Some people say they’ll boycott The Wiggles over Emma’s recent update
On Saturday Emma Wiggle posted a very cute update featuring her ex-husband Lachy – and it’s started a heated debate.
Bows for all!
Emma posted a photo of Lachy wearing a bow in his hair and holding up a handmade poster that reads, “Boys can be Emma!”
The image was a sweet shout-out to the huge number of little Emma fans who are boys. Everyone has their Wiggles favourite (sometimes more than one, even!) and small children tend to have affection for the popular entertainers for their own unique reasons. Perhaps it’s their friendly nature or the way they sing or the colour they wear or how they dance.
What they don’t tend to do is factor gender into their Wiggles admiration.
Emma and Lachy were keen to give the boys who love Emma a special mention, and encourage them to live their bow and tutu dreams.
“This is EPIC”
Lots of grown-up Wiggles fans and parents loved this.
“Yes, love this! 🙌 Kids can be anything they want!” one follower posted.
“The little 2-year-old boy I nanny will not leave the house to go to ballet unless he has his Emma dress on,” one woman wrote. “It’s his favourite thing in the whole world and he would wear it every day if he could!”
“Yes, they can! My son loves wearing his ‘bow bow’” another mum posted.
“Just got my Emma-crazed boy Emma slippers and he’s so happy!!” someone else commented.
“No more Wiggles for my baby”
But not everyone was happy about Emma’s update. A lot of people thought that boys dressing as Emma pushed a political agenda and was corrupting innocent children. They seemed to think bows and dresses were dangerous and had the power to determine sexuality.
“What?! Farewell Wiggles, it’s been fun, but no. Boys can’t be Emma,” one posted.
“No more Wiggles for my baby, I can’t believe, they are babies no adults!!! What wrong with you???” another follower wrote.
“Umm… sorry, no they can’t. It’s called biology,” someone else commented. (Ummm … sorry it’s called imagination actually, Karen.)
“This is how it starts”
“I have nothing against the LGBT community but plz plz don’t bring it into kids shows,” someone else wrote. “God my baby watch and love the Wiggles. Too young to be exposed to this just saying cause that’s how it starts.”
That’s how it starts?! Gosh nope.
Children explore the world and express themselves in so many different ways. A little boy loving and wanting to dress like Emma Wiggle is a testament to what a brilliant role model she is. A little girl loving and dressing like Lachy Wiggle is a testament to what a brilliant role model he is.
Some high-profile types rushed to support Emma and The Wiggles in the wake of this criticism.
“Emma darling, this is EPIC,” entertainer Em Rusciano posted. “Ignore any small and scared minds that come your way. It’s truly them and not you.”
“My son adores you, Emma,” author Clementine Ford wrote. “And I’m grateful he feels safe and confident to want to be just like you, even though there are so many ignorant, terrified people in the world who want to keep men locked up in a tiny box of rigid expression. Thank goodness for you and Lachy.”
“Yes! Being a mum of a boy and a girl it frustrates me to see the hypocrisy of it all,” someone else posted. “It’s totally ‘acceptable’ when my daughter dresses up as something stereotypically male, but people lose their mind when my son dresses up as something stereotypically female. Who cares! They are PLAYING! Which is important for their development.”
And honestly? Teaching boys to respect and emulate women they admire seems like a bloody brilliant idea. Boys can be Emma. Boys SHOULD be Emma, even.
