Stella as (L) Billie Holiday and (R) Princess Grace on her wedding day
Many children like to dress up for school, but third grader Stella Erhart, age 8, takes dressing up to a whole 'nother level:
She opens her closet. She opens her book, “100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century.” And she opens her mind.
Voilà, she is Billie Holiday, in a black dress with a red tissue-paper flower tucked into her strawberry-blond hair.
Behold, she is Grace Kelly in pink satin lace on her wedding day.
Poof, she is Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, wearing a hat her aunt got her in Vietnam.
The Dundee Elementary School third-grader comes to school dressed as a different historical figure or character — Every. Single. Day. And she's done that since the second day of second grade, when this all started.
Erin Grace of Omaha World-Herald has the story: Link - via Metafilter
I'm sure someone with better knowledge can comment on this, but I think that age-appropriate play, including dress-up play, is an integral part of children's development. It doesn't have to have a point (for example, she doesn't have to grow up to be a fashion designer), except to encourage their mental and physical development. Like author Alfie Kohn once wrote, the point of play is that it has no point.
I know we disagree about many things, Ted, but I want you to know that I appreciate differing points of views on the blog and thank you for expressing them civilly. You should only know how many comment threads devolved quickly into name callings and such.
I just wonder how long until it becomes an unhealthy obsession.
What she has done is an example of a positive self-expression in children, and it should be encouraged, not beaten down with negativity.
And is she really learning about the influential women of the 20th century simply by copying their outfits? It sounds noble and empowering, but it amounts to little more than a fashion show.