Joanna Minuzzo’s son loves to wear dresses. They are a part of a loving family of five, including his father and his two older sisters. Things between his mom and his sisters’ dad didn’t work out, but everything is amicable and he helps out. In fact, Joanna’s son calls him granddad, despite there being no relation. “But that’s another story,” she says. This is the story of why her son wore a dress on her wedding day.
To get this out of the way: it wasn’t to overshadow the bride. He wanted his mom to have a perfect day just as much as anyone else, but he also wanted to wear a dress.
It all started with Minnie Mouse. Joanna’s son loves playing with her six- and seven-year-old daughters and the trio get along really well. But, one day he really wanted to try on one of their Minnie Mouse dresses. Joanna eventually relented, wondering what harm it could do, and knowing it would make him happy. He loved wearing the dress, and the family had a good giggle.
Soon, he had Minnie Mouse t-shirts, trousers, and socks, as well as loving the dress. “He has no idea he is a boy yet,” Joanna explains. “And doesn’t bear the weight of society’s expectations. My biggest concern wasn’t anything to do with society, it was just that he would trip over something because the dress was quite long.”
He wore dresses around the house more and more often and Joanna didn’t see a problem with it.
When it came to her wedding day, Joanna bought her son a kilt, so he could be a part of her Scottish heritage. However, he was having none of it, nor the back-up suit they bought. They borrowed a dress at the last minute from a friend. As soon as he tried it on, he was happy again.
“The fact that my husband was helping our son into a dress made the moment even more special,” Joanna says. “You see, our beautiful sweet boy is 2. He doesn’t yet bear the weight of society’s expectations or gender roles. He doesn’t understand why he can’t wear what he wants, and to be honest, I couldn’t find a valid reason why he couldn’t wear a dress either! The last thing we wanted on the wedding day was to have a really unhappy toddler that was miserable and crying.”
Equally, the parents tell their daughters about what’s going on, and they aren’t bothered either. “I constantly talk to them about how everyone is different and being of a certain gender doesn’t define what you can and can’t wear or like. We actually just had a discussion yesterday about how girls can be strong and like to play with dinosaurs just as much as boys do.”
Kids don’t know about the stereotypes associated with genders, and these parents knew that a dress would make their son happy. A happy child will make their wedding day so much more special, so they went with it.
After all, his dress wasn’t hurting anyone, and it made him happy. That’s what really matters in a family.
Photos courtesy of Maria at Zen Photography.
