Toddlers & Tiaras & Patriarchy

The issues with Toddlers & Tiaras are very well-documented. I had only ever seen clips of the show until this weekend when, after discovering my TV picks up a lot of extra channels, I was sucked in to an episode. I use that phrase because I was increasingly upset the more I watched, yet I did not turn it off. Is this what what watchers of Jersey Shore, Hoarders, Real Housewives, etc. experience?

In my lifetime, I will probably never wear the amount of makeup or hairspray these girls do by the time they are four years old. My mind was blown by the implications of teaching girls from infancy to value appearance,materialism, winning, and a very limited definition of "beauty." The rules of pageants are so specific. Hair is big, skin is tanned, faces are painted, nails are manicured, and outfits are covered in frills and sparkles. Girls are told repeatedly that winning is the most important thing. Mothers are open about the thousands of dollars spent on preparing girls for pageants and the coercion it takes to get their daughters to practice routines. Girls often win prizes, but responses from caregivers convey disappointment in anything but the highest crown and frustration at the time and money spent to "lose." Girls do not appear to be validated for their efforts nor praised for any accomplishments.

Girls are coached in their walks, dances, smiles, and mannerisms. There is often an element of sexuality in their presentations. Ultimately when girls grow up, they will have to unlearn the belief that their appearance is the most valuable thing about them. When I see young girls wearing very little clothing and dancing suggestively in pageants, I wonder how that will affect them when they mature into young women. I could see this having long-term implications on self-esteem, relationships, and consent for girls.

Pageants are not a part of my culture. I cannot process their role in any culture; however, I recognize their prevalence in some areas. I question whether these areas have the resources or these mothers the value systems to allow pageant girls to become empowered women. I can't even enjoy this show as escapism. I wonder whether the pressure and sexualization placed on these children does not allow them the room to be children and pursue other hobbies and talents that may contribute to a healthy future. I wish there be some "15 years later..." followups to console me.

Good luck, girls.

Supercrawl.

In Hamilton there is a monthly event called the Art Crawl, in which a renewed neighbourhood filled with artistry and local talent opens its galleries' doors for free to the public. There are over 10 galleries for viewing, many shops, cafes, and bars, and often live entertainment. It is a celebration of the amazing treasures to be found in our own community, in a place that had fallen from grace over the past decades, given new life by a young generation who loves this city and wants it to flourish. Once a year, there is a Supercrawl that amps everything up. This year boasted bigger and better offerings, including 3 stages with headliner Broken Social Scene and many more vendors among the standard art installations.

I chose this event as my birthday celebration so that people wouldn't have to spend money and could feel free to branch off or come and go as they wished. I had a group of friends come in from Toronto just for this event - not a common traffic flow for events - it's usually me heading out there! Everyone gathered at my apartment first, filling it fuller than it's ever been. Friends I haven't seen in a while were able to make it. I opened some presents, all lovely, and brought to me from Toronto, Victoria, and Paris. Then we walked down to James North and immediately encountered the congested streets, coloured purple from the concert stage lights and tangled in pot smoke.

We walked the strip, ducking into storefronts with antiques, live jazz, art supplies, and of course, galleries lined floor to ceiling with canvases detailing everything from floral still life paintings to comic-style graphic art. Vendors included our city's increasingly popular food trucks, cupcakes and grilled cheese flying out of their windows. Buskers sang and strummed for change. A small stage hosted swordfighting. A building at a major intersection was topped with gigantic inflatable human figures, lounging over the eaves. In the street, there were several art installations that the public could interact with. Brightly hued abstract structures, incredibly detailed chalk art of classic paintings, and my favourite, this bear:

During the Art Crawl, there is always a section called the Makers' Market, in which local artisans sell their goods. It's one of my favourite things to attend, especially because it is set up in the yard of a truly awesome cathedral. When I turned and looked behind me for stragglers, I glimpsed a huge glow above the church and could not process that it was the moon until I moved back far enough to see the full moon and its surrounding aura.

James North has been an early adopter of yarnbombing, though much of the knit graffiti has been removed. A bar, The Brain, remains cloaked in yarn, complete with knit flowerboxes.

Late in evening, my Toronto friends departed and I bumped into a group of people I went to high school with. I was surprised that there was not only recognition, but hugs all around. My first ever boyfriend was there and asked, "So, what have you been up to in the last twelve years...?" I bumbled through sufficient interactions with them and began picking my way through the dense crowd to rejoin another group of friends who described their location as "on a hill." Somehow I found them and indeed there was a hill - most convenient for improving our view of the main stage, just in time for Broken Social Scene. The band sounded great and thrilled the crowd with lots of older hits. The person I had been unable to find all night ended up sitting down on some rocks just across from our hill for a smoke and we finally connected. Magic. I walked home soon after, the night air cool but pleasant. I slept deeply, exhausted from a night full of engaging arts with the people I love most.

18/09/11 - Update: Some great photos from Supercrawl are on Flickr.