It's like deja vu. I know I've written about this stuff before. More than once. Remember this one?
Fox News has once again sparked an insane and hate driven debate about gender identity and sexuality. The crux of their inane argument: Pink nail polish on boys is part of insidious liberal campaign to normalize transgenderism. (Okay so here's the first thing. Being transgender doesn't need to be normalized. It's real -- not a made up issue designed to tick off conservatives.)
But let's get down to basics, shall we? Bear with me, because when I speak about Fox News I feel as if I have to speak as if I am talking to a child. So here it goes:
Dear Fox, Colors don't have genders. Colors are just colors. Liking certain colors don't mean you like girls or boys, or want to be either of them, now or in the future. And it kind of makes sense. If you're a boy who's used to only receiving toys and clothes in shades of blue, you'd like pink, too. Sincerely, Logan (sex educator, Ph.D., and mom).
So what's this really all about? A feature in a J. Crew catalog. One that I saw; it made me smile with delight. And I wasn't the only one. Melanie Klein wrote about the refreshing image in her Feminist Fatale piece last week.
In the photo, J. Crew president and creative director, Jenna Lyons, and her son, Beckett, are laughing while she paints his toes fluorescent pink. (Full disclosure: my 6-year-old son and my 2-year-old daughter are wearing fluorescent pink toe nail polish right now!) The caption next to the pair reads: "Lucky for me I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink. Toenail painting is way more fun in neon." (BTW, he's wearing a blue and white striped tee shirt, if you wanted to know that, too.)
But it's not just Fox News viewers that have been angered by this. Fox News expert, Dr. Keith Ablow, who in my humble and professional opinion, should be stripped of his license for perpetuating hatred and intolerance, has said in his article on the subject:
"Yeah, well, it may be fun and games now, Jenna, but at least put some money aside for psychotherapy for the kid -- and maybe a little for others who'll be affected by your "innocent" pleasure. This is a dramatic example of the way that our culture is being encouraged to abandon all trappings of gender identity -- homogenizing males and females when the outcome of such "psychological sterilization" [my word choice] is not known."
The idea that wearing pink -- or any -- nail polish can rewire your boys to become transgender is frighteningly ignorant. Aren't we done with this already? This is a new low. This has no scientific basis whatsoever. But it's not just silly. It's scary. It's an insidious campaign alright - but it ain't liberal.
Follow Dr. Logan Levkoff on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LoganLevkoff
Dr. Peggy Drexler: Do Painted Toes Make the Man?
Jeffery Self: Little Boy Witches
An American newspaper in 1914 advised mothers, "If you like the color note on the little one's garments, use pink for the boy and blue for the girl, if you are a follower of convention." [The
Sunday Sentinal, March 29, 1914.]
"There has been a great diversity of opinion on the subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl." [Ladies Home Journal, June, 1918]
If it was that simple, we'd dress future Conservatives in bibbed overalls and "cure" them.
(still snickering...)
While I understand where you are coming from, I have to disagree with your belief that this was calculated and designed to tackle the issue of "effeminate boys." It is a photo in a J. Crew catalog, not a free standing ad. And the people are not actors. It is the creative director and President of J. Crew and her son. The company is a brand that had always sold clothes of all colors to both adult men and women, and children, too. So while it is certainly a lovely moment between a mother and her son, it is not about transgenderism because toenails (of any color) have nothing to do with being transgendered.
Logan
My wife get a kick out of painting my toenails...
Of course when I have a bottle of nail polish handy.