All over the world,Pippi Longstocking has inspired generations of girls to have fun and to believe in themselves. She can shoot a revolver and sail on the seven seas. She is both cheeky and kind; always standing up for the weak and oppressed. Pippi is assertive, and has superhuman strength (inside and out), being able to lift her horse one-handed. She frequently makes fun of unreasonable adult attitudes, which reminds us every day to not take ourselves so damn seriously! She never wants to grow up and is a great inspirational hero for womyn of all ages, colors, and sizes everywhere! Pippi reminds us to HAVE FUN.
We wanted to write about Pippi to honor all of our Pippi Longstocking strength inside of us. Pippi is fun because she breaks with conventional ideas about how girls should behave – and also, perhaps, makes fun of adults’ gender roles in the process. She herself is not as concerned about her appearance as many other girls and women. Pippi is definitely not an object, and evidently not prepared to succumb to the cosmetics industry, either. There is a sign in a shop window in the small town where she lives that reads, ‘DO YOU SUFFER FROM FRECKLES?’ Pippi doesn’t. She is not interested in the anti-freckle cream on offer but nevertheless goes into the shop to make her position clear. ‘No, I don’t suffer from freckles’, she declares. ‘But my dear child’, says the startled assistant, ‘your whole face is covered in them.’ ‘I know’, says Pippi, ‘but I don’t suffer from them. I like them. Good morning!’
Thanks to the incredible Corrina Yu, general badass, author and model from HTHG’s Urban Foraging Series. This post was written by her, and it was her idea, and she has so many more great ideas to share with us here, so watch out;)
If you haven’t read The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking book, get it here:)
xoxoxox, HTHG and Corrina Yu
