Shiloh Jolie Pitt is stealing my look.
It’s true. Normally, we average people latch on to celebrity styles. But this “celeb tot,” as the magazines call them, is clearly following mine.
Shiloh is Brad and Angelina’s daughter, but, like I did at that age, she looks more like a son.
Poor kid gets so much shit from the press. I’m glad I wasn’t a tabloid figure, because I had the same gender-bending summer look: a Lord Fauntleroy bowl cut and boys’ swim trunks. No top. According to Angelina, that’s “Montenegro style.” I’m not sure what that means, but when I was coming up, it was called “girl dressed like boy.”
It’s different from “tomboy,” which to me means a girl who climbs trees and doesn’t like skirts, but who has long, pretty pigtails to indicate she’s a female and potentially a future fashion model. There was no tom- to my boy style.
The height of my boy-ness was around age six, judging from these photos. (Captions provided by my sister.)
I’m sure my mom had something to do with this life choice.
She wouldn’t let me play with Barbies, because they reenforced gender stereotypes and encouraged a prissy, girly-girl sensibility. Mission accomplished, Mom.
I played with trucks, collected rocks, and skateboarded – until one day I got a fat lip going down the big hill in the park, and then had the board stolen from under my arm by some teenage thug.
At that age when boys only hang out with boys and girls with girls, I opted for boys. I remember my friend Roddy planning his seventh birthday party. He announced, “No girls allowed. Only boys. And Laura.”
My shameless copycat sister, who Single White Female’d me in every other regard – from ordering the same ice cream flavor to changing her name to Laura – drew the line at going butch. She was like: “No thanks, I’ll do my own thing on this one.” She wore lots of pink and purple, took ballet, and played with Barbies. Mom must have decided stereotypes were OK for her.
Turns out I was just boy-curious.
Guess it was only a phase, because I switched back to girl. I don’t know exactly when, but I remember a turning point. At a community pool, some boy I was playing with had a long, plastic pirate sword (see Shiloh, above). Because he owned the sword, he got to be the pirate and I was the captive. He swung his weapon in a vertical arc right past my bare chest and growled, “Yargh. I’m gonna cut yer titties off.”
My titties? I didn’t have any, but I think I decided I didn’t want my non-titties showing anymore. I switched to one-piece bathing suits (the girl kind) and thus began my transition. Within a few years, I was showing up for Passover seder in a frilly Gunne Sax dress.
Watch: Shiloh will probably inspire a global trend. Little girls everywhere will be sporting Montenegro Style. In case that happens, just remember: I did it before it was cool.
You made some nice points there. I looked on the internet for the subject and found most individuals will go along with with your blog.
titties is so seventies, I love it. Had headlice in third grade and got a JT (sadly, that would be John Travolta ca. SNF not WBK). To say that I was a tom-boy, who then looked like a boy is pretty accurate. Was once trying to shoplift roll-on lipgloss at Goodman's (Ocean Beach's long-closed pharmacy) – where my mom should have taken the time to buy the lice shampoo instead going straight for the jugular come to think of it! – and the crotchitty eponymous owner busted me and my friend Sandy (who also had short locks). He called us “bad little boys” and ripped us new ones. Had to get my Bazooka Joe's at Kline's for the rest of the summer, I was so mortified.
Oh, but you were girly on the inside – otherwise, instead of shoplifting lip gloss you would've been boosting Transformers or something. That's what I would have stolen if they hadn't been in the locked case at Menash.
titties is so seventies, I love it. Had headlice in third grade and got a JT (sadly, that would be John Travolta ca. SNF not WBK). To say that I was a tom-boy, who then looked like a boy is pretty accurate. Was once trying to shoplift roll-on lipgloss at Goodman’s (Ocean Beach’s long-closed pharmacy) – where my mom should have taken the time to buy the lice shampoo instead going straight for the jugular come to think of it! – and the crotchitty eponymous owner busted me and my friend Sandy (who also had short locks). He called us “bad little boys” and ripped us new ones. Had to get my Bazooka Joe’s at Kline’s for the rest of the summer, I was so mortified.
Oh, but you were girly on the inside – otherwise, instead of shoplifting lip gloss you would’ve been boosting Transformers or something. That’s what I would have stolen if they hadn’t been in the locked case at Menash.
True, I may have Single White Female’d you at Friendly’s, but you Single White Male’d both our cousin and our neighbor (both named Tom, strangely). How many times did YOU see Star Wars?
Re: Passover picture– Were you showing a preference for femininity, or did you want to be wearing your best dress when got buried alive under the file cabinet?
Did you see me putting up a sign on our door that said “Chien Bizarre”? I had a mind of my own, thank you very much.
Passover pic: the answer is, both. I wanted to be at my most feminine when I met my maker (and Elijah).
