The dinner made me remember this letter

5 years ago when Della was 5 she read a kids book about the Olympic Games. It was illustrated with sports men and women. But the total was about 350 men and maybe 8 women. Later in the evening we also read some other books and it was about the same. This made Della very angry. She asked me
– Who runs this country? The king?

I told her it was the prime minister – Fredrik Reinfeldt at the time. She told me she wanted to write a letter to him.  Sure thang baby girl. I helped her post it.

This was what she wrote:
Hello Fredrik
I’ve read lots of books where there where many guys. It should be as many girls as boys.
Bye from Della McAllister

About a month later she got this answer:

Hi Della,
Thank you for your letter and your nice drawing.
I’m glad to hear that you enjoy to read, I also like to read books. I do understand that you want to read books about both girls and boys.

We, the government don’t write books and we can’t decide what people want to write about. In both the bookshops and at the library there are many different books. I recommend you to go with your parents and ask the staff about a book that you specifically, could enjoy.

I hope you will have a nice autumn.

Yours sincerely
Fredrik Reinfeldt.

Della at the time with her letter in hand.

I am happy he answered and I am happy that she got happy.
But I have to say that even if her letter was a bit vague he kind of dodged the bigger picture, the meaning of it. I would have loved if he wrote something about that they are working hard for an equal society –  for all people or something about that.
He can’t know we are going to both the library and the book stores a lot but he should know that it doesn’t really help since it’s the reality out there.
Girls are outnumbered – in media, in books, in boards etc. – it is just the way it is.
But it doesn’t have to be that way!
This was in 2012 but it’s still about the same out there!

But yay for her commitment.

xxx
Isabelle