Please could someone help me articulate an email to Asda regarding these pyjamas?

I think clothing colours are probably the last thing I worry about in terms of sexism, for a few reasons:

There really is no functional advantage to having red pjs rather than green ones. And red isn't an intrinsically better colour than pink.

Everyone realises, usually by the time they are seven, that this is a social convention only.

In most cases, no one really cares or even notices if you wear the colour associated more often with the other sex. (I would except maybe boys wearing pink or sparkles.)

The other thing I would say is that many people like to be able to emphasise or express masculinity or femininity in their dress, and that is impossible without some sort of convention. Many people think this is a perfectly ok thing for adults to do, and I'm not sure that it's bad for children either.

I've found it interesting that a lot of mothers I know who become focused on kids wearing totally non-gendered clothing end up really jumping on the kids choices as a sign of being trans. Not that I think the OP will do this, but it says to me that the connection between gender ideology and conventional clothing differences between the sexes is not so straightforward.

So - I'd just buy the red pjs if you like them better, or the pick ones if you think your daughter will prefer them. I would save getting worked up over clothing for girls or boys that is actually less practical or is sexualised.

I've just been on the George website. Their clothes are split by gender first, and then by the type of clothing.

The baby girls section has an option for leggings, but not for trousers. The baby boys has trousers but not leggings.

So do baby girls not wear trousers then? It's not just asda either, I was in sainsburys the other day to get some plain dark trousers for my girl to wear when she starts nursery and they were all in the boys section. Who knew black jogging bottoms were for boys?

I agree in many ways it doesn't matter. Just buy what you and DCs like.
However it can be quite insidious. I remember quite clearly being a young child in the 80s and feeling awkward / embarrassed / wrong if I wanted something that was "for boys" (Lego, action figures, clothing etc.). I can't remember it ever coming from my parents so must've picked it up somewhere.
That's why i want to make an extra effort to make DD feel comfortable with whatever her choices are (princesses and tractors alike!)

Definitely done to sell more products. The explosion of blue/pink everything seemed to start in the early 2000s but is now ridiculous. Lots of parents buy into it - baby blue or pink pram/car seat etc rather than neutral grey/navy/black that can be reused regardless of sex. Its becoming pervasive. I've noticed even on fb /WhatsApp etc they have pink / blue hearts. What's wrong with red? And heaven forbid a girl baby sleeps under a blue blanket Very lucrative for manufacturers but terrible for our pocket and the planet.

Of course you're right OP.

People deciding to pick their battles are the ones who are fuelling blue's for boys/pink's for girls, girls are pretty/boys are strong then ultimately girls jobs/boy jobs.

These small battles matter!

Basically, you want to tell them that you think it's ridiculous that christmas pyjamas need to be split by gender and that doing pinks for the girls is silly, and also unchristmassy.

This kind of thing is annoying as hell.

My questions why are dinosaurs and planets seen as boy things? And why are clothes for girls so pastel coloured? I'm a grown woman and most of my clothes are black. So yes, this is stupid.

If they were only offering a choice though, wouldn’t there be pink and red in both the boys and the girls sections?

They're just offering a choice. Buy whichever you want (personally I'd buy neither because I am not into the special outfits for one day a year, nor the extra present box for christmas eve, but that's just me).

It's annoying that they're categorised by gender but I don't think there's anything inherently ridiculous and un-christmassy about having a pink option. Why do you think the pink option is "insipid"?

Buy the red ones and if you want write tell Asda why you've done so.

Just did a quick check on the website of a standard health / beauty type retailer : feminax express £4.50 for 16, neurofen express 3.50 for 16. It’s a real thing...

I was in America recently and looked on the Kennedy Space Center shopping site. They have a section called 'Just for girls'. All pink.

About 10 years ago, I wrote to ELC to complain about the globe they were marketing for girls, with pink oceans.

It's just a pair of pyjamas. I can think of bigger world issues really.

It’s not. It’s the gender separation from an age where children are very vulnerable and open to suggestion. It’s diminishing the value of girls. These type of situations never have pale, pastelly colour as “boys” or the string deep colour for “girls”. It’s pandering to, and encouraging, artificial sex and gender expectations.

There is no reason at all why clothes for prepubescent children need to be separate for boys and girls.

I was in America recently and looked on the Kennedy Space Center shopping site. They have a section called 'Just for girls'. All pink.

They’re both hideous IMO but if you feel really riled up by it then vote with your wallet and get the red ones.

I complained to Asda a couple of years ago when I was looking for a sensible warm raincoat for my daughter in a hurry, and not a single one of their girls coats zipped up, or was rainproof, or had a hood. They were all glittery, practically see-through, and didn't even have zips or buttons so they would close against wind and rain.

Nobody ever replied. Tweeted them, nobody ever replied. They're not arsed.

This is how socialisation works. A million tiny messages insignificant in themselves, taken together have enormous weight. And because they are individually insignificant it is easy not to notice them or to think that it doesn’t matter or there are more important things to worry about. And that is how the stereotype is perpetuated. I mean if we saw a giant billboard that said “boys you are tough strong powerful and active. Girls you are fluffy cosy glittery and sweet” we would presumably all object? But by marketing boys’ shoes as suitable for climbing trees and girls’ as pretty and cute, that is the exact message just more subliminal.
By all means have glitter and pink available for everyone but let’s not kids ourself that the marketing and stereotyping doesn’t have an effect.

Yes because they make drilling soooo much more enjoyable and easier for us wimmin!

You can get drills and other tools in pink too.

bd67th - I meant literally same items in pink. Just a slap of pink paint on a plain black pair of scissors and they found a higher price would be paid. Bloody weird.

Don’t get me started on ‘lady’ razors!

Oops my first post has now disappeared....

Part of how it is perpetuated, is what I meant to say.

I don’t see the big deal

I would personally buy both the pink and red for my DD as I find them equally appealing. But what you want to buy and move on

Because some people (mainly girls but some boys) like pink. Why shouldn't i be able to but my daughter pink Christmas pjs? There are so many more important things in the world to loose sleep over, this really isn't one of them.

It’s that or go “non-binary” for all childrenswear and we know that these boards won’t stand for that either.

Actually, I literally just advocated for that: why not have a "children's clothes" section instead of "girls' clothes" and separately "boys' clothes"? Nice straw feminist you're beating up there.