Love this thread. I too don't like the 'pinkification' or 'princessification' (not sure those are words but ykwim) of girls. It's just so reductive and unhelpful. We tend not to buy princess / fairy type books, but have got a few sticker dress up books. Where, btw, all the girls are doing is having a picnic / party / dressing up! Grrrr. Re Cinderella, it absolutely sends out the uncomfortable messages. However I have more of a problem with the fact that most protagonists in children's books are male. Even when the story is about four animals. It sends out the overwhelming message that girls just aren't that important. And of course when there is a girl she's often doing something "girly". When we read books to my 3 year old and there's a boy protagonist we change the gender, so in our house A Dark and Stormy Night is about a brave girl called Antonia (rather than Antonio as written). Easier with older books where boys look like girls in the illustrations - eg Christopher Robin! If anyone's on twitter, there's a great project called @everydaysexism and there are lots of examples of very young girls (as reported by their mothers/sisters etc) attributing negative stereotypes - passive, incapable - to themselves as girls.