Press and media
Why Do We Still Have ‘Girl Stuff’ and ‘Boy Stuff’?
Lisa Selin Davis, the author of “Tomboy,” discusses the hyper-gendering of American childhood
New York times
‘Tomboy’ Looks at Gender Roles, and Role-Playing, Through the Ages
In “Tomboy,” the author Lisa Selin Davis leverages a familiar term to take a comprehensive look at gender performance in girls.
PEOPLE magazine
New in Non-fiction/best new books
When her daughter announced she was a tomboy, Davis began exploring the term’s history and evolving meaning. An intriguing look at culture’s influence on gender and identity.
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
When Lisa Selin Davis’s preschooler wanted to wear track pants and cut her hair short, Lisa was supportive. But other people were confused. One kid referred to her as a tomboy, and as the years went on well-meaning grown- ups asked if Lisa’s daughter used pronouns other than “she” and “her” and if she wanted to use the boys’ locker room. While Lisa appreciated the adults’ kindness and didn’t take issue with the tomboy moniker, she did wonder why her little girl needed any label at all.
CNN
Not just for tomboys (and their parents): Kids and gender roles
Learning how to talk to her child about gender issues and how to leave room for a variety of identities to develop led Davis to write "Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different," which not only explores how tomboys fit into our evolving understandings of gender identity and expression but also "how and why we've ordered the world by gender, and who benefits.”
CBC Day 6
So long, tomboy: Why the popular '70s label has faded from use
In her new book Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different, author Lisa Selin Davis traces the controversial term from its rise in 1970s pop culture through to the present day and asks whether it still has a place in our modern lexicon.
Huffington Post
Why This School Year Is An Ideal Time To Help Your Kids Unlearn Gender Bias
Many kids won't face a "normal" school year, so it's a great opportunity to tackle the false pink/blue divide.
C-SPAN BOOK TV
Journalist Lisa Selin Davis offered her thoughts on gender categories. This virtual event was hosted by Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont.
WAMC northeast public radio: THE ROUNDTABLE
The Surprising History And Future Of Girls Who Dare To Be Different
How To Talk To Kids About Anything with Dr. Robyn Silverman
How to Talk to Kids about Gender and Identity with Lisa Selin Davis
This podcast will focus on gender and identity. What it means to be a tomboy in 2020? How is kids’ concept of gender formed? Lisa Selin Davis and Dr. Robyn Silverman discuss “boy territory,” “girl territory,” and what happens when the boundaries get blurred.
COOL Mom PICKS’ SPAWNED PODCAST
So about those gender reveal parties… and other things parents need to know about gender stereotypes
With gender reveal parties on our minds, we were so glad to chat with author Lisa Selin Davis about gender stereotypes and what parents need to do to start to changing them, all of which she talks about in her new book, Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different. This is such an important, timely topic, and one that we’ve been invested in at Cool Mom Picks since we started. We hope you find it as enthralling and valuable as we did.
What She Said! with Candace Sampson
As I record this the El Dorado fire in California has burned over 14,000 acres. Aside from the sheer horror Californians are facing right now, it’s even more insane to think that this particular fire was started by a gender reveal party, crazier still, it’s not the first time. You can’t help but shake your head and ask “why are we so obsessed with gender”? Maybe it’s time to examine not just the damage we’re doing to our planet but to our children by fixating on it. When my next guest’s daughter came home and declared herself a “tomboy”, she didn’t just question what that word meant, but felt compelled to find out where it came from and how it’s evolved over they years and that deep-dive into one word has led to her book Tomboy that explores the gender spectrum and offers us all incredible insight into how we can do better for our children. Meet Lisa Selin-Davis.
MS. Magazine
The Ms. Q&A: What Does it Mean to be a Tomboy?
Two books that interrogate tomboys—one personal, about the experience of being one; the other reported, about the psychology, biology and culture behind tomboyism—are both being published in August. The authors interview each other for Ms. Magazine, July 2020
Publishers weekly
Beyond Pink and Blue: PW Talks with Lisa Selin Davis
Davis explores the boy-girl divide in Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different. March 2020
Maisonette
Author Lisa Selin Davis on “Tomboy”
Ariel Foxman interviews Lisa Selin Davis on her new book and what parents can do to counter harmful messages about gender.
Book and Film Globe
Where Have All The Tomboys Gone?
Journalist Lisa Selin Davis rehabilitates a vanishing term for a certain type of girl.
NEW BOOKS NETWORK
Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different
If these ovaries could talk
Lisa Selin Davis joins us to talk about the evolution of Tomboyism, the construct of gender and being served pink and blue by Amazon from a very young age.
AFTERELLEN podcast
On this week’s podcast we spoke with Lisa Selin Davis, the author of Tomboy, a book that examines the rise and fall of gender nonconformity in girls. It used to be that tomboys, little girls who roughhoused, played outside, were bold and brave were common. But nowadays the pink and blue boxes children are shuffled into are more restrictive than ever. We spoke about why waves of feminism are met with backlash, and how this backlash manifests in stricter gender roles for children. Davis points out that during periods of successful feminist activism, we see far greater social acceptance for boys and girls to play with each other, and with toys or in activities that are traditionally associated more with one sex than the other.
STEPPING INTO TRUTH: Talking Tomboys, Racism, and Busting Gender Norms with Lisa Selin Davis
One of the joys of childhood for a lot of girls, me included, was being a tomboy when I was a child. I ran around with a pack of boys and girls and we played with abandon. Does this sound familiar? Was that you or a friend of yours? In this episode I speak with author Lisa Selin Davis. Selin Davis has written a book that not only looks at the general idea of being a tomboy but also at the deep racism that lies at the heart of the 19th century practice of encouraging girls to be tomboys. Tomboy-ism isn't just a way of being in the world, it has implications that underpin our society as a whole and the dynamics that define our understanding of gender roles. If you have were a tomboy, have one in your life, or are curious about how racism and tomboy-ism are connected, have a listen. It's fascinating...
What she said! Radio
Women Demand a Seat at The Table, Zoom Fatigue, And a Introduction to Energy Management
Lisa Selin Davis shares her thoughts on Zoom wearing down women's self-confidence on What She Said! with Candace Sampson
engendered podcast
Lisa Selin Davis on her book, "Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different"
We speak to Lisa today about the history and evolution of the term “tomboy” and its response to a gender-binary culture.
VIRGIN.BEAUTY.B!TCH PODCAST
Lisa Selin Davis, author of TOMBOY: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to Be Different!
ALWAYS WITH a book/leslie lindsay
A thorough and engrossing sociological, historical, and psychological examination and the antiquated term ‘tomboy,’ an imagined future for children who defy categories, and so much more.
DAILY BEAST
Once Upon a Time There Were No Toys for Boys and Toys for Girls
The pink and blue divide is only about a century old. But as effective as it is to sell toys to kids based on gender stereotypes, it’s not actually good for kids.
medium/gen
Proud That Your Daughter Bailed on Pink Princess Dresses? Maybe Don’t Be
A six-year-old girl declaring her hatred of pink has basically internalized sexism