An important point
that was brought up when reading Cinderella Ate My Daughter was the fact that perhaps
the parents support dolls because it keeps their daughters innocent. The
innocence of the child is kept by indulging them to the innocent and youthful
color pink, dolls, and Disney princesses. This way the parents can inhibit
their daughter’s coming of age. Immediately after reading this I was reminded
of my heritage. Not only is this belief engrained in American culture but also
in others.
In Mexico and many Hispanic cultures,
girls have Quinceaneras. This is like a coming of age ceremony in which the
girl, or now woman, is given her last doll. This identification of last doll,
thus introduces her to maturity and adulthood. In addition, the teens in these
ceremonies wear poofy dresses and a tiara meant to make her look like a
princess. And to top it off, it has been a tradition in the previous years to
have the dress pink. These traditions only serve to reinstate Peggy Orenstein’s
point and to further illustrate that this is a worldwide concept and not just a
national one.
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