In case you’ve ever wondered, “Is there anything we won’t pointlessly gender?”, Katrin sent in evidence that there really, really isn’t:
Gwen Sharp is an associate professor of sociology at Nevada State College. You can follow her on Twitter at @gwensharpnv.
Comments 19
tea — March 15, 2013
Gosh, WHO KNEW little princesses and pink were BIBLICAL???
*wanders off, grumbling*
Laura D — March 15, 2013
I think the content is actually different in them as well (not that it makes it better). The boy's Bible combines Bible verses "with delightful articles to help a budding
warrior earn his armor and grow strong in the Lord" while the girl's Bible combines the verses "with devotionals and activities that focus on such virtues as compassion,
generosity, and kindness in fun and engaging". Because everyone knows that God made boys strong and girls compassionate.
Frowner — March 15, 2013
Also, I notice that the bible seems to be authored by Sheila Walsh, something I didn't pick up on when I was a kid in Sunday School.
Guest — March 15, 2013
I remember a few queens from Esther to Jezebel (or Pharaoh's wife), but not many princesses, no. And from what I remember from the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, the queens and concubines in the kings' serraglios aren't leading charmed lives, either...
[links] Link salad gets ready for a St. Patrick’s Day party | jlake.com — March 16, 2013
[...] Little Princesses and Mighty Warriors — Bibles for boys and girls. Weird. Really weird. [...]
Katie — March 16, 2013
Funny, I've been told "take on the armour of god" in my Young Women's class.
Karen — March 17, 2013
Actually having children's bibles gendered makes more since than alot of toys. True Christianity gives very different gender roles to boys and girls to having two different study Bibles for boys and girls teaches them this early. Our culture has changed the view of women's roles in the church but if you actually study the Bible most modern Christians do not follow all Bible teaching, they pick and choose and that is why there are so many different denominations.
The Wonderful Web | Lovely in the Everyday — March 17, 2013
[...] -this makes me sad for all the little girls who have to ask their parents, “Mommy, why can’t I be a Warrior too?” [...]
Tessla Rabin — March 18, 2013
What I don't like about the Bible is that both men and women are always subordinate to God! When are we going to overthrow this and get to reality that each of us is an all powerful, all seeing, enlightened being capable of anything? I mean, sure, we can't create something from nothingness and control the weather, make planets, etc...but can't we still be God without all that?
jamanda.gordon — March 18, 2013
its a bible. i truely hope that the message of the lord is clear to the person who is buying this book. in our society we focus so much on the gender aspect of things that we forget whats really important. women are more than images. we are not just for show we can be warriors too. people wouldnt be able to keep making such gendered things if we stop spending our money on it. just pick a regular looking bible it doesnt matter what the outside looks like because the message should be why someone buys the book not because of what the cover looks like.
Rae — March 21, 2013
Actually, the gendering isn't pointless - fundamentalist and evangelical Christians absolutely love their traditional, patriarchal gender roles, and this is a deliberate attempt to teach and reinforce those gender roles.
I can't speak to the content of these specifically, but if they're anything like what I was inundated with during my fundie Christian childhood, the girls' version contains a lot of blather about how you're a "Daughter of the King" (I'd bet my favorite hat that phrase shows up at least two dozen times in that book, if it's not on the back cover!) and how you're beautiful and and precious and deserve to be loved, and the boys' version (I snuck a peek at "for boys only" stuff during that part of my life) is all about being "strong" or a "man of valor" and fighting and protecting others and stuff.
Info Avril 2013 | EgaliGone — August 13, 2014
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