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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Body positive book for toddlers!

287 replies

WomanBornNotWorn · 26/11/2019 12:19

Great idea - helping small children

mobile.twitter.com/Transgendertrd/status/1199056010520023040

Body positive book for toddlers!
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6
NeurotrashWarrior · 04/12/2019 19:31

Mine came yesterday; it's a really beautiful book for young children!

The same characters are followed through the book, they all have different likes and wear different clothes, some are in wheel chairs, one has a broken arm, some boys have long hair, some girls have short. They are all seen doing and playing a wide variety of games, a lot of emphasis on dressing up and pretending and then taking off the costumes and doing something different.

Shows two of them using a proper loo which is helpful for potty training.

Emphasises that in the bath their body is cloth less and is hidden by clothes during the day.

I especially love little frank with long hair who enjoys playing hair dressers as he reminds me of a little boy I once taught who loved to play this game!

Lovely rhymes and repetitive phrases!

drspouse · 04/12/2019 19:34

hearhooves you must either be hard of thinking or disingenuous then. I can't decide based on your posting history.

pombear · 04/12/2019 19:59

Hearshooves
If it's got nothing to do with the trans issue why is it published by transgender trend?

As I understand it, this book is about supporting children to feel OK with the body they have, and if it has a secondary-issue, it's about not encouraging them to listen to a specific agenda that is currently leading them into a lifetime of medication via puberty blockers, cross sex hormones and surgery. Transgender Trend is concerned with these issues.

Do you have an issue about supporting children to avoid a lifetime of medication and a lifetime of potentially aggressively fighting the physical reality of the body they have with surgery and pronoun-use?

Surely if gender is this nebulous thing that is sometimes 'assigned at birth'/something you know innately/fluid/non binary, nothing to do with stereotypes, whatever you want it to be, the only contstant is your body. Do you not want parents to talk to their children about the reality of bodies? What book would you prefer them to use with their young children?

HandsOffMyRights · 04/12/2019 20:01

This looks great.
I'll be ordering some for family and friends.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 04/12/2019 20:04

Instead of simply insulting me drspouse why not just explain?

I am sorry but I don't understand. Its published by a group who deal with trans issues and yet apparently the book is nothing to do with trans issues so, no, I don't understand. If you do, why can't you explain it?

What is the purpose of the book? Someone up thread said it's to tell children to love their body no matter what. I find that an impossible concept due to a series of lifelong illnesses that both I and my dd have. To love a broken and defective body seems incomprehensible to me.

drspouse · 04/12/2019 20:08

And yet some parents encourage their children to alter their healthy bodies or think their bodies are a mistake.
And many disabled people DO think their bodies are just fine. Many Deaf people would not dream of surgical intervention to give them hearing.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 04/12/2019 20:10

Do you have an issue about supporting children to avoid a lifetime of medication and a lifetime of potentially aggressively fighting the physical reality of the body they have with surgery and pronoun-use?

I've cross posted with you.

Interestingly, I think that I do have an issue with accepting the physical reality of my body, though it's nothing to do with gender dysphoria but physical disabilities. Both myself and my dd have had to accept surgeries and life long medication in an attempt to change our bodies. Perhaps that's why I find it so difficult to understand this - I would give anything to change my body, or my DDS body, so no, I can't comprehend loving my body as it is because it causes me severe pain and limits my life every single day. I take, and my dd has taken, multiple medications with terrible side effects in an attempt to control the symptoms of our condition so I feel like I have a completely different perspective on this.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 04/12/2019 20:13

And many disabled people DO think their bodies are just fine. Many Deaf people would not dream of surgical intervention to give them hearing.

Which is great for them. I'm not one of them though. I will spend the rest of my life trying to find a way to change what's going on in my body because I'm angry at it and how it is limiting and controlling my life. The thought of accepting this terrifies me because I cannot comprehend facing up to this for the rest of my life. The hope of it changing is the only thing that allows me to carry on.

DuMondeB · 04/12/2019 20:43

I was given a copy of this at DJ Lippy’s women only disco on Saturday.

It’s very cute and I hope will be a positive reinforcement for my littlest, who is still suffering some of the long term effects of being seriously ill last year.

ScrimshawTheSecond · 04/12/2019 20:54

I'm sorry to hear about your history and your daughter's history, Hearhooves. That sounds really tough, to say the least.

Acceptance and celebration of our bodies - even with what are sometimes seen as failings - seems like a generally good thing to me.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 04/12/2019 20:57

How do.you celebrate something that.keeps you in intense pain every hour of every day? That stops you from.doing things that you want to? That requires you to.under go relentless treatment, surgeries and medication that at best only slow down the progression of the disease?

DuMondeB · 04/12/2019 21:03

My daughter’s body tried to kill her (her white blood cells are all her red blood cells) but I still found the book to be a suitable positive message.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 04/12/2019 21:13

Sorry but I still don't think that it's a universally great message.

Should obese children be encouraged to accept the body they have? I would think it's better that they are encouraged to make changes to that body in the hope that they can live a healthy life.

I'm.not convinced that total.acceptance of your body is a good thing. I'm envious of people with serious illness or disability who can accept their bodies. I'm not in that camp.and I'm not alone.

