Little Girl in a White Dress

Little Lady in a White Dress

Watercolor, 10 x 14

Once upon a time, little girls dressed in pastel dresses and white shoes and pulled their hair up and they said "yes, ma'am and no, ma'am" and they played with baby dolls and were taught to speak only when they were spoken to.  In those days they were all expected to be good girls and never climb trees or get their clothes or faces dirty. They were supposed to do well in school and be ladylike at all times, and never argue or complain. They idolized people like Florence Nightingale or Eleanor Roosevelt or Jackie Kennedy and they hoped someday to marry a nice man and raise a houseful of kids. Other career options were somewhat limited, although eventually it was considered acceptable  to become a secretary, teacher or nurse. All the restrictions they experienced made them look and act pretty much alike.

Or so it seemed.  Those days were at the same time the good old days and the bad old days but they have disappeared forever.

Today little girls wear tee shirts and blue jeans or, for "dress up," brightly colored tops with tights or leggings, depending on the current trend. They have their own brands of lipstick and eyeshadow and  their ears and sometimes other body parts are pierced at a very early age.  They text and twitter continually, but can't write or speak a sentence that makes sense. Their hair can be any color of the rainbow and they don't have to comb it if they don't want to. They still don't climb trees much, but they do wrestle and play football and they don't particularly care if they get their clothes dirty because they want a new outfit anyway.  They speak pretty much whenever and whatever they want, and they don't have to listen to anybody. They have the opportunity to follow any dream they might have and become anything they want to be, but often don't set their sights much beyond Lady Gaga.  And, despite their freedom and individuality, they all still seem to look and act pretty much alike.

We've come a long way, Baby. But we still have a long way to go.

Funny, this isn't at all the blog I intended to write for this painting. Chalk it up to "mid-winter madness" and please accept my apologies.  It was intended to be a lovely, nostalgic piece about white dresses and summer and I planned on also reposting another painting, a pastel with a similar theme.  Think I will post it anyway, because it is one of my favorites.  By the way, Little Girl in a White Dress is a watercolor, 10 x 14. It is matted and ready to frame. It will be listed on Art Helping Animals, Daily Painters, Chisholm Trail Art and will be for sale in my Zibbet Shop.

Summertime