I bought this issue of Life & Style Weekly yesterday simply because I was so horrified.  Now I am not someone who writes to companies, but when I get passionate about something I simply cannot hold back.  So expect a letter from me - Life & Style.

I’m sorry, in our so-called “progressive society” WHY THE FUCK DOES A COVER LIKE THIS EXIST?  First of all, Shiloh is what?  3 years old?  And we are already trying to fit her into our own little categories?  Why is it that our society continuously defines femininity by such arbitrary and superficial things as hair length?  I’m pretty sure when I had no hair at all I was still feminine - in fact, it might have been the most feminine I’ve ever been.  And I’m pretty sure that my clothing choice has nothing to do with how I feel on the inside.

And perhaps Shiloh is showing early signs of identifying as something other than “female”.  Perhaps.  So what?  Why are we so interested in putting people into categories that we can’t just accept them?  And what exactly is femininity?  Not so long ago women had to wear skirts or dresses to school and weren’t even allowed to wear pants.  Not so long ago femininity was defined by corsets, and in some countries bound feet.  We don’t still worship those ideas of femininity so why are we bowing down to current ones?  If a little girl wants to cut her hair short and wear cargo pants, fucking let her.  Don’t blame her parents for encouraging the same freedom most of us were denied in childhood.  Little Shiloh can grown up however she wants, be whoever she wants and love whoever she wants.  Shouldn’t we, as a society be trying to make that experience easier on her?

Quotes from the inside of the magazine go as far as to say, ‘“Hopefully we won’t be seeing Maddox in one of Shiloh’s dresses any time soon.”’  I just love the phrasing of that - because clearly - this would be MUCH more horrific.  A boy, trying to be a girl?  Why would anyone want to be a girl?  Or as Madonna so eloquently puts in her song “What It Feels Like For A Girl”, “For a boy to look like a girl is degrading cause you think that being a girl is degrading”.  If Shiloh got a cover for dressing like a “BOY” I can only imagine what Maddox would get for dressing like a “GIRL”.  We think we are better than other countries in our treatment of women.  But we have the same ideals, we just exercise them differently.  The strict guidelines we adhere our women to are no different than the veils and scarfs of women in some countries, and the genital mutilation of women in others.

I also love that it has a tone of mockery and humor.  As if it would be so hilarious to see a dress on a boy.  I fucking hope they put Maddox in a dress if he wants to be in one.  If that’s his choice let him make it.  Who are we to tell him that’s wrong?  Who are we to tell him as a child who he CAN be when we should be telling him he CAN be anything.  IT’S AN ARTICLE OF CLOTHING.  It doesn’t define a human being any more than the length of your hair or the color of your skin.  As India Arie said in one of her songs, “I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am not your expectations, I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within.” Just like racism, ageism, and even (as my friend Kendra pointed out) occupationism, there seems to be another ism here - though I don’t know what to call it.  Genderism?  Perhaps.

And another thing that really gets to me is the headline on the cover?  ”Why is Angelina Turning Shiloh Into A BOY?”  Excuse me, but Shiloh has two parents.  Why is it the blame (which should really be praise) being placed on only one.  And it’s so surprising that it’s THE WOMAN.  Where is Brad in this equation?  Why is he blameless?  Now, I know that Life & Style is not worth the ink or paper it’s printed on and as an aspiring journalist I should really find other, more respected and newsworthy material to read, but I simply could not ignore this.  Because the world doesn’t read the respected and newsworthy material I read, the world reads shit like Life & Style Weekly and despite the fact that everyone knows it’s junk, soccer moms around the country will be gossiping about this poor little girl and her “boy’s haircut and clothes” and “no girlie things”.  And whether or not it’s trash, people will read and buy into the same ideals we have been handed for centuries.  It’s simply disgusting to me that Life & Style chose to write about a three year old in such a context.  Go pick on someone your own size Life & Style - and while you’re at it ask yourself not how much of a man or a woman you are, but how much of a human.  I’m pretty sure even at three, Shiloh has you beat.