You'd probably think that it's the most obvious thing in the world, but it's a fact worth repeating. Little girls become women. The types of role models they see as powerful, important, and impressive figures around them and in public positions are often the same examples that they strive to be just like. So it's important to remind our kids of women's history, with its long list of smart, beautiful, female role models.
The Fairy Tale Dimension
So many of the portrayals and costumes for women and little girls involve some variation on the fairy-tale or movie-character themes. There's the princess, the evil queen, or some other cutesy figure from the big screen or a favorite TV show. While there's nothing really wrong with dressing up as a favorite or villainous character, there's the reality that little girls need better role models. They need to see what they can be and become, and the powerful women from current and past history embody the perfect examples of what we want our kids to strive toward.