Who's Afraid of Hannah Montana? . . .

. . . besides me? I have seen enough of the merchandise in Target, and heard enough rumors from the front lines, to know that Barbie-Fairy-Aurora-Montana is stalking our kindergarten-aged girl children. I thought that I could buy Lola a few items from the Disney pantheon without converting her to the religion, but she fixates on these items to such a degree that I am going to have to hide Disney's Polite as a Princess Book and one (the blonder) of her two Barbies. She hauled out all these trappings when guests came to visit on Sunday (including her fairy costume and Mardi Gras necklace). I don't mind her showing off her gender signs: I just don't want her to think her gender is synonymous with superficial luxury and idle passivity.--More later, K