final project proposal

For my final project I want to create a story book dealing with gender roles and individualism for children. Children are influenced at a young age and can absorb so much information of the world that by the time they’re older all these images are ingrained in their brains. It would be a way to teach kids or to get the conversation started about what it means to be an individual and not to be influenced by what others think or say.  My goal is not to make young children feminists or to tell anyone how to raise their child but to start the conversation and thinking outside the box. There is no right way of being a boy or girl, I just want children to feel free expressing themselves without judgement.

From the Bell Hooks reading, “Understanding Patriarchy” I remember reading about how she couldn’t play with the marbles and she had gotten into a lot of trouble because boys play with marbles and then I thought about myself growing up and being the only girl in my family with two older brothers. My mom always had toys for me and then there were my brother’s toys. I can’t remember if she has ever scolded me for wanting to play with my brother’s toys but I remember “you’re a girl and girls don’t play with that” line. I felt like a girl but I just wanted to Barbie to have a cool spaceship to ride in, what was so wrong with that?

I’ve come across a few book titles I would like to read that deal with the same topic of gender nonconformity. Jacob’s New Dress is about a boy who loves playing dress up and he tries to convince his parents to wear a dress to school. Another title I would like to read is Roland Humphrey is Wearing a What? It’s about a young boy who wants to wear pink and sparkles but is confused about the gender rules.