Your sister's captions are hilarious. Almost as funny as you accusing her of “Single White Female”-ing you at every turn. I'm STILL giggling about that.
That's part of an album my sister made for my birthday, and it's probably the funniest thing in existence. She is hilarious. There's one that says, “if there's a diaper is it still called camel toe?”
True, I may have Single White Female'd you at Friendly's, but you Single White Male'd both our cousin and our neighbor (both named Tom, strangely). How many times did YOU see Star Wars?
Re: Passover picture– Were you showing a preference for femininity, or did you want to be wearing your best dress when got buried alive under the file cabinet?
Did you see me putting up a sign on our door that said “Chien Bizarre”? I had a mind of my own, thank you very much.
Passover pic: the answer is, both. I wanted to be at my most feminine when I met my maker (and Elijah).
Your sister’s captions are hilarious. Almost as funny as you accusing her of “Single White Female”-ing you at every turn. I’m STILL giggling about that.
That’s part of an album my sister made for my birthday, and it’s probably the funniest thing in existence. She is hilarious. There’s one that says, “if there’s a diaper is it still called camel toe?”
OMG! I am happy you said it cause I have been thinking it. She is not tomboy. For me I was and still am a tomboy princess. This little one is on the fence and feeling it a bit like Cher's kid – no offense that may be totally off but feel I am in a safe place. this is my first time on your blog – Marie Forleo led me to it and happy I stopped by I totally got a laugh.
Exactly. That's no tomboy. She could be a Chaz – but it could also be a phase, or she could just be her own alternative thing. So glad you swung by the blog, Hillary! Thanks for reading (and better yet, commenting. I am a slut for comments).
OMG! I am happy you said it cause I have been thinking it. She is not tomboy. For me I was and still am a tomboy princess. This little one is on the fence and feeling it a bit like Cher’s kid – no offense that may be totally off but feel I am in a safe place. this is my first time on your blog – Marie Forleo led me to it and happy I stopped by I totally got a laugh.
Exactly. That’s no tomboy. She could be a Chaz – but it could also be a phase, or she could just be her own alternative thing. So glad you swung by the blog, Hillary! Thanks for reading (and better yet, commenting. I am a slut for comments).
Laura, I'm guessing our moms had similar parenting styles. No barbies – check. No pretty little girl outfits – check. I too ran around with a short bowl cut (although mine was frizzy, making it even more unattractive) and no tops. In my nursery school photo, you would peg me for a boy, if you had to place bets. Free to Be You and Me – check. I loved my “freedom” but at a certain point I rebelled and became obssessed with Guess jeans and legwarmers. Sigh. My daughter LOVES Barbies – I didn't want to let any in the house but she won. Is there hope for her??
Ellen, that’s so funny. I think there are more girly-girls than ever now, because of TV and marketing and whatnot. When I was a kid, there were only a couple of kids’ shows to watch and they weren’t geared towards just boys or just girls. So the advertising was aimed at boys AND girls. Now, with cable, they can create programming – or whole networks – geared to one or the other. And then the girls just see princessy stuff, and the boys see whatever boys see. Way fewer tomboys/ girl-boys out there these days, from what I’ve seen.
Laura, I'm guessing our moms had similar parenting styles. No barbies – check. No pretty little girl outfits – check. I too ran around with a short bowl cut (although mine was frizzy, making it even more unattractive) and no tops. In my nursery school photo, you would peg me for a boy, if you had to place bets. Free to Be You and Me – check. I loved my “freedom” but at a certain point I rebelled and became obssessed with Guess jeans and legwarmers. Sigh. My daughter LOVES Barbies – I didn't want to let any in the house but she won. Is there hope for her??
Laura, I’m guessing our moms had similar parenting styles. No barbies – check. No pretty little girl outfits – check. I too ran around with a short bowl cut (although mine was frizzy, making it even more unattractive) and no tops. In my nursery school photo, you would peg me for a boy, if you had to place bets. Free to Be You and Me – check. I loved my “freedom” but at a certain point I rebelled and became obssessed with Guess jeans and legwarmers. Sigh. My daughter LOVES Barbies – I didn’t want to let any in the house but she won. Is there hope for her??
That is too funny! As I was waiting for the link to your post to load I thought about poor, hapless Shiloh, then Voila! there s/he was. I guess there's hope, as you reconciled your male-female gig just fine.
I say, go Shiloh. Even if she sticks with the boy thing. Plus, Angelina can probably glam the press into adopting the term “Montenegro style.”
That is too funny! As I was waiting for the link to your post to load I thought about poor, hapless Shiloh, then Voila! there s/he was. I guess there’s hope, as you reconciled your male-female gig just fine.
I say, go Shiloh. Even if she sticks with the boy thing. Plus, Angelina can probably glam the press into adopting the term “Montenegro style.”