Little Confection

My mom sent this silk bubble thingy after she took a trip to Neiman Marcus in Dallas, where she had once modeled back when department stores had their own models. I don't even want to know what it cost. I assure you it's the only thing from Needless Markup my daughter will own while she's still growing, if only because those NM bastards won't take Visa or Mastercard.

I actually love this little number and will probably frame it as a keepsake, but I'm struck by how much it looks like a wedding dress. Indeed, most special-occasion little girl dresses mimic wedding dresses. My first communion dress and the dresses worn by my peers were all little white knee-length confections, gloves optional, veil not optional.

The ideology behind the western female-in-white convention intrigues me. Is it supposed to signal purity? Virginity? Innocence? Surrender? Does a baby really need to prove she possesses these attributes?

I've read that white is the color of mourning in China. So here's the real question: is my baby dressed for an American wedding or a Chinese funeral?