Emma Willis's son

[GratedExposure]

This is refreshing (if I'm reading it right), if a bit of a non-event.

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/birmingham-star-emma-willis-posts-19126528?fbclid=IwAR0bzugvAqSVekUM8N-dEOfoxxDCbjpRwlrUrabhJZ27_leZdvs5gZej8Lc

In short: boy grows hair and wears pink; no one says that means he's not a boy.

Good for him!

Good for him.

What's even more heartening is the comment threads on Facebook. A lot of people saying agreeing boys can wear pink and are still, you know, boys. No mentions of gender identity and a lot of comments agreeing this obviously does not make him a girl.

Then again depressing for gender non conforming boys and men (and tbh all people) that this is considered news? Awaiting the article that lauds a girl for wearing jeans and a green top. The Onion have probably done one tbf.

Isn’t Jamie Oliver’s youngest son similar, likes ‘feminine’ things...the piece I read said Jools worries about how he will get on at the all boys school he is set to attend but no one seemed to be sticking any labels on him, which is great.

I don't know. I am a bit sceptical about challenging gender stereotypes becoming reduced to boys and girls clothing and colours .Fashions change, what individuals wear changes over time (men used to wear heels and frilly tops back on the day) I am yet to see real challenge against the way society treats the different genders and the damage done to society and both males and females. So no not really positive for me.

Good for them both.

I agree - on the one hand it’s refreshing to see a celebrity who hasn’t tried to pass their child off as non-binary or whatever just because they like pink.

On the other hand it’s bloody depressing that this is news rather than business as usual.

A boy wears clothes and has long hair shocker.
His mother is a woman who wears clothes but has short hair!
OMG! Call Hello magazine for a double page spread!

True - it's absolutely ridiculous that this is considered newsworthy.
But perhaps useful to illustrate to kids that you can be gender non-conforming (and yes, WTF is that, but...) but not non-binary/trans.

@sleepwhenidie

Isn’t Jamie Oliver’s youngest son similar, likes ‘feminine’ things...the piece I read said Jools worries about how he will get on at the all boys school he is set to attend but no one seemed to be sticking any labels on him, which is great.

I follow her on insta and she often dressed both boys in frilly, old-fashioned type clothing, including hand-me-down girls clothing. Totally fine, but more down to her taste than theirs.

The older boy started objecting at some point, wanting to wear footie jerseys and she admitted it was time to let him choose.

@Sleepingdogs12

Also , he is 8 years old. Why a long white blonde wig and crop top being seen as a great look for anyone of that age? I am cynical about this.

To be fair, I wore some shocking things at that age - not sure if it was down to poor taste or typical 90s; but crop tops definitely were a regular thing for me - combine with some blue camouflage leggings and I was a legend in my own eyes.

Of course now I look back and think I looked like a berk, but it was definitely all me and no influence by my parents at all!

Dyrne -At 8 were you dressing in a non ironic/play way in a long blonde wig if your hair wasn't naturally that colour ?

It's all good. Hopefully this sort of high profile affirmation for boys wearing whatever they like, while remaining boys, will help see off gender ideology in the end.

This is very happy-making - I think really the next frontier of gender equality is to lose this idea that a boy/man liking stereotypically female things is a) a girl b) gay c) humiliating himself.

Is it a wig? I assumed he just had long, light blonde hair - it's not unusual for an 8 year old to have hair like that naturally.

My DS has long hair, sometimes wears clothes from the girls' section and is often mistaken for a girl by people who don't know him, but nobody's ever suggested that he's not a boy after he's told them that he is. Is that really a thing that happens? I move in really trans-positive circles, so if it's not happening there, then where is it happening?

If it's not happening there, then where is it happening?

What's your take about where it's happening Virginia?

Yes, stereotypes are just that, stereotypes. And not everyone follows them.

This is both 'good news' in that its not a load of gender woo. And 'bad' that its 'news' at all. It really shouldn't be!

@Sleepingdogs12

Dyrne -At 8 were you dressing in a non ironic/play way in a long blonde wig if your hair wasn't naturally that colour ?

What makes you think it’s a wig? It looks like his natural hair colour (albeit dyed a bit pink in parts).

It’s hardly a Drag Queen style full on beehive - it’s a shoulder length hairstyle mostly hidden by a hat.

I ve just re read and it says 'wearing ' long blonde hair , maybe my mind added wig . Apols about that, I can't see a hat though. I withdraw my comments then about the look . Apols.

I have a friend in his 50’s who minds his grandson a lot. The little boy wears tutus, dresses, paints his nails, and also plays with trucks, soldiers etc. He’s allowed to choose whatever he likes to play with, but knows he’s a boy. It’s wonderful.

It's not a wig, mine had hair like that until he was seven. My Mum still talks about how gorgeous it was.

Ds had hair like that in lockdown. Dh took him to the barber who didn't listen and while dh was checking email, the barber scalped him

@VirginiaWolverine

Is it a wig? I assumed he just had long, light blonde hair - it's not unusual for an 8 year old to have hair like that naturally.

My DS has long hair, sometimes wears clothes from the girls' section and is often mistaken for a girl by people who don't know him, but nobody's ever suggested that he's not a boy after he's told them that he is. Is that really a thing that happens? I move in really trans-positive circles, so if it's not happening there, then where is it happening?

It happens to my friend's beautiful, long haired boy.

An internet acquaintance had a little boy whose nursery keyworker suggested he might actually be a girl because he was .....

Kind.

@Sleepingdogs12

I ve just re read and it says 'wearing ' long blonde hair , maybe my mind added wig . Apols about that, I can't see a hat though. I withdraw my comments then about the look . Apols.

There are 2 photographs. 0ne is a back view where he is wearing a baseball cap.