Blue Tricycles and Barbie Dolls | Teen Ink

Blue Tricycles and Barbie Dolls

December 16, 2010
By Chirsch12 BRONZE, Hastings On Hudson, New York
Chirsch12 BRONZE, Hastings On Hudson, New York
4 articles 2 photos 3 comments

It started as a harmless tease, a jab at a haircut. Then it got to the point of jeering and calling out names. And then it got worse. Being called boyish or manly for a girl mostly hurts. In some cases it doesn’t but in my case, as a 5 year old it did. My parents always thought that I looked better with short hair, it fit my face. But this short? These pants? I would look at myself in the mirror and think that I didn’t look like a girl. On top of it all, I loved playing videogames. Sure the majority of them were Barbie games but I also loved racing games and crash bandicoot games.

I remember when I was young, around 3 or 4, I went to a pre-school where at recess every kid would go on a plastic tricycle. There was an even amount of “girl” tricycles (a.k.a. pink and Barbie-stickered) as “boy” tricycles (a.k.a. blue and hot-wheels-stickered). Of course there were more girls than boys in my pre-k grade; it’s just the way of life. I would always go and run and get the pink tricycle and play around with my friends until one day there were no pink ones left. There I was, standing tricycle-less with my short haircut and denim jacket. I did the unthinkable that day or at least the unthinkable to pre-k kids. I thought to myself, “Hey, blue is a cool color!” and hopped on a “boy” tricycle. Every girl called me a boy that day and every boy was laughing. I made a fool of myself but that was the first day I came to realize androgyny isn’t that bad.

People discriminate against girls who might look like boys and boys who might resemble girls but in the end we are all human. We all like different things and the people who stereotype something as juvenile as a color should think about the times in their life when they experienced some sort of “gender-switching”. It’s certainly not a crime for little Vanessa to want to play football or for little Tommy to like Barbie’s. Hobbies aren’t gender specific; neither should be clothing or haircuts or what tricycle you like to ride.

I hope one day there is a campaign for young girls who felt the same way I did when I was younger. I hope that they make a stand for all that is human and for all that is normal. So to my girls and guys who just wanna do what they wanna do: Go out, have fun and don’t listen to the people who tell you its wrong.


The author's comments:
I felt that it was important to show people that they are all alike and that they can do what they want!

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This article has 5 comments.


on Dec. 23 2010 at 3:46 pm
missTaco BRONZE, Kingston, Massachusetts
4 articles 0 photos 53 comments

Favorite Quote:
Enjoy Today, because you could die tomorrow

well written. one of my friends is like that, too.

on Dec. 23 2010 at 11:19 am
DawnMarie BRONZE, Milton, Florida
2 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
a bird doesn&#039;t sing because it has an answer,<br /> it sings because it has a song. - lou holtz

Love this article! You communicated your point very clearly and throughly, and I agree with your point of view. Keep up the great work :) 

on Dec. 23 2010 at 9:13 am
UNKNOWN........, Coon Rapids, Minnesota
0 articles 0 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
the only thing we have to fear is fear itself... and spiders

That article reminded me of my friend who has short hair and all the ''popular'' boys call her a guy around her back!!

Well writing on the article, I say!


on Dec. 23 2010 at 8:13 am
NonsensicalMuse PLATINUM, San Anotnio, Texas
22 articles 0 photos 87 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;There is nothing wrong with having your head in the clouds as long as you don&#039;t get altitude sickness&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Perhaps you are right,perhaps not. I don&#039;t know 110% either way.All I know is that Im in search of truth. If you are too, let us be friends.&quot;

Love it!!

 


Yort said...
on Dec. 21 2010 at 8:01 pm

Very nicely written...

A couple grammtical errors:

"... about the times in their LIVES when they..." and "... for little Tommy to like BARBIES."

Other than that, I would use a word other than androgyny. Although it is the right word, with respect to meaning, it does not fit with the language used throughout the piece.

Overall, I liked it a lot. It really addresses that notion of objects and color having gener associations.