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Sparkle (4)
When I told my kids that a seven year old in our neck of the woods was bullied for taking a Star Wars water bottle to school, they didn't get it. There was silence -- they were waiting for the punchline. Did the water bottle have the wrong Star Wars characters on it? Had she drawn some pink bows on Darth Vader? There had to be some other reason. It simply made no sense to them that she would be picked on simply because she's a girl who likes Star Wars.
It looks like the internets agree with my kids. All sorts of people are in geek-wear today to support Katie and geeky girls everywhere.
RPG Called Life shares a little about her history as a geek girl and points out some problems with toy marketing:
Really, who could blame any little girl for having more fun pretending to be a Jedi saving the galaxy than pretending to do the laundry? I recognize that there may on average be some innate differences in boys' and girls' interests, but they are not as great as out-of-date social norms imagine -- or force - -them to be.
Pink Ray Gun wrote a letter to Katie and to geek girls everywhere:
My biggest hope for you is that you use all the support you’ve gotten from fellow Star Wars fans and women and girls who are into stuff like that to help you remember that being yourself is the most important thing ever. The world is a better place because you’re in it. You. One-of-a-kind you, who likes the things she likes and wears the things she wears. If you change that stuff about yourself because you get older and like other things instead, that’s okay. But if you change that stuff about yourself, because you think other people will like you better, the world will be a worse place. Being true to who you are is the bravest and most powerful thing you can do to change the world!
Check out How to Grow Your Geek, who has a special edition, just for Katie. Cakewrecks supports geek girls and so does Grace.
From EPBOT, Geek Girls Activate!
Don't let the scruffy nerf herders get you down. You rock that water bottle with pride, and know that there are thousands of other fans out there (myself included) who would be proud to share a lunch table with you.
Shannon and her kids are showing the geeky Star Wars love and they had problems with teasing, too.
Here's Iz with the Darth Vader lunch box that was her pride and joy in 1st grade -- and which, like Katie, she stopped using in 2nd grade due to teasing. I talked to her this morning and she's still skittish about sporting Star Wars wear & lunch boxes because the other girls would tease her (stupid middle school social dynamics), though she says she wouldn't mind an Ewok shirt...
There are photo galleries "Star Wars is For Girls Too!" on Flickr and videos on YouTube.
#MayTheForceBeWithKatie and any girl who wants to get her geek on.
Was there a time when you were teased for liking things that only boys liked? Are you wearing your Come to the dark side... t-shirt today?
~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager
Life. Flow. Fluctuate.
