Sailor Moon "Live-Action" Series..

[robokochan]

Okay it's Staurday morning here in Japan. It started off like every other day, my son woke me up way too early to watch Pokemon. As I was getting my son situated with his breakfast and juice, I turned the TV on and put it on the channel Pokemon usually comes on. Immeadiately my son tells me "No, that's not it, channel 7". Feelinga bit confused I told him "No it's on channel 5". At this point he tells me that he doesn't want to watch Pokemon but the Fighting Girls show. A bit curious at this point I change the channel.

Low and Behold there were semi-cute girls running around. More intrest. Fighting girls huh? Then one of them "Changed". I sat back and kinda laughed at the ridiculous transformation sequence and it was SAILOR JUPITER! Then a girl wearing a bright yellow wig shows up...Sailor Moon herself. Okay Mini-Skirts and colored hair...no harm he can watch it. Maybe he thinks it's like Masked Rider or Ultraman. No problem. Then he started to imitate them......the very lame fighting sequence that is over-dramatized...and the transformation. At this point I feel alittle hesitation. My wife says "just let him watch it". Okay.........

TV commercial time. Sailor Moon costume accesories and dolls. (At this point my world crumbles) My son in all of his innocence asks me "Daddy I want that! It's my birthday soon and I want the Fighting Girls battle stuff and clothes." Calmly I said "No, you don't want that, it's for girls." "I'll get you the new Masked Rider Battle Belt." I assumed this would satisfy him. Then the next commercial.....DOLLS. "Daddddyyyyy....I want the green one. Please get me the green one."

Anyway to make a long story short I am now faced with the problem of a son who wants to dress like a girl, pretend he is Sailor Moon, and is very determined.

My wife thinks it's funny, I think it is a tragedy. Any advice?

Rob MN

[treatment]

add:

Anyway, isn't that a normal idol-stuff-thingy over there, i.e. most idol-worshippers in japan are male?

Just don't panic. Yet. I'm sure your son will turn out right.

Edited November 7, 2003 by treatment

[Zentrandude]

muhahaha only a mind of a mad scientist could come up with that one.

If need to replace scientist to economist.

[EXO]

My wife thinks it's funny, I think it is a tragedy. Any advice?

Rob MN

Sorry Rob.. no advise...

Looking at your avatar... just make sure you send us a pic of the next family portrait...

[nench]

Yep you´re in a big problema ...... I ´d buy him the sailor moon stuff and let him go to school dressed up with the mini skirt fighter girl costume. Sure when he´s back we won´t look that crap of TV series anymore.

It´s a must to buy him the masked rider or sentai stuff, maybe he should play more with his daddy !

Antonio

Edited November 7, 2003 by nench

[ewilen]

How old is your son? Isn't there a psychological theory that there's an age before which children are basically "genderless"? IOW, probably no big deal, and it'll probably go away pretty soon.

Has Tuxedo Mask shown up yet? A top hat and cape may not be much of an improvement, but it would be something...

Edited November 7, 2003 by ewilen

[robokochan]

We play together all the time....build models together, baseball, Power Rangers the works.

As for letting him go to school dressed that way....it would be the end. He gets teased enough fro not looking "Japanese".

I have just realized it's all my fault (sobs). he just came into my office and asked again. Of course I said "No". Then he replied..."But you have the pink, green and Blue haired lady all over your osfice." (Mylene Jenius, Millia, and Minmay).

The wife at this point has burst into laughter so hard that tears are rolling down her face. The only thing she says "He got you."

Rob

[robokochan]

My son will be 4 on the 19th.....

No tuxedo Mask yet...but i guess that would be an improvement. I am going to go buy the Masked Rider 555 Dvd today. Good old positve male violence push in the right direction.....

[treatment]

I have just realized it's all my fault  (sobs).  he just came into my office and asked again.  Of course I said "No".  Then he replied..."But you have the pink, green and Blue haired lady all over your osfice."    (Mylene Jenius, Millia, and Minmay). 

The wife at this point has burst into laughter so hard that tears are rolling down her face.  The only thing she says "He got you."

Rob

hahaha!

he 0wn3d u there!

[ewilen]

Well, you can say it's okay to want to look at pretty ladies, but not to want to look like them. Then buy him a doll and tell yourself it's an "action figure".

[Godzilla]

We play together all the time....build models together, baseball, Power Rangers the works.

As for letting him go to school dressed that way....it would be the end. He gets teased enough fro not looking "Japanese".

I have just realized it's all my fault (sobs). he just came into my office and asked again. Of course I said "No". Then he replied..."But you have the pink, green and Blue haired lady all over your osfice." (Mylene Jenius, Millia, and Minmay).

