Preschool Perspective on Frozen

Ok, so everybody and their mother is talking about how great Frozen is, and how it's the first Disney movie where the girl doesn't get married to some guy she just met. Yeah, that's all great, but let me tell you why I love Frozen.

My internship is in a preschool, so I spend a lot of time with children between the ages of 3 and 5. As I'm sure you can imagine, we have some great conversations such as, how much we like the ninja turtles, when you spin too fast you get really dizzy and fall over and how to put frosting on a spider cake with a cell phone and a carrot. I know, some real intellectual stuff.

Anyway, Frozen just came out on DVD, so it has been a hot topic at preschool lately. I don't mind talking about the movie, it was cute and had some really great characters and songs, and a wonderful message. The best part of this movie? Preschoolers can pick out the main idea. Preschoolers.

Now, before you start thinking that I am sitting around having philosophical debates with four year olds about the main idea, calm down. It's not like I asked them the main idea of the movie, it just kind of comes up in conversation.

Exhibit A:
Today, I was playing at the sand table with three little girls, ages 4 and 5. We ended up talking about Frozen, and I asked them who their favorite character was, and why. These are the answers I got:

Elsa! Because she's pretty. Anna's pretty too, but not Kristof because he's a boy.

Anna. I just like her.

Olaf, because he's funny.

We kept talking about the movie, and the songs we like and whatnot, and out of nowhere, this conversation happened.
 one of the little girls: "yeah, but Elsa made a mistake. She accidentally hurt Anna."
me: "That happens sometimes. It's ok to make mistakes."
her: "yeah, Elsa ran away cuz she was scared, but Anna was a good sister. She still loved Elsa."
me: "right, and she saved Elsa at the end."
her: "yeah she did an act of true love."
me: "do you think that was a good example of how to be a good friend?"
her: "yeah, Anna and Elsa are good friends."

Guys. This is gold. This right here, is what makes Frozen great.

I have a secret wardrobe of the most beautiful, expressive variety.

"The Word Collector"

I was 18 months old when I found my first words. I was 18 months old when my parents realized that I would be a special child. My first words were not "I love you" or "Momma" or "Daddy" as first words so often are.

No.

My first words came out clear and calculated, with a point of my finger. "Construction over there"I was 18 months old when I learned about powerful words.Those words I had found, why they made people laugh, they made people listen. I collected my first words at 18 months old.

My vocabulary has grown considerably since that three world phrase 22 years ago. I've sorted through words, and stored the ones that call to me. I've hunted them down in old treasures and new trash. I've found them lurking in hidden street corners, and obviously shining, glaring at innocent passersby in the bright sunlight.

Some have tried to slink away unnoticed, and some think that if they hide in plain sight, I will meander by without giving them a second glance.Those words are mistaken. I am a word collector. The hunter of words. I seek them out and hold them close.

I have a secret wardrobe of the most beautiful, expressive variety. Words have coated my skin for years, sinking in, until they mold themselves into my flesh. I try them on and wear them out. I dance with them in the sunlight, and I live inside them, shining and shimmering in their brilliance. I hold them close, and use them to amplify my voice.

Words surround me. They cloth me, and protect me. They cushion the blows and they speak the language of my mind. A language that is sometimes hard to decode, but they find the nuance and help me untangle the thoughts piece by piece. 

I see them when they are hiding, woven silently into the tapestry of clouds and golden sunlight, hidden but not invisible. 

I have a secret wardrobe, a wardrobe that cannot be bought. A wardrobe that cannot be seen. A wardrobe that comes straight from the stores of my mind. 

I have a secret wardrobe, because I am the word collector.


...speaking of collecting words. Here are some lovely ones:

The Feminist Lie

Everywhere I turn lately, I see posts about women and feminism and the messages we are sending our children about gender and gender roles. Don't get me wrong, this is a great thing, and I am all for it. We should be talking about these topics. The amount of photoshopped images out there is disgusting and should piss us off. The subliminal messages that are being sent out through movies and television about women are offensive and need to change. The sexualization of women in advertising is out of control.

But what about men? 

I recently watched a TED talk called "The Sexy Lie" by Caroline Heldmen (as seen below). It's a really great video, and you should definitely watch it. 

Except, my reaction after viewing it was "yeah but we totally do the same thing to guys". Men are sexualized all the time in advertising, just look at some of the images I found below. Remember those questions to ask to see if someone is being represented as a sex object?

Does the image suggest that sexual availability is the defining characteristic of the person?

Does the image show a sexualized person as interchangeable?

 Does the image show only parts of a sexualized person's body?

I don't really think I have to spell it out for you, but just to be clear...women aren't the only ones being sexualized in the media. You might have noticed the title of this blog post. Just humor me. Feminism, by definition is "the doctrine advocating social, political, and other rights of women equal to those of men"(thank you dictionary.com). It isn't the belief system where we fight only for women's rights and forget everyone else. Yes, men hold privilege in our society, but that doesn't mean we should say nothing when they fall victim to sexualization in the media, just like women. The video above talks about the negative effects that female sexualization has on girls and women: shame, body monitoring, etc.  Female sexualization also teaches men to view women as sex objects. Ok great, what about the effects of male sexualization? Wouldn't that teach women to view men as sex objects? Wouldn't that negatively affect men, and make them worry about if they "measure up" or are "sexy" enough? 

I'm just saying that if we are going to have that conversation about women as sex objects, we also have to have that conversation about men. If we are going to advocate for equal rights, we can't just advocate for women, we have to advocate for all minorities, and for all people. Men aren't a minority group. That doesn't mean that they aren't negatively depicted or affected by the images they see everyday in the media.

If we are going to tell men that they need to monitor their sexually charged language when referring to women, shouldn't we be saying the same thing to women about men? If we want to change the fact that sex sells, maybe we need to change the way that ALL people of ALL different gender and sexual orientation are depicted. 

I've always been of the viewpoint that there is more to a person than their physical appearance. The traits I look for in a partner are passion, intelligence, a kind heart and a sense of humor. A person may be physically attractive, but if I can't have a conversation with you, if you can't make me laugh, if you don't treat people with the respect they deserve, and if you don't have a sense of purpose to your life, well you could be Tom Hiddleston's look alike for all I care, but I'm not interested. 

Feminism isn't just about female rights, or at least I don't think it should be. It should be about advocating for equal rights and treatment for all people regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, etc. Isn't it about time we treated people, like people?