The Shiloh Debate

Recently, LaineyGossip (one of my blog heroes) posted pictures of Brangelina spawn Shiloh on her website...along with this article. Pay close attention to the last bit of the article where she talks about a particularly ignorant person... because here's what I had to say about that:

First of all, I do agree the email that was posted (on Oct. 5^th) is ignorant. Making any kind of generalizing statement about a social construction such as gender and sexuality and using the term ‘normal’ is ignorant. I would correct Stacy by saying that Shiloh dressing “like a boy” (whether it’s her mothers decision or her own) is certainly not normative but I would argue that that’s a good thing. Something to be encouraged. Not something to be worried about.

As a society, we don’t like to sexualize children. For obvious reasons we want to think that they don’t have any sort of sexuality, but children are learning and absorbing what gender and sexuality entails from the moment they’re parents learn whether they’re having a boy or a girl and run out to buy a pink or blue onesie.

However, for me, whether or not she’s gay (or will be gay) is not the point. The point is that she’s queer. Queer in the sense that she doesn’t subscribe to gender norms. In my opinion, it’s fantastic that her parents are letting her wear what I assume she feels comfortable in rather than what is generally socially acceptable, and I can only hope that this encourages some of the Brangelunatic parents out there to do the same.