The Problem with Pink...

It's 2012 and we still have issues like this. Luckily there is hope for the future with outspoken girls like Riley leading the next wave of feminism.

So, let me start with the LEGO thing. It's kinda messed up, right? One image I saw was a LEGO girl lounging in a pastel pool playset. I guess they have cupcake stores as well. Does LEGO think little girls have aspirations of being real housewives of sugar daddies (pool boy and botox kit sold separately). And cupcake bakeries? Seriously LEGO? Cupcakes are totally 2010. It's all about doughnts now. Or whoopie pies. Get with the times...

In December I was at Barnes and Noble and saw a book called: Princess Recovery: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Daughter Who Can Create Her Own Happily Ever After. Has anyone else noticed how crazy the princess phenomenon is? Seriously, at Halloween I think every single trick or treating girls was some variation of a Disney Princess.

And the really embarassing thing? I LOOOVE all the princess stuff. I love dresses. My bike is pink! I wear sparkle skirts to races. I got excited that Splash was on TV last week. Oh...and don't get me started on The Real Housewives. Oh, and my triathlete nickname is Diva.

WWGSD? (What Would Gloria Steinem Do?)

I have no idea.

There is something weird going on with pop culture right now because there is a lot of cattiness between women (see Top Model, Real Housewives, The Bachelor). Wouldn't it be refreshing if there was a reality show about a group of REAL friends who REALLY liked each other and didn't throw tables at each other AND supported each other in their lives? And wouldn't it be REALLY refreshing if people actually WATCHED the show and it didn't get cancelled after two seasons. Uh, BRAVO, are you taking notes on this?

I would love to tell you that I am going to quit cold turkey watching these shows. But. They. Are. So. Awesome. And I am an adult. I can watch what I want and separate reality from the (hardly) reality TV.

I wish I had something inspirational to say and I could quote a Whitney Houston song (I believe the children are our future...). Perhaps the take-away message is awareness. We need to be aware of the messages we send kids AND the images they are exposed to. So maybe the next time I play Barbies with my niece instead of pretending they are going to a fashion show, maybe they are business partners launching their Etsy store. Or, say my niece gets that LEGO poop party atrocity-- I could say, "Yea! the LEGO girls just finished a triathlon and now they are going to jump in the pool for a recovery ice bath. What was their average heart rate for the race?"

It's a start...