Half-Baked Ideas: On Girls, Teeny Tiny Things, and Reading

Chestnut is interested in dollhouses. And I admit it: they are cool. There's something compelling about seeing the various things from regular life shrunk down to teeny, tiny size.

Here's what I don't understand: what is the link (if there is one) (and I think there is) between 1) being a girl, 2) passionately loving teeny tiny things, and 3) reading a certain type of book? I don't exactly mean Little Women (ouch! Sorry, too obvious), but, you know, old fashioned books. Here's what I'm talking about.

We went to the crazy dollhouse store on the upper east side. And we saw this:

Minibooks2

Or maybe you need more scale, and a clearer sense of what we are talking about:

Minilibrary

Yes: Old-fashioned books. And also—well, see for yourself.

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I don't want to get all gender-crazy on you, though of course that's sort of what this post is about, but the books, this whole scaled-down aesthetic in general, it all appeals to a certain kind of person. Or maybe I'm wrong? And yes, that is the world's tiniest hamster/guinea pig + cage up there. Because…because this is an obsessive's dream.

Minitable

But do you see up there? It all comes back to books, I really think it does.

Photo(8)

What gives? Is it…the desire for unreality that unites tiny things and books? Is it some vague cutesy aura that hovers over both? Is it about power, and girls think that to do whatever the hell they want they have to make it really, really tiny?

Or is just fun to take a trip to crazytown sometimes?

Photo(5)

Welcome to our alternate universe. Would you like a tiny banana? I will go off now to become a giant hand model

10 thoughts on “Half-Baked Ideas: On Girls, Teeny Tiny Things, and Reading

  1. When my oldest was younger, she was simultaneously in love with My Little Pony, Little People and Littlest Pet Shop and I cried tiny tears over the wee-ness of everything in my freakin’ house.
    I’m not sure that this answers your question or even really commiserates, but there you have it.

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  2. Oh yes yes yes. I have four girls, Tiny weeny little things just hit the spot for them. One of my girls in particular – the smaller the better and anything that is miniature is just so cool. I thought it was a kid thing generally until my friends with boys tell me no, boys do not want tiny things. I was surprised. And yes also to the old fashioned books -or old fashioned everything really. I remember being like this too as a kid -tiny things, old fashioned things. I don’t know why.

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  3. Truly he is a singular person, and perhaps loves stories and is just being messed with by the universe with the dyslexia. I believe he will find a way to inhabit stories fully despite it.
    And also, it’s just cool that he likes miniatures. I wonder if some Lego fascination is a culturally sanctioned boy miniature love?

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  4. Yes, he and his older brother (who hates miniatures and loves reading) both adored Legos when they were younger. Oliver also loved his fireman “doll” house — decorating it for Halloween and Christmas, especially — and all the Playmobil sets. He would set them up and just fiddle with them for hours.

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  5. Little boys like tiny things too, like tiny abandoned snail shells, rolly-polly bugs, the smallest lego pieces, newts, and paper “footballs” you can make with the take out wooden chopstick holders.
    LOL. Fun post Diamond.

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  6. I make peg dolls as a hobby business, and you maybe you would not be surprised at the amount of grown up ladies who whisper to me at craft shows, “I just love tiny things!” Maybe we never outgrow it!

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