On Oprah: Parenting a Transgendered Child

We were having so much fun using critical theory to examine Oprah's ideology that I didn't get to show these clips in class. This particular episode serves as an example of the kind of education the talk-show format sometimes offers.

A student sent these clips about a transgendered child and her parents. This story and interview are educational and moving as they explore the issue from both the child's and the parents' perspectives.

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Lisa-Ling-Talks-with-a-Transgendered-7-Year-Old-Girl-Video/topic/oprahshow

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Barb-and-Steve-on-Raising-Hailey-Video/topic/oprahshow

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Raising-a-Transgendered-Daughter-Video/topic/oprahshow

Plastic Surgery to Prevent Bullying?

From the same student, this story on HuffPost about a 7-year-old girl who underwent cosmetic surgery to prevent being bullied about her ears. The story indicates that the child hadn't been bullied by other kids, but that adults had made inappropriate comments in front of her.

This story is similar those told on Extreme Makeover when that show was still on. The culture obviously has embraced a postfeminist perspective on cosmetic surgery, but does this go too far? Will the trend reverse itself?

'Princess Prep'

Check out this CNN story, sent by a student, about princess camp for little girls. Here is what the student says:

During Princess Prep, the girls learn how to curtsy, have good posture, ride a horse, and drink tea. The creator of the camp, Jerramy Fine, said being a princess requires sacrifice: "You have to live your life for everyone else, so it's a lot about sacrifice and thinking about others." Thinking about others and sacrificing isn't bad. However, Fine later talks about Disney princesses who have been known to be self-sacrificing for the good of their man.

Furthermore, when the reporter asks the girls why they want to be princesses, one answers, "You get rich." I think this is interesting. While the camp is trying to teach the girls philanthropy, there is [clearly] a class issue. The camp is showing that princesses are always kind and loving. They earn what they have (money) through the goodness of their heart. This obviously isn't true.

So, for these little girls, the way to achieve their dreams is to snag a rich guy by being humble, self-sacrificing, and pretty? I also love how one of the "story highlights" is that this is a camp for little girls "wanting Kate Middleton's fairy-tale life" -- a narrative mediated and overpromoted by the media who profit from it.

Will the madness never end?