I was confused as to why Burns’ daughter “was bummed that she couldn’t be Han Solo for Hallowe’en” until I read the article.
He’s being a great role model for his daughter, but, at least as important, he’s directing his daughter to real women who also serve as role models. Well done.
The whole point of dressing up for Halloween is to dress up and be things you are not. Father and daughter playing Leia and Hans for Halloween is not gender bending. Example, I dressed up as a bag of potatoes one year, I wasn’t food bending. I was wearing a costume. A friend dressed up as a bathtub. He wasn’t pipe bending. He was wearing a costume.
When the dad wears a skirt, high heels, the day after Halloween, then we can talk about the cool gender bending Dad. Girls wearing pants, even Hans Solo pants, on any day of the year is considered normal behavior and bends no gender norms.
P.S. The costumes were fun and really well done. I would have been happy going as either person for a Halloween party.
Wow, that’s like, so right on. Until this man spends the whole year dressed as a character from Rocky Horror, he’s just perpetuating hetero-normative gender oppression, and there’s nothing cute or laudable about this at all!
Christ, what an asshole.
We’re living in a time where if a girl wants to dress up as a male superhero then a tutu will be added to the costume to girly it up. If a girl wants to be a Ninja Turtle, then there are sexy short skirted Ninja Turtle costumes available to buy. In fact, if you’re a female period your costume had better be sexy. It’s gross and perpetuates this idea that if a female wants to be a male character, then her gender must be preserved at all times. That a female can’t represent a male, even on halloween, when everything supposedly goes. This Dad saw this gendered thinking taking root and crushed it. He showed his kid that there is no shame in a man choosing to represent female qualities. It is a big deal and it is awesome.
I read it. I’m still confused. He immediately said she could. When is she bummed?
“Do you think I could be Han Solo for Halloween?”
Immediately, I responded “Yeah, why, of course, you could. That would be amazing. Why couldn’t you be Han Solo?” And, even though I didn’t want her response to come, it did.
“Welll…. I’m a girl.”
It’s fleeting, thanks mainly to his quick intervention, but if her first thought is that she wants to be Han Solo her second is that she can’t.
Wow, you sound like you’d be fun at parties.
Not really the right place for this but hey, Halloween costumes!
Sexy Ebola Containment Suit
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Well, at least you’re living up to your username.
Psst… I don’t know how to tell you this, but… I think you’ve missed the point. Cynical isn’t the cynical one here.
I did say that I dressed up as a bag of potatoes one year. The upside with that costume is that I didn’t talk much.
If you dig french fries, maybe I’m exactly your type of date.
Curly, or straight?
I dig french fries, but not so much raw potato.
How dare you impose your sexual preference binary on his/her/zis/zer/zhwhatthefuckever’s potato bag costume. Why can’t you let the potato bag just be whatever it is without trying to box it into “curly” or “straight”?
I think this is a good point. Your comment helps me understands why we should celebrate this dad’s reaction to his daughter’s concerns. But I also can’t help but think he’s asking for some kind of special trophy for being a decent human being. Your daughter suggested a halloween costume; you agreed that it sounded cool. Good job, dad. I expect no less of any quality parent.
And, in fact, it seems like his essay is a celebration of his own “gender bending” costume rather than his daughter’s non-sexualized costume. I’m stoked for her (for exactly the reasons you list, Leerexx); his costume is secondary to me.
You forgot crinkle cut, you insensitive clod.
Weirdly, this year, apparently Sexy Skeleton is the in costume. How is that even possible???
I was born a curly fry, but I identify as waffle cut, even though that is none of your business! I just put “prefer not to respond” when it inevitability comes up on the form.
