are all dependant on men or other people for their happiness, either by fulfilling their destinies to marry other men or by defying father figures and putting themselves in dangerous situations to break free. Most of them look a certain way and are very beautiful and alluring. This is the link to the sexualisation of young girls. In a very brief nutshell! This debate thread was very interesting (incidentally a draw too) https://www.debate.org/debates/Disney-Princesses-Are-Bad-Role-Models-For-Young-Girls/1/ and for me the Pro side made a lot of sense, I expect for you perhaps the Con side might speak more volumes, it might not change your mind but I think it might help explain where I am coming from a bit more I think it is dangerous to assume that a child will grow up to realise that the messages in early years were not always what they seem, by then it is too late and the messages about subservience and body image are ingrained. It may be that a grown up person thinking with their 'rational' brain knows that princesses are unrealistic BUT having not been taught how to achieve happiness for themselves they are left feeling lacking and empty. Perhaps think about it from a different perspective, times gone by and children were taught to finish the food on their plate, food was short, meal times strict and the thinking was you didn't waste what you were given. Fast forward to now and that grown up child has a weight problem....they KNOW they should eat less and that they don't actually have to eat everything in front of them but those early messages mean they just can't bring themselves to leave the food. Does that make sense?

Hi Steve nice to be debating with you! I just don't know at what point in a young childs life you say, 'right, I know that princess was beautiful and thin and happily married to the first prince she met with no hitch but actually that's not how you achieve happiness or self fulfilment.' How does the message balance out if you see what I mean. What are the aims for a young child in pretending to be a princess? And if they aim so high can they truly be happy unless they ever achieve this lofty goal? You are right there are a lot worse influences that can happen to a child.....and I know I'd like my daughter to know her own mind and body in those situations and not think well perhaps this is my prince...if that makes sense. avoiding disappointment comes with having a strong mind, a clear goal and the hard work to achieve it (did you even ask ONJ out on a date!!. Princess culture has a long way to come before young girls get this as a message from it imho. And you OWN a removals company. Awesome. And if you really want to be an archaeologist you could.

not knocking anyone's parenting ability or style, apologies if this seems the case. We all do the best we can with the information we have. For me it is all linked, the idolisation of the 'princess' leading to low self esteem when the actuality of life that doesn't match up, leading to body dysmorphia and a more insidious implication of having to look a certain way to please others before yourself. I am passionate about it, I certainly didn't mean to hijack the thread, as I say, it's one and the same for me! It's an interesting debate, I know from experience I probably won't change anyone's mind but that's OK, I appreciate hearing other views and hope that maybe I can provide a little food for thought for some people

From The Every Day Sexism Project: "This often translates into a single, all-encompassing quest for thinness. A 2012 report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Body Image revealed that girls as young as five are worrying about their size and looks, and that one in four seven-year-old girls has tried to lose weight. The Representation Project, a US-based campaign working to reveal gender inequality and shift public perceptions, has revealed that the number one "magic wish" for young girls aged 11 to 17 is to be thinner. It takes a while for that last figure to sink in. Just think of all the other things in the world that teenage girls could wish for." http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/29/everyday-sexism-women-encounter-laura-bates Tell me again how stick thin princesses aren't damaging our childrens self esteem.

whether boys come to the party or not (there are no pictures of boys or indeed princes on your website yet) it still sends a dangerous message to our children http://laurengissell.weebly.com/the-disney-princess-impact.html This research dissertation sums it up for me I agree children should be able to choose....but you yourself refer to children as princesses and princes, is that a choice for them or you putting your social beliefs on them? How do you ensure free choice for children when the options are historical princess or modern princess or a debatable 'action princess' which is in fact Lara Croft?? I would also hazard a guess that the baby dressed as snow white on your fb page or whatever your equivalent is did not have a free choice about whether to dress that way or not. Is this baby choosing to dress this way or is it the parent fulfilling childhood dreams? What message does this send to the child about freedom of choice and fulfilling their own personal desires? We have to be so careful as parents to open our eyes to the subtle and not so subtle messages we send our children all the time.

Where was she divorced? The local town hall would have the records, you'd need to enquire about how to get a copy and how much it may cost

Ha! Exactly! Its just gross all round

It depends what your landlord agreed to provide on the contract, furnished or not. You could buy a new fridge and take it with you when you leave but I think any decent landlord would appreciate the problem and get a new fridge, just ask. The old one you could just leave on the street for 3 seconds and some scrap man would have it. Also you might want to think about discussing the fridge space problem with your house mates and dividing up the space.

I recently moved to Handsworth and love the open park and play area for my 18 month old little girl. It is just such a shame that this is spoiled by dog owners failing to pick up after their pets. Not all, but a significant few. Does anyone doing this need reminding that dog mess can cause blindness and even death in vulnerable people? Please could I implore you not to leave behind your dogs poo. Also if anyone knows anything about who has been starting fires all over the park could they please let the police or the community forum know? The latest fire was by the big slide and has caused a huge amount of damage and litter all over the place. Thanks!

I think Fancie do cake decorating parties if that's any good

Last I saw there was a book club held at Cocoa on Eccy road (opposite Manhattens coffee shop) They held it once a month and have a list of books up for the upcoming meets Hope this is still the case, sorry if not

Having just been taken for Indian on Friday night by my lovely OH I can highly recommend Ashoka on Eccy Road, completely amazing food. I have the Kashmiri Lamb Bhuna, delicious!

we had very successful resolution to our claim, if you'd like any help or pointers PM, good luck xxx

Hi My step sister has a geodome not sure if its available for hire but I can ask, if you send me a PM with your number or email I'll pass it onto her and get her to contact you x