Slumber Parties

Thyme to Chat

Did you know the original Slumber Party Barbie came with a scale and diet book?

Obviously the size of our body should be top of mind when we begin to explore our personal independence and foundational friendships.

In this conversation, Rose and Kamea wonder if a sleepover is a rite of passage or an early experience that results in deep insecurities.

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The Fantasy

Over the generations slumber party shenanigans have been one of the main spaces where we can see depictions of female friendship and mentorship in film.

Consider this scene in the cult classic Grease:

Or this one from the Princess Diaries:

While these frequently don’t pass the Bechdel test, they do provide space for female characters to speak to each other and try on different social roles. In some cases this can be supportive and lovely, in others we see toxic internalized misogyny or diet culture seep into girls role play.

The fantasy of what occurs at slumber parties extends well beyond the wholesome depiction we were fed as children. To many there is something erotic about catching a young feme in a vulnerable place. Slumber parties provide a situation in which the viewer does a bit of the emotional labor to imagine the girls in isolation. Therefore it continues to frequent the storylines of phonographic material as well as horror and slasher films.

The Slumber Party Massacre mentioned in the episode does in fact pass the Bechdel Test, and even though all the women end up dead, it is considered to be a feminist leaning slasher.

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A Vulnerable Age

The prime slumber party ages are during those ripe stages of puberty when we are starting to explore our independence. Depending on who you are surrounded by you might be peer pressured into activities or even actively hating your body. Consider this scene from Mean Girls:

It is nauseating that the average age of a girl going on a diet is just eight years old. This scans with both of your hosts lived experiences of choosing to diet around the age of 10. Did this sh*t come up at sleep overs? Absolutely.

Trying on the Occult

Bloody mary, bloody mary, bloody…

Light as A feather stiff as a board, ouija boards, and divination games. Slumber parties are a space where young folk test their bravery and power through “games”. Again, the energy of these spaces drastically changes based on your friends and your family’s relationship to spirituality or demonic ideas. When adolescence is raging, these rituals are used as spaces to try on different social roles.

Who is the sceptic and who flickers the lights to make the others scream? Who pulls out the Ouija board?

Tell us about your slumber party memories in the comments!

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