tutus

I have never been a fan of the "princess" culture that is being thrust upon young girls from the moment they're born (and often even sooner than that). In my mind, it creates a sense of entitlement for the girls. In fact, throughout all of Lucy's gestation (is that being clinical enough for you?), I told people that my daughter would not wear pink. I did not want her to become some daddy's-little-princess-that-will-only-wear-pink-or-purple-and-must-wear-a-tiara-and-fake-plastic-shoes-everywhere.

Is there anything wrong with little girls liking princesses? No, of course not! Just like there's nothing wrong with little (and big) boys liking superheroes. It's the point and which that is all consuming to them that I want to avoid. And, of course, if/when I have a boy, I will make sure that he doesn't obsess over boy-ish things, too.

Since Lucy's birth, of course, I've softened and allowed her to wear pink, but in moderation. There's nothing wrong with a girl wearing yellows or greens or (gasp!) blues. But I've come to realize that there's nothing wrong with her wearing pinks and purples, either. However, I am carefully monitoring her toys and books to make sure that she doesn't get turned into too much of a Princess Prissy, and I'm proud to report that she has taken special interest in a superhero storybook that we have. I'm not trying to turn her into a boy. But moderation in all things, people. Moderation in all things. A well-rounded set of interests results in a well-balanced child, I think.

"But what does this have to do with tutus?" you ask. Not much, other than that I've had no inclination to put Lucy in a tutu. They're just not a big part of her wardrobe (in fact, she doesn't even have one). However, every year, my wife's family goes to the Fillmore Arts and History Festival, where they get a booth and sell different arts and crafts along with tons of other vendors and everyone in the family is expected to contribute something. Having tried and failed at selling photography art last year (people aren't willing to pay real-world art prices at this thing), I struggled trying to figure out what I could do this year. I don't even know how I arrived at it, but I think this year I'm gonna make tutus.

Yes, tutus.

I've found an easy way to make them that will require very little sewing (just a few stitches) and will be relatively cheap, meaning that I can sell them relatively cheaply, which is exactly what I need if I'm gonna sell anything at the festival. Just because I don't like the idea of my daughter prancing around in a tutu asking everyone in the room if she looks pretty doesn't mean that other people won't pay for a tutu so that their little darling can do just that, right?

To keep it from feeling too girly for me, I think I'll make a lot of them Halloween- or fall-themed, so I'll use brown, orange, black, yellow and deep red colors. Maybe I'll make a few of them girly, too, but I figure that if there are autumn-themed tutus sold cheaply, then people will start thinking about Halloween costumes and decide that buying a tutu right now will give them a head start on their child's Halloween costume. That's the plan, anyway.

I'm gonna start buying the materials this week and get started making them. The sooner I get them done, the less stress there will be leading up to the festival. Stay tuned and we'll see how this goes....