Mini Me

mini me
Originally uploaded by epmdesigner

Not much time to blog today, but as I uploaded this shot to Flickr it warmed my heart and I had to share. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have been a Snow White fan since I was a toddler. There are many reasons I love Snow White, the main one being that she was the only dark-haired princess when I was a kid. Ask Nicolle, When she told me on my wedding day that I looked like Snow White I honestly thought that was the ULTIMATE compliment I could ever receive at that moment. And I still do.

Thankfully Disney got wise to multi-culturalism and now have Mulan, Pochahontas, and Jasmine added to their Princess roster. Sure these princesses might be a bit watered down and squished into cultural stereotypes, but little girls LOVE Disney princesses (and I'm talking the most crazed and fanatic kind of love here people!) whether we parents like it or not. As a child I appreciated having a princess I could relate to (I mean with the dark hair and all...not to the dwarf friends, evil stepmother, or coffin of glass :)). Perhaps it's all just a Disney ploy to expand their target market to include minorities.

But on the bright side maybe now more little girls will look at themselves and women of other cultures and see their own uniqueness, beauty and grace. I kinda thought tall, skinny, blue-eyed blondes (Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty...I'm looking at you!) had the monopoly on beauty and grace for a few years there. In other exciting news, Disney plans to introduce their first black princess in "The Frog Prince" slated for release in 2009. DId I say I didn't have much time to blog today? And here I've forced you to sit through the beginning of a women's studies lecture on the media's influence on children on at 3:15 on a Friday afternoon. Shame on me!

Back to the picture, I am also an artist. Apparently Leah is too, or so she recently informed me. So here it is, three of my most favorite things in one shot! Snow White! Art making! And beautiful Leah! All in one place. I love it.

The best part about Leah, is that she takes life (media influence and all) and turns it on end! I try and keep shelter her from too much TV and marketing, but one can only do so much without smothering or over-controlling. Plus, I was blessed with a perceptive little rugrat who is increasingly more difficult to squeak things past. She sees things, she asks questions. I do the parental stammer while I think of the correct/natural/least incriminating answer. I'm working on that. She's bearing with me.

In the meantime, my favorite current example of Leah's preschooler brain at work is that she thinks Snow White is actually a super hero (thanks to the costume's detachable collar and cape) and keeps saying things like "I'll save you!" then flying across the room to rescue you. Only when she has the cape on of course. When the cape is off, it's like Clark Kent. Leah goes back to living the everyday life of a princess-by-day and a superhero-by-night, not concerned with rescuing other princesses off of rocky ledges and and stranded Daddies trapped inside caves (these are all her scenarios mind you), but rather cleaning up after little men and avoiding witches with mirrors at any cost. That's a normal everyday life right?

I myself am a lover of imaginative play, fairy tales, and all things pretty, so I'm of the school of thought that "a little princess never hurt anyone." Not to mention, Leah makes it all so fun! Aislin and her big sister truly are the best playmates I've ever had!