Motherlode - In Praise of Pink Polish

I honestly don't see what the big deal is about boys wanting to play with "girly" stuff.  Living in the Philippines, where it is culturally more conservative, or as what people would like to appear to others, there is still this stigma that boys who choose to play with dolls and who wear pink will turn out gay.  I'm surprised by the reaction I get when I say that I want to buy dolls to play with my boys, since we usually get toy cars and trucks as gifts from friends and family.


I just don't believe it that girly toys will make boys gays, and manly toys will make girls lesbians.  It's just not possible.  I grew up with 2 boys and played with their guns and trucks and what-nots, and I'm still as girly as they get.  Read the article below and see what you think.


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April 14, 2011, 1:03 PM
By LISA BELKIN


My inbox makes it clear that you want a chance to discuss boys and pink nail polish, aka “How a Photo of a Mom Spending Time with Her Son Fed the Culture Wars.”


For those who have not been following it, a quick recap by the writer Katie Phillips on the Web site Forbeswoman.com:


In an online promotional photo entitled ‘Saturday with Jenna,’ J. Crew President and Executive Creative Director Jenna Lyons poses playfully with her five-year-old son Beckett. The picture, meant to depict carefree weekend leisure and feature ‘off-duty’ fashion staples, shows Jenna and Beckett, laughing and cheerful, with a jar of crayons and a bottle of pink nail polish on a table beside them – the same shade of Essie polish that’s featured prominently on Beckett’s toes. The caption below reads: “Lucky for me, I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon.”


As expected, the Gender Police have emerged from their dark caves in flocks and a national debate has ensued about the “correct” way to raise children, as well as the importance of honoring one’s biologically assigned gender.


Erin Brown of the right-leaning Cultural Media Institute has called the advertisement “blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children” in an article that claims Beckett has been exploited for the sake of identity-politics. The choice of the word “celebrating” is an interesting one. I’ll address that later.


Dr. Keith Ablow, Fox News contributor, wrote this offensive piece about how “our culture is being encouraged to abandon all trappings of gender identity” in favor of a more “homogenized” model; the effects of which, Dr. Ablow admits, remain to be seen. He doesn’t hesitate to theorize on the potential outcome of such a liberal approach to child rearing, throwing around offhand comments about “Prozac” and “psychotherapy,” doling out judgments as swiftly as he claims psychiatrists prescribe drugs.
Other voices rose up too, praising J. Crew for blasting through gender stereotypes, and chastising Dr. Ablow and Ms. Brown. Change.org created an online petition to “Thank J. Crew for its heartwarming” ad, and last I checked it had over 7,500 electronic signatures.


And Jon Stewart offered up his own summary last night.


Time to add your thoughts.


Does painting a boy’s toes pink somehow “make” him gay, or transgendered? Is his mother irresponsibly exposing him to ridicule by “celebrating” his love of pink and polish? Or is the problem that there’s not enough celebration out there of kids in all their varieties, and is this a step in the right direction?