gender specific

I remember watching the ladybug from the cartoon movie A Bug's Life and laughing out loud when he complained that people immediately think he is a female just because he is called a ladybug.

I had to face paint for a school function, and the booth was actually the most popular (kids just loooove to get their faces painted). I was approached by a little boy and his older sister. His sister requested the snake face which took a little over 5 minutes, squinting and forehead wrinkling included. When it came for the little boy's turn, he very confidently announced that he wanted a butterfly. It was as if the world stopped and at least 2 other people, apart from his sister gasped in utter shock. A few seconds later, the parents walked over, and of course, they were told that their son wanted a butterfly on his face. Mom was quite nonchalant about it, but Dad was 3 breaths away from throwing a hissy-fit.

I calmly pointed out that big sister got a snake face, so it's perfectly okay for little brother to get the face he wanted. Apparently, snakes can be for both boys and girls, but not butterflies. A butterfly on a boy's face simply won't do. In between dabs of my sponge, I assured the father I will not be using any princessy pastels and did a red a black butterfly with pointed, not rounded wings, very few dots, and no glitter. The little boy and Mom were pleased, Dad walked away with them scratching his head, and big sister was visibly displeased that her sibling did not choose a more fitting design.

Really now, do we genderize face painting designs?

My personal, and probably unpopular take on it is, face painting is supposed to be fun. Creativity is supposed to be fun. Why the need to take something fun and make it out to be so serious? It doesn't make me any less female to be in love with the color blue, I don't think any less of a man who wears the color pink.

It was a butterfly...just a simple butterfly.

The poor thing was probably more attracted to the line work and the colors. maybe he's seen butterflies in their garden and thought they were lovely. I don't really care that he wanted the design on his face, it just bothered me that people reacted that way towards his choice.

I may vary the colors I use, to make the pill go down easier. Maybe I'll even make 3 or more samples of manly butterflies, I don't know. But the thing I am certain off is, IT IS FUN....