Riley, 5, is a pretty smart little girl and has trouble understanding why it is that princesses are pink and marketed towards girls, while G.I. Joe‘s and things of that sort are packaged in greens and blues and marketed towards boys. The stereotypes that are in place today, which offer guidance for what girls and boys should be interested in, often make me wonder if we’ll ever be able to stray away from the 50′s idea of what men and women should do and how they should act. Fortunately, we have young children, like Riley, who make it seem so apparent that this is wrong and not the way we should be encouraging our children. Just because the princess is in a pink package does not mean that a little boy can’t play with it, yet, he’s far too aware that the consequences of wanting and/or getting such a gift wouldn’t be all that great.

Way to go Riley! If only some adults could not be so ignorant and take advice from you, we might be better off.

And although she isn’t aware of what a provocative statement she made for the gay community, I’d like to send thanks to her for that as well. At this time, when a young boy’s parent is questioned because she paints his nails pink, we really need people to stand up and express that color doesn’t identify someone. We should already be well aware of this, thanks to the Civil Rights Movement, but sadly, we are not.

Gay children find it harder to come out because of these exact scenarios. If they want to buy a princess, the bullying begins and they learn from the get go, that in order to not be made fun of they can’t play with the toys they like, act the way they wish, or someday find love in a companion they choose. This is what is truly heartbreaking and this reason that little Riley is such an amazing girl.

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• Video Of Little Girl Getting Pissed Off At Gender-Specific Toy Colors Will Make Your Heart Swell [Video] (jezebel.com)
• ‘Why Do Girls Have To Buy Pink Stuff?’ [video] (thecrimsoncrow.com)
• Girls Can Like Superheroes, Boys Can Like Pink Stuff (thefrisky.com)
• WATCH: Little Girl Furious Of Gender Stereotypes In Toy Store (huffingtonpost.com)