The wife at this point has burst into laughter so hard that tears are rolling down her face. The only thing she says "He got you."

Rob

Buddy,

Your son is pretty smart with that comment. And he is only 4!! He got you but good. I think dolls are fine. Customes is one thing... dolls are another. I mean what are valks?? Technically, I wouldn't worry too much. With a smart comeback he came up with, I would be damn proud, yet feeling trapped. I am sure he will be smart enough to grow out of that.

Then again, I am not married nor have kids. I mean why should you listen to me? I am just the geek with 5 low vis valks. And waiting for your items... Damn USPS.

[treatment]

I say just give in for now and buy him the "dolls".

It's obvious that he's looking up to you and impressed alot by you. He wants to do what daddy does.

He prolly wont play with it like a girl will do, since he doesn't see you playing with your dolls.

It's all good.

Just don't let him cosplay in the Sailor-Scout/Guardian uniforms. That would be very bad.

Edited November 8, 2003 by treatment

[yellowlightman]

Yeah, I would say give in... maybe buy one doll. He's probably going to forget about the whole show in 6 months anyways, with kids it's always something new and exciting.

[Godzilla]

Wait, wait, wait... I know what you can do! Buy him a 1/48 valk and show him Macross. If he seen it, let him watch the other ones. Better to get him into violent behaviors, I guess.

[Anubis]

He's only 4, so try one doll out and see how it goes. If the results are ... unsatisfactory and disturbing, then put him on a strict diet of macross, gundam, and dare I say it, DBZ or Yu Gi Oh. That should bring a kid his age back to the light.

[Beware of Blast]

I don't know much about Japanese TV, but you might want to check if that particular channel's cartoons are currently targeting more toward the female audience. If so, then the problem is identified. And you can now bombard him mentally, with all the "positive" guys' stuff.

My kid is also 4 and like you, I've recently found out that he likes Sailormoon and Barbie dolls... only because he's so curious about the female gender, as I slowly unravel, after some quiet observation and talking to him -- He would ask me questions on why women are anatomically different from men or why girls would groom themselves differently.

There are certain basic things that I've tried to nurture him into identifying on what's cool ,and what's not for boys his age -- Toys, clothes, certain things boys and girls should or shouldn't do... even to the extend of teaching him to identify masculine and feminine colors for example. So far, I don't think he can fully understand the ideas yet, but I do see some improvements. Maybe what I'm doing can be called stereotyping, but in my case, I consider it neccessary, for now, to steer my boy in the right direction.

It's true that the mentality of the children below the age of 10 can be considered genderless. That's why I think parents need to influence their choices sometimes, in order to "nudge" them on the right track.

But your kid did get you there on the Macross girls posters though, I would NEVER allow myself to be caught by my son like that.

Ahem, I only do my Macross fanart stuff after he's asleep.

If I'm in your position, I wouldn't buy him the Sailormoon dolls or anything remotely related to the show. Hey, you never know what sort of idea he might get if you do. Instead, I would buy the Kamen rider stuff. Bob the builder is also good.

[yellowlightman]

I gotta disagree with you guys, I really don't think one doll is going to turn change him or make him grow questioning his sexuality. As I said before he's still really young, it's probably just a fad. And if it's not a fad, then he's probably just curious about girls, in a 4-year old way not a "unsure of his own sexuality" sort of way. OR maybe he's just being different, as a Macross fan in the Land of the Gundam, I think you'd be able to understand that Rob.

One doll isn't going to change him, don't worry about it too much.

[Jemstone]

Monkey Nugget, I dunno why you feel so threatened by it. Your wife is right to laugh because it's funny and you are over reacting. It's no big deal. Buy him the Sailor Jupiter doll. It's just a phase of his age and he's dicovering things that look cool to him. Once he has the doll, he'll get tired and bored of it and move onto to the next bright colored whatever he sees. I was a girl who played with GI Joes, He-Man toys and what have you when I was little. It didn't stray me anywhere when I grew up. Just don't let him actually cosplay as the scouts (at least not in a skirt).

EDIT: Right on Yellowman. I honestly don't see why the guys feel it's a bad thing. You'd be surprised how many boys played with girls toys (like Barbie) as a children and totally forgot about them. Studies have been done on this (Including a hilarious taping of Prime Time at a daycare)

Edited November 8, 2003 by Jemstone

[Ladic]

Sailor Moon, was one of the worst shows I ever saw.

[robokochan]

Thanks for all your advice guys. It's not the dolls that I am worried about. No problem really on getting him those. Just the Costume stuff. He is really dead set on it. I will give it a try and let him have his fun.