SonicVersusGynaephobia · 04/12/2019 21:25

Should obese children be encouraged to accept the body they have? I would think it's better that they are encouraged to make changes to that body in the hope that they can live a healthy life.

The book discusses looking after your body and treating it with care.

I don't understand your beef with this book if you want to encourage children to be healthy. Telling children that their healthy body is wrong and needs sterilised and parts cut off because it does match their personality isn't a great message, is it. You'd think you'd agree.

DuMondeB · 04/12/2019 21:25

It’s a book for preschoolers

SonicVersusGynaephobia · 04/12/2019 21:26

Doesn't match their personality...

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 04/12/2019 21:47

Telling children that their healthy body is wrong and needs sterilised and parts cut off because it does match their personality isn't a great message, is it. You'd think you'd agree.

Where have I said that's my view?

I've said that I don't agree with telling anyone to.love and accept your body no matter what. Plenty of things that can be wrong with a body that have nothing to do with being trans. Personally, I think it's trite. I'd be interested for example to see how they address the issue of disability or illness? If they're portraying children as being essentially the same ie being able to do the same things, play the same games etc how do they apply this to children with disabilities?

JanesKettle · 04/12/2019 21:48

It's a gorgeous book, with beautiful illustrations. Fun to read - children seem to enjoy both rhyme and illustrations.

Theme-wise, it's really quite similar to picture books I was read as a child. You are great as you are! Look at all the things your body can do! is the underlying message.

People on Twitter calling it terrorism are idiots, who don't have a clue about children's picture books, and are happy to destroy a female writer (and female illustrators) career, just because they don't like it.
People who want to ban books or attack writers are the fucking terrorists, imo.

JanesKettle · 04/12/2019 21:56

Is someone seriously arguing kids should not receive the message that 1. they are their body (I mean, seriously, do you want dualism in your picture books ? You are your body and your spirit ? I mean, go for it, if that's your religion, but I'm a fucking atheist - do athesit families not deserve picture books?) and 2. their bodies are good as they are ? (as someone with a chronic, progressive illness, which has affected my appearance and my functioning, the message that enabled me to accept and cope in a healthy manner with this is - your body (you) are OK, just as you are. Disability doesn't make someone's body (them) any less! This is a hate-crime now, to innoculate our children with the message that no matter what body they have, they (their body) are capable and fully, wonderfully human. You can be at home in your body - such terror!)

JanesKettle · 04/12/2019 21:58

Yes, I'm sure Rooney and Ahlberg, both with an incredible amount of experience with children, in children's books, inclusion, diversity etc failed to consider that 'bodies' might include ill or disabled bodies - NOT.

Concern trolling.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 04/12/2019 22:01

Disability doesn't make someone's body (them) any less!

Any less what though?.less human - of course not. Less able to do certain things - work, play sport, go on holiday, go out with friends, be pain free? That's why my body makes me.less. it's shrunk.my world and i do feel.less because of it. So I don't agree that.my body is good as it is. It ain't isn't.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 04/12/2019 22:03

Yes, I'm sure Rooney and Ahlberg, both with an incredible amount of experience with children, in children's books, inclusion, diversity etc failed to consider that 'bodies' might include ill or disabled bodies - NOT.

Can you give examples then? I haven't read the book and can't see the text. I'm only going on what's been written on this thread - that boys and girls are shown being able to do the same things etc..so how do they address disability?

ThreeLittleDuckies · 04/12/2019 22:05

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras Because it's the only one you've got. Is not the medication, surgeries etc a way of showing love to it, you want it too heal? From your comments I suspect with present technologies and therapies it cannot heal, but you are still taking the best care of it you can. My OH works in healthcare and he has seen it, people do give up.

Would you prefer for your daughter to have the same outlook you do or a different one? I don't think embracing and accepting your disability means giving up on hope or change. Sometimes it might mean not giving up. All circumstances are different but that may be too philosophical for a small children's book.

It's about taking care of your body and loving it. It is a book for small children, going deeply into the ins and outs of disabilities and eating habits might be a bit above their heads. But it's about loving and taking care of your body. Your body is part of you, it cannot change, love it. It covers skin colour, hair colour/type, sex/gender and disability. It covers gender stereotypes, lots of pictures of children with different skin colours and definitely saw at least 1 wheelchair all happily playing together with whatever toys they want, hair how they want etc, it not mattering whether you like pink or blue. Very simple for a small child to take in and understand.

I've bought this book and my OH does have concerns about it setting out female children up for a big fall. He's aware that as females they'll likely be judged by their bodies their entire lives. I disagree and think it'll make them less susceptible too the impact of negative comments, and hopefully the more parents who read children such stories the less judgement they'll be in the world.

drspouse · 04/12/2019 22:34

I've ordered it and will be able to comment more when it arrives but it certainly has a child in a wheelchair heartily taking part in sports.
Children and adults who are obese often think they are much bigger than they are (though some don't obviously) and knowing what your body is really like is part of helping yourself to be healthy. If you are overweight and think you can never do anything active because your body is obscenely large that's not going to make you healthy.

JanesKettle · 04/12/2019 22:38

Buy the book, zebras!

These women are artists, and make their living from art - I'm not going to start providing extracts from the book online and undermining their sales! (I believe there is a page photographed on Twitter).

And don't critique it till you have read it!

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