tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post1206036967649265570..comments2024-02-05T05:15:04.759-08:00Comments on Wandering Scientist: Weekend Links: The Let's Do What the Baboons Did EditionCloudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-65506536341971561872014-09-28T21:32:01.818-07:002014-09-28T21:32:01.818-07:00Well, Petunia never becomes a princess in the book...Well, Petunia never becomes a princess in the book, and is quite happy that way. I certainly don't intend to imply that every little girl should be a princess. Quite the opposite. I think we should stop caring one way or the other about whether girls are interested in princesses and sparkle and the like.<br /><br />The problem that I was reacting to that brought the story to my mind was that people tend to "write off" girls who into princesses, and assume that they won't also like cars or LEGO or whatnot. That's BS, and I think it is directly related to the way that women who are into feminine things get belittled in the work place.<br /><br />So, the book has Petunia who isn't a princess and never becomes one... but discovers that she likes to dance. And Penelope who is a princess but is also into climbing trees, racing cars, building towers, etc.<br /><br />I'll probably write more about my thinking on this closer to the release date, but if you think you'd like to give the book a try I'm happy to send you a review copy. Just email me.Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-47110949836458479752014-09-28T21:01:49.972-07:002014-09-28T21:01:49.972-07:00Have you read The Gate To Women's Country by S...Have you read The Gate To Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper? I don't want to spoil it if you haven't, but it's a sci-fi novel whose premise is related to your idea.<br /><br />If you're still looking for reviewers for Petunia, I'd be happy to review it for you by reading it to my 3.5 year old and seeing what she thinks of it. I'll disclaim upfront that I don't think there's a widespread problem of young girls feeling pressured to only be princesses. I do think femmephobia exists, but it's something that impacts women professionally. I think the larger issue that girls face is the soft pressure of culture to be a princess above all else (i.e. they can be a brilliant scholar AND a princess or a warrior AND a princess or a mathematician AND a princess. There are precious few contemporary cultural depictions of girls simply being in stories)<br /><br />-- MiriamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29235839.post-64346107976375870862014-09-27T01:02:53.990-07:002014-09-27T01:02:53.990-07:00You can look forward to some crappy submissions fr...You can look forward to some crappy submissions from me - I did some nifty work with string yesterday. <br /><br />Also I watched a really interesting interview with lt Gen David Morrison on One Plus One. I'm not sure if it would be geo blocked for the US or available some other way. But here's a link anyway: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-19/one-plus-one-lt-gen-david-morrison/5757410Zenmoonoreply@blogger.com