My head is too big for a tiara

October 11, 2008

If you’ve been reading Feels like home a while, Dear Reader, you know that I hate the princess mentality. Being a princess goes so far beyond clothes and movies that it’s sickening.

I hate the idea that girls should be wait around for a prince to rescue them. I hate the idea that girls are supposed to be more focused on being pretty than on being smart or strong or spunky. I hate the idea that what a girl can achieve is determined by her family and her birth and not her own hard work during her life.

I could go on. And on and on. I’ll spare you. You can thank me later, Dear Reader.

Lots of other parents apparently agree with me, and there appears to be an anti-princess movement coming up among parents of daughters. Google “anti princess” and take a look at the results. There are even Anti-Princess Reading Lists popping up around the internet.

In a word, I’m elated.

It’s not that I have any thing against princesses. If my daughter had been born one, I’d have no problem with her wearing a tiara and assuming she’s entitled to whatever she wants.

She wasn’t. She was born into a working family, not a royal one, and she’s going to have to work, too.

If you’re considering buying her a book for Christmas in the next fifteen years, consider one from this list.

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That Nora Girl said:

I don’t even have a daughter (yet?) but I right there with you on being anti-princess!

# 12 October 2008 at 9:34 am

Casey said:

Awesome post, really. I have a five month old daughter and I’ve spent many blog posts ranting about her not being a princess. Thanks for the list, I’ll definitely pick some books out for her.

# 12 October 2008 at 7:27 pm

Sab said:

my daughter is 3 weeks… i’m not opposed to a lot of princessy things, but yes, the princess mentality is quite annoying. You neeed to work for your bread imo. She will learn that quickly,being a farmers daughter.

# 13 October 2008 at 6:49 pm

Brandice said:

I know what you mean! I can’t stand the mentality either. Thanks for the reading list!

# 17 October 2008 at 6:53 am

Georgetta Nextdoor said:

I encourage the princess mentality in our home, but we focus on ACTING like a princess. A princess should always be kind and courteous and of course she has good manners! Once in awhile when my oldest is having a hard time remembering who’s the boss, I wear a tiara. She obeys the queen! She thinks it’s funny but she does obey when I wear a tiara!

# 22 October 2008 at 7:27 am

Michelle said:

A woman after my own heart! I couldn’t agree more. H and I have gone rounds over his “nickname” for our daughter, which obviously makes me want to barf every time I hear it… you guessed right, he calls her “princess” ::gag::
I will definitely be checking out that list.

# 1 January 2009 at 9:47 pm

Amber said:

Guess I’m too practical to have ever considered the long reaching arm of the princess mentality. Like Georgetta Nextdoor, if we talk about it, it’s focused on behavior that is kind, generous, helpful and obedient. I’ll have to think more about how it is affecting our daughters and what action I want/need to take. Thanks for bringing this to light!

# 2 January 2009 at 7:21 am

Liz said:

Great book list – I’m pleased to see we already own a lot of the books. I would also add the Trixie Belden books and the Betsy-Tacy series, both classics, as being great anti-princess material. Hopefully my daughter’s head will also be too big for a tiara!

# 2 January 2009 at 8:07 am

gretablau said:

I love this idea! So cool. I have a son so (probably) won’t have to deal with this, but I like the idea of anti-princess because i was a tom boy!

# 2 January 2009 at 9:52 am

Summer said:

Love this! One of the things I’m the most thankful about having sons is I’ve escaped the “princess” trap. It gets under my nerves more than anything else. Well, except those Bratz dolls. LOL

# 4 January 2009 at 9:15 pm