Whether this holiday weekend, Christmas or any other, the self-appointed commissars of girl power at the Girl Scouts have an important warning for all parents: forced hugs predispose girls to objectification and subjugation.
That’s right.
When Uncle Fred and Aunt Suzie show up for Thanksgiving dinner, we absolutely should not ask our young girls to give them hugs as a matter of familial obligation.
By doing so, argue the Girl Scouts, we’re training them to submit to requests for affection which may engrain in them an unconscious vulnerability later in life to harassment, assault, and even rape.
So, no matter how close you are to family, no hugs for the girls. Got that?
Here’s more from Hotair…
The Girl Scouts of America have some sage advice for your family when you’re sitting down to eat some sage stuffing with your turkey. Prepare yourself, because this has nothing to do with cookies or merit badges.
Don’t force your kids (particularly the girls in this case) to hug their relatives during the holidays because you’ll be sending a bad message and indoctrinating them into the rape culture or something. And no… I’m not even kidding.
“Have you ever insisted, ‘Uncle just got here — go give him a big hug!’ or ‘Auntie gave you that nice toy, go give her a kiss’ when you were worried your child might not offer affection on her own? If yes, you might want to reconsider the urge to do that in the future.”
That’s the advice the Girl Scouts of America is giving to parents. The organization published a blog post this week arguing that forcing children to hug relatives and family friends during the holidays could muddy the waters when it comes to the notion of consent later in life.
The piece comes as some of the most powerful men in nearly every major industry — from Hollywood to journalism to politics — are being publicly called out for sexual harassment and assault.
Their memo was titled, “Reminder: She Doesn’t Owe Anyone a Hug. Not Even at the Holidays.”
