As Halloween approaches, strange things begin to occur. Many who on an average day would be normal people living normal lives morph each year into a crowd of witches, warlocks, ghouls, goblins and, most frightening of all, CELEBRITIES.
Whatever happened to good old draped-in-black-and-cobwebs witches and wizards? Where are the pointy hats and demon-like masks? WHY ARE THERE CROWDS OF SIX YEAR OLDS DRESSED AS LADY GAGA??!!!!!
We talk about wanting children to remain innocent, about protecting them from the evil of the world, yet every year little girls go out on Halloween dressed as some of the worst examples of modern humanity, including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and the aforementioned Gaga.
"What are you going to dress up as for Halloween?' says mother to young daughter.
"A wicked witch!' says innocent little girl.
"Oh no dear, don't dress as a witch! It sends the wrong message. We don't want people to think of you as evil, now do we?'
'No?'
'No. Why don't you dress up as Little Red Riding Hood? You love that story, and she was a nice little girl.'
So dressing up as a foolish little girl who makes friends with a wolf, tells him where she is going, is captured and almost eaten by said wolf is a good example for little girl? I have lost my hope for the future.
What message do we really want to send to little girls at Halloween? That dressing up as a scary witch is bad because you want to be seen as a nice little girl? That dressing up as princesses who don't have the brains to avoid the massive spindle/evil witch/ tower prison/wolf really obviously dressed as grandmother is a good idea? That it is good to be a weakling fairytale character because the prince always saves them in the end? Or perhaps dressing as a vapid, slutty celebrity who doesn't seem to own any pants is the new thing.
Is that really what you want to say to your kids? Now maybe I am not the right person to say anything (as I don't have kids, I can't really imagine what parents are thinking. Hey, I'm still at the stage of life where I think my parents are from another planet.) but none of these sound like the sort of thing I would want to be telling my kids.
Maybe I am just ranting because I am bored. Or maybe I am just saying what other people are thinking? I don't know about you but I still like the idea of dressing as a witch/vampire for Halloween. Traditional and fun. Plus, vampires in popular culture are hot :)
Do svidaniya (goodbye in Russian!)
Ooooh that reminds me. I recently rewatched one of my favourite childhood films, Anastasia! I used to watch this all the time when I was smaller, and I know I just ranted about fairytale princesses not being good role models but Anastasia Romanov was, at least in this adaptation. This film kindly glosses over the horrors of the deaths of the Romanov family and creates a fairytale out of the rumour that one of the young princesses, either Anastasia or her elder sister Marie, along with her younger brother Alexei, may have survived the slaughter during the Russian Revolution.
This beautiful film was probably my favourite as a child thanks to its suggestions of truth. The idea that a young woman, who disappeared as a child, could find family, fortune and her true love all in the space of a few weeks, and with a backdrop of chilly St Petersberg and glamorous Paris, was like a drug to ten-year-old me.
Just wanted to mention that.'
xoxo
Whatever happened to good old draped-in-black-and-cobwebs witches and wizards? Where are the pointy hats and demon-like masks? WHY ARE THERE CROWDS OF SIX YEAR OLDS DRESSED AS LADY GAGA??!!!!!
We talk about wanting children to remain innocent, about protecting them from the evil of the world, yet every year little girls go out on Halloween dressed as some of the worst examples of modern humanity, including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and the aforementioned Gaga.
"What are you going to dress up as for Halloween?' says mother to young daughter.
"A wicked witch!' says innocent little girl.
"Oh no dear, don't dress as a witch! It sends the wrong message. We don't want people to think of you as evil, now do we?'
'No?'
'No. Why don't you dress up as Little Red Riding Hood? You love that story, and she was a nice little girl.'
So dressing up as a foolish little girl who makes friends with a wolf, tells him where she is going, is captured and almost eaten by said wolf is a good example for little girl? I have lost my hope for the future.
What message do we really want to send to little girls at Halloween? That dressing up as a scary witch is bad because you want to be seen as a nice little girl? That dressing up as princesses who don't have the brains to avoid the massive spindle/evil witch/ tower prison/wolf really obviously dressed as grandmother is a good idea? That it is good to be a weakling fairytale character because the prince always saves them in the end? Or perhaps dressing as a vapid, slutty celebrity who doesn't seem to own any pants is the new thing.
Is that really what you want to say to your kids? Now maybe I am not the right person to say anything (as I don't have kids, I can't really imagine what parents are thinking. Hey, I'm still at the stage of life where I think my parents are from another planet.) but none of these sound like the sort of thing I would want to be telling my kids.
Maybe I am just ranting because I am bored. Or maybe I am just saying what other people are thinking? I don't know about you but I still like the idea of dressing as a witch/vampire for Halloween. Traditional and fun. Plus, vampires in popular culture are hot :)
Do svidaniya (goodbye in Russian!)
Ooooh that reminds me. I recently rewatched one of my favourite childhood films, Anastasia! I used to watch this all the time when I was smaller, and I know I just ranted about fairytale princesses not being good role models but Anastasia Romanov was, at least in this adaptation. This film kindly glosses over the horrors of the deaths of the Romanov family and creates a fairytale out of the rumour that one of the young princesses, either Anastasia or her elder sister Marie, along with her younger brother Alexei, may have survived the slaughter during the Russian Revolution.
This beautiful film was probably my favourite as a child thanks to its suggestions of truth. The idea that a young woman, who disappeared as a child, could find family, fortune and her true love all in the space of a few weeks, and with a backdrop of chilly St Petersberg and glamorous Paris, was like a drug to ten-year-old me.
Just wanted to mention that.'
xoxo
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