"I Like Woody"

The other day, probably about a week ago, I was walking through Target and I overheard a conversation between two little girls walking down the isle. I am pretty sure that the two of them were sisters. This is how it went:

Girl 1: You have to get a different coloring book.

Girl 2: No I don't. Stop it.

Girl 1: But you got a boy's coloring book. You have to get a girl's one. Mom, she needs a girl's coloring book.

Girl 2: Stop it. I like Woody.

I just think that girl 2 is so awesome, well not that girl 1 isn't, but I think that it is so cool that she stood up for herself and didn't cave to social pressure. It is the time of the semester in sociology where we are talking about sex and gender. This last Thursday we talked a lot about transgender children. The whole class period I was thinking about this situation. I do not think that this little girl was transgender just because she wanted a Toy Story coloring book, but what if her mother had made her get a princess book instead of the one that she wanted? What is she had forced the idea that if she wanted the Toy Story book she must be more like a boy than a girl?

Stereotypes are so installed in children when they are young. I think it is a huge way in which they categorize the world that they are getting to know. When something doesn't fit into this world view that they have, they get confused. 

Another time I was telling a boy that a picture that he drew was beautiful and his sister laughed and said, "No, it is handsome because he is a boy." I responded by saying, "Boys can be beautiful too!" I think that she was shocked to hear this new perspective.

I wonder what the world would be like if these stereotypes were not so in your face? If there was not boy vs. girl toys... If it was not so out of the norm for a little boy to dress up in tutus and dresses, and if a little girl would rather play with cars and trucks then barbie dolls... What if females played the hero roles in movies and did not have her prince charming come rescue her in the end? Or main male characters could be sensitive and not have to hide it from others or be embarrassed because of it? Or male characters could be feminine and not be thrown into the stereotype of being gay? I feel like there are some movies that are out there like this, but most of them are either comical because of these traits or show that people like this are abnormal. 

I think that there would be a wider range of accepting individuals in our society today if not everyone had to fit into these stereotypes in order to be normal.