'Princess on Board' and 'Child on board'

On the subject of princesses, DH sent me a link to thinkgeek.com wherein he had found a shirt that read "Self-rescuing Princess"

Is that any better? If not, why not?

On the OP I think YANBU to post this OP for consideration on this board

And I think colditz's post very nicely sums up the difficulty I have with it.

Oh AnnVeronica

Can I copy and paste for those who haven't clicked

"I love the graphics but this is very difficult to apply. After many attemps i gave up and still have not managed to fit this. The product is obviously aimed at female drivers, i think they should be made easier to fit."

I can't abide these 'on board' stickers, apart from anything else it seems that they are likely obscuring a large portion of rear-view space. I find it hard to get any more worked up about the child/princess thing on top of that though - they all make me shudder.

If I had to carry one by law then my own twee (but non age/gender discriminating) version would be:
'Human being on board' or perhaps for extra tweeness
'Human bean on board'

Interesting...

A child can be anything. A princess only has the option to be a princess.

Boke-inducing signs aren't just for children.

I keep seeing a car on my street with powered by fairydust on the back

Intrigued, I Googled and discovered there is a whole range in Halfords!

This customer review made me both fume and feel very sad.

I think it can be very difficult for people to understand that the 'elevation' of girls to princesses doesn't mean that women are valued. That it in fact means the very opposite, that girls and women have no value in and of themselves but need to be special. And that the colloraly is that if not a princess she is not a child/human...

I just did a little bit of sick

These signs are vomit inducing

Usually means "im a crap driver, so as a warning I'm telling you my kids are to blame for inducing poor driving" on board

I've seen a blue one with "cheeky monkey on board"

It bemuses and irritates me too orm, and I don't like gender stereotyping of children, whichever way it's sliced

My DS is still little enough to want to be a fairy, and he went out for a walk last week with his sister's pink glittery fairy wings on OVER his jacket

I was cheering inside the whole time.

Talk about the men in the boardroom all you want, there are women out there lapping this stuff up. Most likely that kid's mother bought the sticker, or possibly her grandmother.

But as for simultaneously being revered as a "princess" and devalued as someone capable of achieving anything in the world--oh yes. What images have we got of a princess ever actually doing anything (or do we want to think about Elizabeth and Margaret in overalls, repairing trucks?)

I do like having my sticker. I feel that maybe, just maybe, the arse driving so close I can't see the front of their car might be a little more considerate if they see I have a child. Who knows

If someone's driving like an arse I doubt it will make even the slightest bit of difference. Sorry, people are either decent, considerate drivers or they aren't, a sticker in another car will be of total irrelevance to those who aren't

This is nothing to do with the OP tho, sorry!

I don't know why they don't take them out when the DC isn't in. It is pointless-half the time they are not on board.
I was driving behind another to make me smile this morning-it said
'ex husband in boot'!

I find the application of 'princess' to girls and women fairly annoying wherever it crops up. It's like the wedding mags that always bang on about 'your special day to be a princess'. Just one day? Fuck that, I'd rather be queen for a lifetime thanks.

Anyway. Stickers. Annoying. Yes.

I thought there were to alert emergency services to the fact there was a young child in the car. Car seats can be thrown right out of the car.

I wonder if this is a myth...I mean I doubt the services will hunt around to see if there is one of those stickers and THEN start looking for the missing child.

I do like having my sticker. I feel that maybe, just maybe, the arse driving so close I can't see the front of their car might be a little more considerate if they see I have a child. Who knows.

First let me say, I don't have any 'child/ baby/ twins on board' stickers.

I think the Princess thing is because little girls are often called that (rightly or wrongly). I think you'd have to address the whole thing of why people call their daughters 'princess' (which is v sickly imo, nothing to do with feminism). At least the boy one didn't say 'Monster on board'!

I think they should both say 'Darling on board'!

not that all boys are frogs (or any boys for that matter :))

Just referring to the princess and the frog....that's all

But surely you can only tell how the purchaser of these items has 'boxed' the children up by asking them their motives for buying those particular ones? After all, if it was the characters that attracted them then it could have said womble on board for all the difference it makes.

I used to hate these sticker things,I even considered fashioning my own little sticker thingy for my car saying "actual person with a life/family/heartbeat onboard"

I mean who thinks 'oh there is a child in that car, best not crash into them then' People should just drive with more care in the first place - regardless of the passengers!

BUT...since having dd (5 months) and often driving from Cheshire to Glasgow I was wary of having dd in car so bought a sticker saying "baby on board" Now I use these stickers as a way of saying to other drivers "I know I'm being an over-cautious eejit here, but either please bear with me, or take over...."

I do however reckon that princess on board/naughty person on board/hero on board are all really naff - If you really want to have one it should be either child or baby end of!

The OP is correct, why elevate the girl to princess level and the boy...merely a child....I think perhaps the shop had run out of 'frog on board' :)