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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to dislike the team blue/team pink/team yellow trend?

20 replies

honeytea · 27/07/2012 20:04

We are expecting our first baby in December and recently found out we are having a little boy.

People's reaction to this has been lovely, but so many people have said "oh so you'r on team blue!." this really anoyes me for a couple of reasons, the first is that when I think of a blue baby it makes me think of a baby with breathing difficulties :( Also I am not sure why people want make assumptions about what colour clothing my baby will have before he is even born.

I see it as the beginning of a childhood of boys toys/girls toys and pink/purple/yellow for girls and green/grey for boys. I just want my baby to be a baby, a lovely baby boy, not necessarily a future truck driver or fire fighter or footballer just a baby boy with the potential to do whatever he wants.

I know it isn't a huge issue in the grand scheme of things, is there anyway I can voice my opinion without sounding like a cow?

OP posts:
Pandemoniaa · 27/07/2012 20:16

YANBU. This silly (and far to regular) use of the word "Team" gets on my goat too. I especially dislike the idea that babies need colour coding by gender but it is made even worse when abominations like "Team Blue" are used.

KenLeeeeeee · 27/07/2012 20:19

YANBU. I don't necessarily have a problem with baby girls wearing pink or baby boys wearing blue. I do find the whole "Team etc" trend tiresomely twee.

Orenishii · 27/07/2012 20:26

YANBU! I get very irritated by all this blue boy/pink girl business. I'm 29 weeks with out first, we didn't find out the sex so have so far escaped being inundated with "team" colours. But I already feel very irritated that even idly looking at teething rings and one is actually blue for a boy and pink for a girl. WTF? Like they're going to care!

And then people say, upon discovering we didn't find out the sex, "Oh you must not be able to buy anything then yet, right?" Errr no actually, I've bought a ton of stuff in a variety of colours because they're cute and funky and fun, and my baby is really not going to care!

I hate the way it's forced upon you...there's no escaping it.

eurochick · 27/07/2012 20:28

I've never heard anybody say the team blue thing you mention but the stereotyping of blue for boys and pink for girls is irritating. Particularly the pink. I'm sure it didn't used to be this bad.

Original poster
honeytea · 27/07/2012 20:36

I'm so glad I'm not the only one!

since finding out the sex we have been given a blue baby blanket, blue outfit with a car on it and a pack of babygrows with rockets on, MIL has said "oh great I can start knitting, I was worried about using the wrong colour!" I am so overwhelmed by people's kindness I sound so ungreatful, I would never say anything other than "thank you very much I love it!" I guess it's just an insight into the future battle we will have to allow our son to be himself and not have to conform to societies idea about a boy.

The reason we found out was to make it easier to make a name list, I might dress him in pink but I wouldn't go as far as calling him a girls name ;)

OP posts:
blonderthanred · 27/07/2012 20:38

I love that on MN you don't really get this, and people have the kind of views seen above.

I get the Babycentre emails and they can be really good but are very heavy on the teams and whatnot.

Go Team MN and its gender neutral babies!

Pandemoniaa · 27/07/2012 20:40

Er, no. That's "Go MN Team".
Wink

discrete · 27/07/2012 20:44

It really is very silly and doesn't get any less silly with time.

Our 2 boys both love pink and dislike blue. We allow them to choose their own clothes. You should see some of the reactions we get.

Once a shopping attendant was trying to get us to buy something two sizes too big because the correctly sized one was pink and the nearest they had in blue was two sizes bigger Hmm.

Blue is generally not that appealing a colour for small children, unless it's quite bright (which it usually isn't), so i cannot believe all those little boys dressed in blue and grey are having much of a choice in what they wear....

chandellina · 27/07/2012 20:49

Wow, I've never even heard that ridiculous expression. But there really is no obligation to play along, I hate gender dividing by colour and my boy and girl wear all colours.

Original poster
honeytea · 27/07/2012 20:53

I think the team thing makes it feel like it's boys against girls or boy mummies against girl mummies.

I was shocked by the gender specific clothing when I took my little sister shopping (she's 9) she refuses to even consider looking in the "girls" section. I think in a way it is easier for girls go against the gender stereotype than for boys. My sister gave me a few toys for the baby so he already has a doll, I do hope I mannage to continue to give him a varied choice of toys/clothing.

It is fairly different where here in Sweden, my DP's nephew is the same age as my sister and he is the exact opposite, he loves nail varnish and sparkly things, he walks around the house in high heals and wants to be a model.

OP posts:
patosullivan · 27/07/2012 22:02

I've never really heard the team blue/pink thing before.

But I do find all the colour segregation in children's clothes and toys annoying.

froggies · 27/07/2012 23:18

I hate the pink for girls, blue for boys thing, I really do. I have consciously looked for alternative colours for my kids (Ds16, DD's 6&3) and still DS wears mainly grey, black and green though his favourite colour is red, and DD2 likes pink and purple. But Dd1 told me yesterday that although she likes yellow, rainbow is her favourite Grin

WinkyWinkola · 27/07/2012 23:23

It's lazy retailing - colour coding gender. So dull. I have one friend who will only dress her dds in pink.

It's weird.

Just ignore. Dress your lovely boy in whatever and buy him toys that he fancies. You don't have to listen to the babbling twaddle people come out with.

minimisschief · 28/07/2012 00:34

you know no matter how much you want your child not to conform most will anyway because its human nature to belong to a group.

and school alone will take any sort of effort you make to avoid sterotypes pointless.

Original poster
honeytea · 28/07/2012 00:49

*you know no matter how much you want your child not to conform most will anyway because its human nature to belong to a group.

and school alone will take any sort of effort you make to avoid sterotypes pointless.* I might as well try whilst I have the chance to not be so gender specific, if I start of with the moomins rather than bob the builder at least it is a start.

Dd1 told me yesterday that although she likes yellow, rainbow is her favourite
This is such a great quote! what a sweetie.

OP posts:
BackforGood · 28/07/2012 01:15

I've never heard it said either.
That said, you chose not only to find out the sex of your unborn baby, but to tell people.

MulberryMoon · 28/07/2012 01:16

It's a little twee but team blue wouldn't make me think of a baby with breathing difficulties

Original poster
honeytea · 28/07/2012 09:53

I think it makes me think of a poorly baby becasue babies should be pink (white babies) not blue. I guess because I don't see my son dress only in blue I think of an actual blue baby. Over active imagination!

OP posts:
MulberryMoon · 28/07/2012 10:08

The team blue/pink thing doesn't bother me as long as people don't take it too seriously. I used to post on a board where there was a girl who had only boys and she used to rant constantly about how she was so glad she never had girls and how awful they are, like a stuck record. That was bonkers and I think she had issues.

sooperdooper · 28/07/2012 12:49

I've never heard the 'team' thing before but it irritates me already

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