primary school / hidden curriculum

[madwomanacrosstheroad]

My daughter is seven and has just brought a note home that they are all to dress up as a super heroe in a couple of days. I have vague memories of wonder woman years or rather decades ago. There is cat woman (more sex symbol than super heroe) ... but as far as i remember thats about it. I have tried to convince her that pippi longstocking falls into the category but she is not having it. She has not been at the school long, before that i had after long discussions about the hidden curriculum with my dh insisted on single sex schools for the girls.
I am getting the impression that things are moving backward. Do i really have to send her into school dressed as a male superheroe and give her the message that women are just not good enough? I am absolutely furious.
Has anyone any ideas?

Sadly most female superheroes wear costumes I wouldn't feel comfortable seeing my DDs dressed up in. Apparently you can't be a superhero without skin-tight lycra.

Though to be fair, many male superhero costumes are the same...

Primary schools are under a huge amount of pressure to focus on the needs of boys, motivating boys, improving boys' performance ... It's all about statistics and SAT's levels.

Girls tend to achieve at a higher level academically at this age - huge generalisation, I know - and can therefore safely be ignored.

I have a daughter and am sad that her need to see herself as an independent, powerful and intrinsically interesting person are no-one's priority. She will be partnered with the boys with challenging behaviour and encouraged to volunteer to tidy the book case and wash the paint pots.

Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson's character in Avengers)

Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba Fantastic Four)

Cat Woman (Anne Hathaway Batman)

Storm (Halle Berry X Men)

OP - You are seeing a feminism issue when there isn't one.

I did ask her and she is the one who did feel most superheroes were male or male orientated (she used different terms). Sheis going through a very pink and frilly phase at the moment at which i may cringe but i will not give her the message that what she regards as "female" is in any way less desirable than things seen as traditionally male or unisex. We are introducing less conformist role models (at the moment pippi longstocking is a big hit) and we focus on the suffragettes in mary poppins. There are female superheroes and i have found out today that there are many more than i was aware of. However they are not on the everyday radar of most seven year olds in the sane way as your standard batman, superman and spiderman. It is an area we could work on if we wanted. However the dressing up day is tomorrow with very little notice and the majority of the boys seem to have at least one outfit at home that is instantly recognisable. I am actually quite proud of the girls who decided before the notes went home that they were just going to go in in their school uniforms. It is a way of showing opposition. I was initially trying to cobble a costume together or send her in in my friends sons spiderman costume.

Go in uniform with a sign, "I'm super, I don't need to dress up to be a hero".

Ms Marvel from the cartoon version of the Avengers (an Avenger mad son) she was powerful enough to knock Iron Man around.

Mad you may be interest in this piece

When i left her to school this morning (wewere early so i only saw a few kids before leaving her to breakfast club), it seemed only boys were dressed up. All the girls i saw were in school uniform!

OP - You would like my DS- he wants to go to school dressed as the female spy dog LARA. Thankfully I have nearly a weeks notice.

What about Princess Merida from the film Brave?