Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Playing With Princesses VS. Being Hit In The Nuts!

We all know how popular celebrities’ babies are. I vaguely recall Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt selling their baby pictures to People Magazine for an estimated $14 million. Wow . . . I hope those babies were worth it!

But with this popularity comes a dire question: What stereotypes are celebrities reinforcing with their attitudes towards their own babies?

In a recent “Celebrity Baby Blog,” Matt Damon shared the different experiences dads have with young girls versus boys. He explained that because he is a father of three young girls he is constantly “playing princesses.” How cute, right? However, he has quite a different experience when he visits his brother who his two young boys. Damon states, “I walk in the front door, and I instantly get punched in the nuts.” He goes on to explain the reason for these very different experiences: “I mean, boys and girls are just different.”

I have to say, I was a bit shocked by his simple reasoning. Can Damon really be naive enough to think that there is something essentially different about “boys” and “girls”? I would like to know if he ever asked his girls about their play preferences. I am guessing not. I’m sure if he did, he might be surprised to find that his young daughters might very well want to hit him in the nuts too.

To read the celebrity blog, go here.

3 comments:

  1. How right you are.

    In fact, you and I are fascinating examples of this topic, if you ask me.

    Nintendo 64? Dinosaurs? Wolves? Snowmobiling? Under the stereotypical boy/girl model...sounds a lot like we were little boys!

    Of course, since we aren't celebrities (yet), we haven't been able to reinforce our (according to Matt Damon) gender-reversed play preferences.

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  2. Fascinating subject, my friend.

    I'm quite sure that any "playing princess" I did was more of the Xena-esque quality and any playing with dolls involved leg and head amputations. Hell, I was proud when some random kid in elementary school told me I had a boy voice. Then again I never had the joy of Matt Damon for a father.

    Still, other than being in the limelight, is there that much difference between the views of Matt Damon and those of much of society? This reminds me of an old religion teacher I had who felt sorry for me and all the things I missed out on by not being a girly-girl. Even now, I have a pain of a cousin-in-law (is that even a word?) that will not let his five-year-old son dress too girly. He might grow up to be--oh my God!--gay! I hate to say it, but I'm not sure this viewpoint is as out of touch with society as we would like it to be, especially when it comes to little boys. Can you imagine if Matt Damon gave his nephews each a Barbie each time he came over (after getting hit in the nuts, of course)?

    That being said, I think there is a lot that could be solve here by hitting Matt Damon in the nuts. Perhaps this is one of those things that can bring the genders together.

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  3. Growing up I not only played with dolls I also played a lot of sports. When I was younger I guess I wouldn't be so called "Lady Like" because when my older sister's friends came over my sister and I would kick her friends in the nuts. I don't think Matt Damon would ever survive having a daughter like me.

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