Friday 17 October 2008

The Eye of the Beholder

It is Friday so La Fille brought home her school book to do her "homework" - a drawing, picture or collage - over the weekend. In it were photocopies of photographs of children in different classes. La Fille is there. She is pictured without her glasses.

I ask her why she is not wearing her glasses. I have spent two years impressing on her how important it is to wear her glasses. She always wears them. She is not wearing them in the photo. She umms and ahhs, as she does whenever asked about school. Then she says "they" - she has sensed the tension in my voice and will not say who - told her she would be "plus belle sans lunettes" - prettier without glasses.

I am speechless, and believe me, that is rare.

8 comments:

Dumdad said...

you, speechless, rare? The words moon, in, once and blue jump to mind...

...but what a bloody silly thing to tell a little girl.

Waffle said...

You must be livid. Here's hoping it's another child and not a member of staff!
Poor fille; she's gorgeous with her glasses. Us spectacle wearers must stick together.

bonnie-ann black said...

poor enfant!

i really thought we had gotten beyond all that sort of thing. i forget, i suppose, how vicious and cruel school can be.

show your daughter pictures of very cool people wearing glasses -- that's the best way to get around that. when i was in paris, and england too, all the hipster were wearing what the Doctor refers to as "brainy specs."

i remember getting my first pair of glasses at six, and i never cared once what i looked like in them because i could *see*! (i'm very nearsighted even now and wouldn't trade my specs for anything.)

Penni Russon said...

How infuriating! And it sounds more like something a grown up would say than another little kid. Which is even worse.

The fact that she does look gorgeous in her glasses (which she does) is kind of beside the point - being a kid shouldn't be about being beautiful or pretty. It should be about being a kid.

Irene said...

That's definitely a very misguided grown up who told her that and it is very wrong. You should officially complain and make sure it doesn't happen again. What does La Fille think about her glasses now. Is she feeling ugly with them on? I have not seen a picture of her, but whether or not she wears glasses should have nothing to do with her obvious charm.

mimbles said...

Ye gods! I'd be furious. I hope there's no lasting effect on La Fille's feelings about her glasses. Will you try and find out who said it?

Iota said...

I'd be furious too.

Paradise Lost In Translation said...

Poor thing, I can so relate to this. I used to wear dark brown national health glasses (not much choice back in the late 70s when I started wearing them.) Boys used to say to me "girls with specs get no sex" Humiliating.
Have linked you on my blog. I enjoy reading about your take on events at the so called 'civilised end of Europe'.......