At the start of today's show, the ladies were going around the table (a new, nice one, by the way, as their set got quite the remodel since Friday) sharing a bit about what they did over the weekend. Rosie O'Donnell went to the movies with son "as usual" and saw the new Brad Pitt movie Fury, which is set in World War II-era. Rosie Perez was filming in Maine and doing her best to keep up on a boxing match despite her busy weekend schedule (I sent her a tweet, which she retweeted--made me feel almost famous for a split second). And then came Nicole Wallace, who shared that she spent the weekend at home with husband and son while an excavator worked a bit on her property. She explained how her two-and-a-half-year-old son, who loves excavators, was so excited and had to watch as work got done outside. She went on about how this consumed her weekend and then said that she commented to her husband: "...if we had a girl, you'd be at a princess convention..." and husband replied "I know, but we had a boy!" Then, O'Donnell interjected and said "...You'd be at the princess convention, he'd be home watching the game..."
[Sigh] Where do I begin? First and foremost, I must disclose that I am the parent of a perfectly healthy nine-year-old boy who happens to be gender-fluid. Yes, I know...some might be thinking "Huh?" and google away. To put it in my own terms, this simply means that my son has for the past several years identified with both male and female characteristics and interests. Barbies, pink shirts, and wands can be found strewn around in his room, but also books on presidents, Matchbox cars, and Skeletor's Castle Grayskull (blast from the past, it's an original from the early 80s) also belong to him.
Now, on to the exchange between Wallace and O'Donnell... I found so many thins wrong with this conversation. Beginning with Wallace's initial comments, there is nothing wrong with how she spend her weekend or the events that kept her, her husband, and their son busy. But, as I watched the segment, a photo was shared of her and her little boy in the excavator smiling. Donning a blue coat, holding a blue sippy cup next to a blue hand-held tablet device. Blue, blue, blue. Yes, Wallace can dress her little boy in whatever she likes, for regardless of what he wears, he will be adorable nonetheless. But, I am "one of those people" who cannot stand seeing boys' wardrobes and belongings all in blue and girls' all in pink. I have two sons, one is nine as aforementioned and the other is four-months-old, and the younger of the two rarely sports blue. I prefer yellows, greens, and even purple (when I can find it) for him. This habit Americans have (and maybe it's not just a habit confined to us here) of pushing blue at boys and pink at girls has to stop. A lot of toys on shelves at toy stores are becoming more and more gender-neutral, as are clothes. But, some toys are produced in blue and grey, and then pink and purple. Toy lawnmowers and vacuums, for example. As if color matters. Moving back to "The View," it bothered me that Wallace nonchalantly stereotyped little girls as the only ones interested in princess conventions. Now, I love Nicole Wallace, even if we do have interest in opposing political parties. As a viewer of the show, I find her intelligent, capable of great success and contribution, and fun-loving. But, this single comment made has left me bummed. My nine-year-old-boy has loved Disney princesses since he was a three-year-old. Much of the play-time of his childhood has been spent playing dress-up with gowns and wigs, and drawing gowns and outfits because he dreams of being a fashion designer. By saying what she said, in my mind, Wallace is not that aware of the importance and necessity of the movement in our society from gender-confined roles and norms to a greater sense of...fluidity.
And Rosie's remark back to Wallace simply generalizes most men as sports-minded rather than child-centered. I was glad when Wallace told O'Donnell that she was wrong, that her husband would have been by the child's side in that scenario. But, that doesn't make O'Donnell's comment any less appealing to me.
I understand that some men, when in relationships with some women, may put sports before her needs or wants. I've been there. Just like I understand that some boys, possibly more often than not, like watching an excavator dig up the earth outdoors instead of Sofia the First on Disney Junior channel. However, I would expect O'Donnell, being who she is, to be a bit more considerate with her words.
I am not trying to be nitpicky--obviously I like "The View" and the cast members on it for not only do I watch it, but I blog about it, too--but this short conversation on today's show led me to a great opportunity to express what I think. That if we continue to push these old-school stereotypes and generalizations, and continue to promote a strict gender-based agenda, society will suffer rather than advance. Especially with the Transgender movement trudging forward, thanks to LGBT efforts. Today women can do anything men can do and I hope that before I die, I will see the blues and pinks fade, or at least cross over. And perhaps female referees become as commonplace as male fashion designers have become. And I bet on it that I will see the first female compete with and against men in a pro sport, aside from Danica Patrick in NASCAR, for example.
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