Saturday, August 2, 2008

Gigi



GIGI!
Do you remember Gigi?
Do you recall her colt-like enthusiasm,
Her awkward grace,
Her charming innocence?

Do you remember Tomboys?
Those girls, in 'our day',
Who were described as 'betwixt and between",
'All arms and legs',
'Little ugly ducklings'?
Do you recall their gangliness,
Their bony knees covered in bruises,
Their hair bobbed into a 'pudding-basin' shape?

Gigi blossomed.
That was what it was called in those days.
"Your Greta has certainly blossomed'
One mother would say to another.
And everyone knew what was meant.

In the fulness of time Gigi became a woman.
In the fulness of time our Tomboy became the toast of the town.

In the fulness of time……..

But now time has no fulness to arrive at.
That time between childhood and womanhood
Has been filled-in
In a sort of paint-by-numbers,
One-size-fits-all
Sort of way.

Our Tomboy sports painted toe-nails,
Gauzy 'bling',
Frothy tutus
And all the accessories required by today's
(heaven help us!)
'Tween'

Perky little bras adorn
Very non-perky little chests.

These young girls will blossom, too,
No doubt about it.
Eventually Nature will catch-up with fantasy.
But at what price?

There will be no hesitant little ballerina
Emerging from the wings,
Pristine, shiny, new.
There will be no universal gasp
At the transformation.

'Been there, done that.'

The eyes will be less wide,
The skin will be less dewy,
The breathlessness will be less thrilling.

And the tutu will be grubby and crumpled.

Come back, Gigi!
*

15 comments:

bobbie said...

I do agree. I think it is so sad that children are no longer allowed to remain children until they are ready "to blossom".

Bear Naked said...

I remember when my daughter was young and I made all her pretty little school dresses and dress up dresses.
She looked like a *little* girl.
Even her shorts sets for summer and her pant sets for fall and winter were styled for little girls.
Now I see what is being marketed for *children* and it makes me sad but also angry.

Bear((( )))

Kat said...

Tho' times are changing here too.... I still think girls are girlies over here..!!!

The poem's thought provoking.

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

My best friend named her daughter Gigi....

She's a girly girl and pretty much the cutest thing I've seen in a long time!

NanE said...

Great post today! Yes I remember Gigi and I can relate! I loved playing with my trucks and farm sets in the front yard, grubby and dirty. Kids need to be kids! TFS, Nan

Unknown said...

My paternal grandmother was called Gigi. Her real name was Gertrude and she really disliked it.

EG CameraGirl said...

Fortunately not ALL little girls in my village are allowed to act way too old for their age. I agree it's very sad - especially when parents actually encourage it.

Cheryl D. said...

That's what I love about my girl! She's definitely not one size fits all!

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

Wow! I really enjoyed this! I remember Gigi!

Unknown said...

Awww, now I really don't want my daughter to grow up. She's only 2 now but it feels like she's growing up way too fast. Before you know it, she'll be like Gigi in your poem. I hope that she stays childlike forever!

ellen b said...

Ahh...yes...come back Gigi!

Betty said...

Now they're all trying to blossom long before their time. Times have really changed.

Judie said...

I'm feelin' this! Excellent piece of writing.

Francisca said...

I was a tomboy and I agree today's girls are trying too hard to emulate Lady Gaga. :-)

Jenny said...

What a glorious gem of word-crafting!

I love your writing here and the poignant sentiment of your words.

This is a grand stop on our little journey through Alphabe-Thursday's letter "G".

Thanks for sharing it.

A+