Halloween Costumes and Gender With a Dash of Non-Related WTF.

I am preaching to a very loud and vocal choir on this one, but I don't really care.  It needs to continue to be said.

This is my 4 year old on Halloween last year:

Darth Vader costume? Check.  Star Wars light up shoes? Check.  Penis? Nope.

See, this adorable little Sith is a little girl. A year ago, when this costume was purchased, it could only be found in the "Boy" section of the Disney Store, or on their website.  Disney has finally altered their labeling this year, tossing all costumes under the "Kids" moniker, and making a lot of people happy.

Unfortunately, this also has a different effect - namely, making bigoted, misogynistic homophobes incredibly angry.   When Target removed gender labels from their toy sections earlier this year, if you  read any number of blogs or news articles, you would have thought that they had started offering free sex reassignment surgery to 5 year olds in the Lego aisle.  People went absolutely cuckoo bananas at the thought that a doll or Matchbox cars do not have genders. I hope they all followed through on boycotting Target, because it will really make my shopping there more pleasant.

Now that Disney is following suit, a quick perusal of comments sections on various sites shows that people are still ranting and raving about this marking the end of times.  (Yes, I know that comment sections are full of troglodytes and people who probably never passed 4th grade grammar, but they offer an insight into how much of the world thinks, which I forget sometimes, living in my blue state intellectual bubble out here in LA). In addition to apparently causing incredible confusion for shoppers looking for a costume for their son (or daughter), this also stands to potentially turn children gay!  Or - and this is going to be helpful for you bigots out there - it can help IDENTIFY which kids will be gay.  Because if your 5 year old son is curious about wearing some fairy wings, it is clearly indicative of his sexual preference.  So, remember parents, this year on Halloween, keep an eye out for kids wearing the "wrong" gendered costume, as it belies some nefarious goings on.

Sarcasm aside, I generally am capable of understanding where people come from on most issues, even if it's not something I agree with. In this case, I simply do not have the ability to understand.  How on earth is labeling a costume for "kids" in any way damaging? How does it make shopping more confusing? Let's say your child wants to be a princess for Halloween.  You go to a store.  Instead of asking where the girl costumes are, you say, "Where are the costumes?"  Or, even "where are the princess costumes?"  If you have a modicum of a brain in your head, you will be directed to said costumes, where it should be quiet simple to determine which one is a princess and which one is not. It hurts absolutely no one to remove gender labels.  It isn't a case of political correctness, and is not because of Caitlyn Jenner or gay marriage. It's because the imagination of children is an incredible thing, and being able to express it through costume is one of those magical things about being a kid. And now, when my daughter wants to be Kylo Ren for Halloween this year, she doesn't have to worry about being told "that's for boys." She can happily revel in the Dark Side.

Sidebar: My 4 year old's obsession with the Dark Side of the Force is by far the only vaguely disturbing thing about her Halloween costume choices.  

I could rant about this for hours, but I don't think I'm breaking new ground here.  Until someone can offer me a logically sound reason that the removal of gender labels for toys and costumes is detrimental in any way, I will continue to happily enjoy Target (and now the Disney Store) without your presence.

And now, for something completely different...

I have recently heard a lot about Bone Broth.  This is relevant because it is October and skeletons are Halloween-y and skeletons are made of bones.

If I see one more pseudo scientific health guru or website ramble on about the benefits of Bone Broth, I might pull out my hair.  BONE BROTH IS BROTH.  It has been around since cooking was invented.  Have you ever heard of soup? It's often made with broth.  WHICH IS GENERALLY MADE FROM ANIMAL BONES.

Broth is good for you.   Broth made with a bullion cube is clearly not going to be as healthy or nutrient full as one made at home with actual bones.  If you don't know this, you may want to Google "sodium."  At any rate, this is not a new invention or fad.  It's broth.  If I find out anyone I know is paying exorbitant prices for this garbage, we are going to have a serious chat.

Look, you can get 48 oz of Chicken bone broth for.... $33.75. This does not register as sensible to me. Buy a whole chicken and throw it in a pot and boil it for a while.  Voila.  I just saved you $30.

(But please, do not buy this.  This is a travesty, and I would rather you purchase 3000 oz of overinflated chicken bone broth than this.)