Page 15 - COBH EDITION 21ST DECEMBER DIGITAL VERSION

Dr Sarah Coyne, from Brigham Young University, said: “Disney princesses represent some of
the first examples of exposure to the thin ideal. As women, we get it our whole lives and it
really does start at the Disney princess level, at age three and four and people should really
consider the long-term impact of the princess culture.”
When I was a child, I watched Disney films, but I wasn’t intelligent enough to take these
negative messages from the films, so I guess I was lucky to have survived unscathed. I
watched Popeye, but I never desired to smoke a clay pipe and I never wanted to eat spinach.
I watched the Roadrunner too and I haven’t spent my adult life trying to drop boulders on
coyotes.
The Big Bad Wolf ate the granny but we’re not suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder
because of it. They’re just fairy tales.

Anyone bothered by these children’s stories and Article 41.2 of the Constitution should learn
to take life a bit less seriously and stop getting their knickers in a twist. Or jocks in the case
of men. Or underwear for those offended by knickers or jocks and that’s not to suggest that
getting underwear twisted is safe because it could affect blood circulation, so it is not recom-
mended.
But just when you thought the world couldn’t get any more ridiculous, along comes Deanne
Carson. She’s an Australian lady, with pink hair, who describes herself as a sexuality expert.
I’m not exactly sure what she does with her expertise apart from handing out valuable advice
to parents.
In her latest nugget, she is suggesting that in order to establish a “culture of consent” in a
household, you should ask your baby for permission before you change its nappy. She says
the language doesn’t have to be complicated: “I’m going to change your nappy now, is that
OK?” will do fine.
I’ve changed many nappies down through the years and on more occasions than I can count,
it was a struggle because the baby didn’t consent and actively resisted my efforts. So, if I’m
changing the nappy against the wishes of the baby, am I not teaching the infant that it’s ok to
submit to an adult who uses force to subdue them?
Life is complicated enough as it is without making it harder for ourselves.