To think that the ELC should realise that some nurses are male. And some doctors are female. And some men dance ballet. And some women engage in piracy on the high seas. Etc.

[missedith01]

"For the little princess in the family we have great feminine outfits like Butterfly Fairy, Sleeping Beauty, Ballerina and Nurse?s uniform. Why not add a medical case for that extra touch of authenticity.

The boys are catered for too, with great Doctor, Policeman & Fireman uniforms, not to mention fantastic Pirate and Knight costumes. All these can be combined with a range of accessories so your child will really look the part."

www.elc.co.uk/children%27s-dressing-up-outfits/5540,default,sc.html

[AnitaBush]

ROFL at "some women engage in piracy on the high seas."





"sistuuuuuuurs are doin it for themselves!"

[missedith01]

I mean, really ... did Keira Knightly stuff her bra for NOTHING!

[tabouleh]

YANBU - let these people know - they can probably get it changed!

[caramelwaffle]

Yanbu

[chocolatefroggie]

It's not like girls being a dr's or policewomen or pirates are a new thing - did elc entirely miss the 2nd half of the 20th century!

[JaneS]

'I mean, really ... did Keira Knightly stuff her bra for NOTHING!'

And that's a phrase I feel should be used more in casual feminist conversation. Nice one.

[BitOfFun]

The ELC used to advertise itself as anti-gender stereotyping, didn't it?

[ItsGraceActually]

FFS. They claim to be an authority on healthy learning? YANBU!

Sent just now:
"I'm surprised you haven't yet realised that Nurses may be male, Police may be female and so on.

My attention was drawn to this issue by Mumsnet; www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1010878-To-think-that-the-ELC-should-realise-tha t-some-nurses

Hope you will address your absurdly out-of-date, gender-stereotyped approach to your dressing-up outfits.

Regards,
Grace."

Hint: visit the elc website; there's an Email Us button at the bottom right.

Do I get today's Award for Most Hyphens In One Sentence?

[missedith01]

tabouleh Oh, I think they know ...
pinkstinks.wordpress.com/2009/11/29/early-learning-centre-emergency-learning-emergency-by-may-carola n/

[auntpolly]

My DD's doctor's coat (and matching accessories) is from the ELC, I didn't realise it was meant for boys... oops.

[tabouleh]

missedith01 - yes I know pinkstinks have campaigned about ELC but I wondered if they had specifically covered that wording on the website re dressing up clothes:

"In the stores there are no labels explicitly stating that some toys are for ?boys? and others for ?girls?, but walk through the doors and immediately the swathes of pastel pink all along one side clearly signpost to a child what?s for them and what isn?t. Girls go one way, boys another ? without even thinking about it."

So the website is even worse because it does separate out boys and girls!

[TrillianAstra]

Mix them up a bit in the aisles so there isn't obviously a boys area and a girls area? Simples.

[Beveridge]

Before I had DD, I had assumed that ELC were a 'progressive' type of toy shop but sadly I have since learned I was totally wrong.

Unless they were quite forward thinking once, and then sold out?

I visibly recoil at the pink versions they stock of just about everything, where is the NEED for this???!

[AlaskaNebraska]

they USED to be VERY avant guard with adressing gender sterotyping iirc

[NonnoMum]

And it isn't just the dressing up clothes with kids' toys. Even buying bikes and things are dreadfully gender-specific. You can get a Barbie-pink bike, or Camouflage colours. I just want to buy a red bike. Or blue. Or yellow.

[Beveridge]

Altinkum, you're missing the point. A pink doctors coat would completely defeat the purpose - have you seen a real doctor in a pink coat???!

A doctors coat needs only to be advertised for a child who would like to pretend to be a doctor. End of.

And even though you might not lavish your child with material possessions, other parents do and so unless you homeschool on St. Kilda, your children will be exposed to gender stereotyping from other children to at least some degree.

And no, a few toys will not dissuade a focused, determined child away from what they want to do, but what if the subconscious message that girls are only meant to be pretty and passive actually influences what they DO want to do in the first place?

[Jacksmybaby]

I presume, with things like bikes, it's to make sure you "can't" buy one gender-neutral-coloured bike for e.g. your DS and then later use it for your younger DD - you "have" to go back and buy a second bike.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Jack I'm sure that's the reason, but it's bloody madness. ELC are about the worst for this that I've noticed.

The pink globe really was the end.

[TheCrackFox]

When I first had DS1 (9yrs) the ELC were OK. It is only in the past 5 yrs that they have started with all this pink nonsense.

[PatsyStone]

Yanbu. I'm sure it has been complained about before, I'm surprised it's still there. I despair at this kind of stereotyping, I don't have a "little princess". I do have a dd though, who wants to be a policewoman. It doesn't stop me buying whatever I want to buy for my dc and I never buy the pink option but my heart sinks whenever I see that kind of backwards old fashioned crap.

[MathsMadMummy]

YANBU.

what I don't get is, why are the pink toys entirely pink, but the 'boys' ones are often blue, green and red? much nicer! I generally get the latter, although if only the pink is available then so be it (DD has the pink cash register)

I don't see the harm in pink itself - as on another thread a few weeks back, somebody pointed out pink itself is not the problem! for me it's more the fact that the girls things are all samey and the boys things are varied.

DD has a fair few pink clothes, no harm in that, but I get really annoyed when I'm looking for clothes and EVERYTHING is pink. and shoes, everything in clarks is pink sometimes!