Godzilla - ("Your son is pretty smart with that comment.") - Yeah he is too smart for his own good. Actually he is a little smart butt. Catches me on stuff all the time. Speaks both English and Japanese. Can hold a semi-older conversation (When he wants too). It's a lttle freaky sometimes.

I'm not afraid about him becoming interested in guys or anything, just alittle bit shocking you know? Especially frist thing in the morning when you wake up.

Rob

[Angel's Fury]

Anyway to make a long story short I am now faced with the problem of a son who wants to dress like a girl, pretend he is Sailor Moon, and is very determined.

That can be pretty scary.

[UN Spacy]

I've been working with students (mostly kindergarten) for the last three years. All jokes aside you son can STILL be saved (from the clutches of evil Queen Beryl)! I'd suggest showing him the MOST masculine Saturday morning cartoons (in Japan).

BTW.....what're the popular cartoons in Japan these days?

[Angel's Fury]

Try making him watch:

Macross (TV to Macross 7)

Escaflone

Gundam Seed

Yu GI Oh

DB GT & Z

Inuyasha

just to name a few.

[David Hingtgen]

Hmmn. Jupiter's not bad, but Mars was the best. (There was a thread about this a while ago)

[David Hingtgen]

Yeah, but where can you gloves like this for a young boy?

[Angel's Fury]

Seriously Dave, you don't want a boy to end up like a creampuff?

[trueblueeyes]

Seriously Dave, you don't want a boy to end up like a creampuff?

Hey...you are the one that suggested he get his son to watch M7!!

Pot...Meet Kettle!!

[Angel's Fury]

Seriously Dave, you don't want a boy to end up like a creampuff?

Hey...you are the one that suggested he get his son to watch M7!!

Pot...Meet Kettle!!

Well maybe not Mac 7, but a least you wont see a kid playing with a tiara other than a girl?

[Akilae]

heck, just buy him the costume if he's REALLY insistent... after all, "macho-ism" doesn't really set in until puberty. Before that, boys really don't have have the social pressure to act manly.

If I were you, I'd even help him dress up, snap quite a few photos of him, and use those to forever haunt him later on in life

For something more.... wholesome... get him on Berserk

[Sumdumgai]

According to the Cognitive Development Theory, between the ages of 3 and 5 a child acquires gender constancy, which is an understanding that a persons's gender is fixed and cannot be altered by a change in hairstyle, dress, or name.

Slaby and Frey (1975) describe the process of gender identity formation as having three stages:

1) an awareness that two sexes exist (attained around age 3)

2) an understanding that gender does not change over time

3) an awareness that gender remains unchanged across situations and behaviors (constancty)

-from Sex and Gender by Hilary M. Lips

You can bombard him with masculine stuff and that could do the trick, or you have the chance that he will reject it if there is an over-exposure. He's at an age where he's still learning what's for boys and what's for girls.

As for the dress, well, let him know what kind of social reactions he will get, especially if classmates find out!

Just be patient, calm, and understanding. Don't over-bombard him with stereotypes.

It sounds like you've been handling the situation well. Plus, try having a talk with your wife to see what she thinks and explain why you're worried.

Besides some kids go through this faze. Let him have his fun, but jus tlet him know that socially it's considered unacceptable, and if the public finds out he's gonna have a hard time.

Good luck Rob! You'll do fine!

(I'm a student in a psych class on Sex and Gender, not a psychologist though!)

[robokochan]

heck, just buy him the costume if he's REALLY insistent... after all, "macho-ism" doesn't really set in until puberty. Before that, boys really don't have have the social pressure to act manly.

If I were you, I'd even help him dress up, snap quite a few photos of him, and use those to forever haunt him later on in life

For something more.... wholesome... get him on Berserk

Hey that's not a bad idea. Never thought of it that way before. Thanks

[rikiryou]

Hmm, that's a pretty funny yet interesting suggestion. But then again, wouldn't he start having nightmares of himself as Sailor Jupiter when he grows up? It would be quite the scare that lasts for a loooong time. If he forgets, it might even change the history into "my dad made me dress up as a Sailor when I was a kid". O_o Ok that might be a bit too far, so I'm gonna stop there.

[F-ZeroOne]

Just a thought, but have you tried suggesting to him that he might like a Tuxedo Mask costume?

[Jemstone]

Seriously Dave, you don't want a boy to end up like a creampuff?

What a simple mind you must have. What makes you think the boy will be a "creampuff" other than your own homophobia?

[KingNor]

here's what i would do if i was you:

explain to him that the girls on the show dress that way be cause they are girls, just be honest with him. boys dont' dress up like sailor moon, girls do.

tell him if he wants, you'll get him one of the sailor scouts ACTION FIGURES but not the dolls because those are for girls too.

i dont' think a sailor scout action figure would hurt, its like having a female gijoe.