Hong Kong actress and Cantopop singer Miriam Yeung has revealed in a video that she discourages her son’s admiration of Disney princesses, such as Elsa from Frozen.
“Whenever he expresses his liking of Elsa, I scold him,” she says in the video. “He is a boy, why play with an Elsa toy?”
Yeung says her son likes playing with kitchen toys and is worried he might even start liking the colour pink.
“I find that strange. Won’t such play turn him into a sissy?”
Miriam Yeung has since apologised and changed her stance. Source: Flickr
King Jer, a popular Facebook page shared the video and questioned Yeung’s approach to parenting.
“2020 is approaching, it is difficult to imagine that only girls can like the colour pink. Such stereotypes are so outdated. More difficult to imagine is that Miriam Yeung has so many LGBT friends and fans. Yet she still carries such idea…”
However, a number of commenters agreed with Yeung.
One Facebook user wrote: “We should not blame the parents. If your kids becomes gay, they would be discriminated against and your friends and family would stay away from you. You won’t be happy. Life becomes difficult.”
Another said: “It is natural for parents to have expectations for their children, why should we criticise them for that?”
In response to the video going viral, Yeung eventually posted an apology on Facebook, saying that she’s changed her perspective.
“Eventually I allowed him to choose and tried to understand his world. And because he likes Elsa, he gets to know all the stories about princesses and develops an interest in reading," she said, adding: "We don’t have to worry too much. They eventually have their own ways. Whether comments are positive or negative, they are all reminders. Sorry that this old interview has upset many."
She concluded: "Being a parent is not easy, it is a life-long endeavour and I am still learning. It is a happy experience and I am thankful. Let’s support each other and work this out together.”
