Young girls are feminists, too!

Just last weekend, I had the pleasure of babysitting my young cousins, all of whom were super eager and excited to see me. Simply put, they are the cutest, most thoughtful little girls I know - and I'm not just saying that because we're related. Well, maybe I am, but I'm allowed to be biased.

Now, these girls have grown up with almost everything pink. They love to play Barbies and they're just over the moon about the Disney Princesses. They're obsessed with anything that involves high heels, make up, and jewelry. And to be honest, what young girl isn't? Such things, as a child, are just intriguing and totally cool!

Hanging out with my girlies is always such a treat. They're always teaching me new things and never fail to keep me informed on "what's cool" now-a-days (because apparently, I'm old and totally out of the loop). They make me smile and laugh more than any other children can, and spending time with them really makes me want to have children (someday) that are just as spunky and awesome as they are.

Now, to the point of this blog entry. We were having a nice lunch, seated in the kitchen at their counter. All four girls (ages 11, 9, 6, 4) were sitting so nicely and eating their lunches and chatting about school projects. As a feminist, and a curious person, I enjoy listening to other people (and in this case, children) about the conversations they're having in relation to feminism and gender. I just happened to have been listening at the right time because they were now on the topic of Disney Princesses.

Maddie, the eldest, then said what every feminist wants to hear in regards to body image and the perception of beauty.

"Jenna, the princesses are so perfect and so skinny. I just don't understand why because no one really looks like that. It's kind of gross. I can't ever look like that because if I did, I would look unhealthy." Then my heart started to melt. And just like that, I had faith in the younger generations in relation to their body image. I had faith that the younger generations of women would be able to develop POSITIVE BODY IMAGE, in spite of the media messages that suggest otherwise.

The best part of our conversation was that the younger girls, Abby, Paige, and even the four-year-old, Mya, agreed with their eldest sister! I was so thrilled! There was conversation about beauty and how beauty isn't defined by a fictional character. I just participated in the conversation as a listener, with the occasional head-nod and the ever present "Mmhmmm."

Part of me wanted to take each one in my arms and tell them that with that attitude, they could save a whole generation of women from negative body image. I wanted to compliment them on noticing how these Disney Princesses are flawed in so many ways, but I didn't.

For me, the fact that these girls can, and do, promote positive body image at these ages is completely surprising and invigorating. Young girls should be taught how to love their bodies just the way they are. They should be calling out the media messages that they're consuming (i.e. Disney Princess movies).

I didn't reach out and commend those little badass girls because then that would've opened up the dialogue for why I was complimenting them. What they were saying about Disney's perception of beauty was spot on, and to congratulate them on making those valid critiques would've, in turn, made them question whether or not such claims are normal and accurate - which they are! I will not give praise when it is not needed.

Young girls of all ages should be taught how to consume mass media and what to look for, such as positive and negative aspects of advertising, using women's bodies as a medium for advertising, and in those girls' case, how seriously to take those Disney Princesses.

They made my heart grow with their words and gave me hope. They gave me hope that one day, they'll be just as feminist as I am. They gave me hope that they'll remain themselves, even when faced with unrealistic expectations of how and who they're supposed to be. I love them so much.