The third annual International Princess Day will be held this Friday, December 8, 2006. Also known as "Wear Your Tiara to Work Day," International Princess Day is held each year to raise awareness of the thrills of being a girl, although you are not required to be one to participate. Princesses do not discriminate on the basis of gender.
The idea for IPD originated from the observation that qualities of the feminine were seen as negatives in certain arenas by both sexes. (Plus Princess Carol and I had birthdays within days of each other in December, so it was convenient.) It's always held the Friday before Dec. 11. This year, it falls on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Read anything you want into that.
It's a day to appreciate the things that are girlish, whether you like to wear pink, shop and eat chocolate, or can't stand any of those things. It's not intended to be another skirmish in the battle of the sexes, but it recognizes that there is tension between the masculine and feminine and devaluing the characteristics of one is bad for both. IPD recognizes that to be equal doesn't mean we have to be the same.
To that end, celebrate International Princess Day with any activities, actions, purchases, indulgences or thoughts that let you enjoy being female. While no "attitude" is intended or implied, you are certainly free to have one.
If you like to shop, do it. Or stay home and take an afternoon nap.
Ask for a raise. Tell someone no. Kick someone's ass at racquetball.
Make a fabulous dinner. Go out to dinner. Skip dinner and go straight
to dessert. Show some cleavage. Seduce your husband. Take a bubble
bath. Buy a box of Godiva and don't share. Or do. It's all up to you.
We highly recommend wearing tiaras all day or at least at breakfast. It does wonders. Every year, the number of tiara-wearing women at work during the cake-eating ceremony has grown steadily. Colors of the day are black and pink, but are not required by any means.
IPD festivities at our place of employment will be centered around this year's pirate princess theme of "We put the aaarh in tiara," a fine addition to the themes of earlier years: "We rule so you don't have to" (2004) and, a personal favorite, "Be a royal pain in the ass" (2005). T-shirts are available at GuerrillaMuse, (yes, this is a display of shameless self-promotion, although you can't get them shipped by Friday so really it's not that bad of a self-promotion. Not really.)
Enjoy and get ready: Next year we're going global.
Ha! That logo is perfect.
I happen to have a tiara, I do.
Posted by: Joan | Wednesday, December 06, 2006 at 23:03
I have a 'birthday girl' tiara, but can't find it. Damn.
Posted by: Pam | Thursday, December 07, 2006 at 21:38
International Princess Day was a total success in my math classrooms on Friday! I put a small message on the board Thursday, and then completely forgot to bring my own tiara to school on Friday. Alas, I felt bereft! And several students in my first period class said, "Ms. Adams, where is your tiara?" They were sporting their own, and were definitely upset that I had done that adult thing of forgetting. They promptly found some construction paper and made me a "Math Princess" tiara, with hand colored stones of great size and proportion. Paper tiara's became the fashion of the day as the word spread, and tiara's could be seen all over school in every shape and color. Next year, maybe I'll remember to bring my borrowed tiara from Hannah. Or maybe, I'll just make another paper one. Thanks for keeping me up to date on the important date!
Posted by: Dawn | Sunday, December 10, 2006 at 15:21
awesome! dawn gest the prize so far for most participants.
Posted by: Janet Edens | Sunday, December 10, 2006 at 17:14