It is no surprise that our nation's capitol has its fair share of gender stereotyping. While in a gift shop at Union Station, I ran across a gift shop that had darling "DC items" for children. In the little boys section I ran across the following:
Wanting to verify what I saw, I took the blue water bottle to the cash register and asked if they carried the "Future President" items in any other colors. The attendant told me no.
What do these types of messages say to our young people? Little boys should aspire to be president and little girls are not encouraged to do the same. While this country has come a long way in regards to women's rights (we will have had the vote for 100 years in just 8 short years), we still have a long way to go.
So what is a progressive parent to do? I say buy their little girl the blue plate and water bottle. Blue doesn't necessarily mean boy! Use it as a teaching moment! Or, write the company to get a "little girl" version of the same!
Though it may seem like just an innocent children's gift, it made me realize even more how "out of place" women can still seem in politics. What a motivator! I certainly have my work cut out for me, and I couldn't be more ready! :)
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