All three-year-old Noah wanted to do was to be Frozen’s Princess Elsa in Disneyland.
His mother Hayley McLean-Glass, recently wrote an open letter to Disneyland Paris, after her son was refused to partake in a “princess for the day” experience at the park.
“We have spent a small fortune on Disney items for him, he wears his beloved Elsa dress all day every day… he even refuses to take it off at bedtime,” the U.K.-based mom wrote on her Sparkles and Stretchmarks blog. “He knows every single word to ‘Let It Go’ and all of the other Frozen songs.”
The mom of three said as the family planned a trip to go back to the park in Paris, she came across photo shoots of little girls in costumes with their favourite princesses at the park. Looking into it, she thought it would be a great Christmas present for Noah.
When she emailed someone from the park, she got the following response: “At this time, it is not possible to book Princess for a Day for a boy,” the email said. “However, we would be happy to arrange a tailored gift pack with some Princess-themed items.”
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“My son, who fell in love with the concept of Disney Princesses at Disneyland, is not allowed to have the same experiences as the little girls who visit you simply because ‘He’s a boy?’ I can’t help but wonder if the same rule would apply should you introduce an activity at your parks that is only for boys,” she wrote. “If a little girl wants to be a superhero, she can be. If she wants to be a Jedi, she can be. She can be whatever she wants.”
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Speaking with ITV News after the incident, she adds she was devastated.
“I just think that it’s unfair, I mean if there was an activity such as a pirate dress up or a Spider-Man event, little girls would be allowed to do it,” she told the broadcaster.
Disneyland apologizes to the family
According to a statement by Disneyland Paris made to the broadcaster, the company was taking the situation very seriously and formally apologized to both Noah and his mother.
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Social media users react
On Tuesday, McLean-Glass also shared the news with her Instagram following. “I am FURIOUS. Not just for Noah, but for ALL little boys who Disney won’t allow to indulge their love of Princesses,” she wrote on the social media site.
Many social media users applauded her for standing up for her son.
“You should be proud of standing up for your son. How dare they discriminate him just because he’s a boy. A person can be whoever they want to be and enjoy whatever they want to enjoy no matter their gender,” user supermum_i_am_not wrote.
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Others shared similar experiences of young boys loving Disney princesses.
“My nephew was refused entry into his nursery’s World Book Day this year because he went as Belle! Apparently it would confuse the children and send out the wrong message? It’s disgusting,” user wilsonnatalie47 wrote.
Others were just tired of “outdated” stereotypes put on young girls and boys.
“It infuriates me no end when people insist on adhering to these outdated and damn right stupid stereotypes,” user ginthemystery wrote. “I’m still battling people who think dressing my boy in leggings with a watermelon print is girly… so watermelons are girly because they’re pink? Does that mean he can’t eat them as well then?”
Boys dressing up like princesses
And as a reminder to parents, author and parenting expert Dr. Meg Meeker suggests allowing boys to play with things like make-up and dresses because children don’t connect clothes with sexuality.
“Boys might want to see what it feels like to act like the mommy or the princess or the witch,” Meeker told Care.com. “We need to allow our boys some freedom. If a boy wants to dress like a girl, it isn’t a statement about the child’s identity or his future sexual identity… it’s child’s play.”
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