August 30, 2010, 9:35 am
Toughening Up a Little Boy?
By LISA BELKIN

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/toughening-up-a-little-boy/

A local ad has caused a national stir this past week. And it raises interesting parenting questions.

It shows a little boy trying on his mother's bright, red heels in one photo and her bright red lipstick in another. The logo of the Key Biscayne's Academy Of Martial Arts, tucked into the corner, is subtle. The message is not. The suggestion is that karate would toughen up that feminine boy.

What was intended for a local audience has gone viral, and comments seem to fall into two categories. The first is outrage at the suggestion that "feminine" behavior in boys is something to be "addressed" rather than accepted. The second is resignation presented as practicality. Life is still tougher for a boy who defies gender expectations, they say, and good parents help a child fit in.

I find that ad offensive to use this to promote the martial arts. I wish we can let individuals alone to be who they feel to be without  putting them down. That's one martial art school I will avoid in the future since they have no respect for others.

Shame on that academy

Advertisements like that are the Fuel for Social Bullies