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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think M&S are majing present buying unnecessarily hard?

36 replies

ChaosTrulyReigns · 16/12/2014 21:06

Sigh.

They haven't got a Boy section or a Girl section any more. Sad

What happens if I erroneously buy a telescope or a science kit for mmy DD because of their unclear categorising? She might get ideas above her pinknfluffee station?

Shoukd I complain, it's NOT asseptable yanno.

OP posts:
LittleBearPad · 16/12/2014 21:09

Tis tricky not being guided to the gender appropriate choice. Seek out glitter, it will be wholly suitable for a girl. For boys you want brown. Wink

ACardiganForCat · 16/12/2014 21:09

Here's the rule: if it's got a cat on it it's for a girl. Anything to do with dinos is for a boy.

ouryve · 16/12/2014 21:12

Do they not sell pink telescopes?

arethereanyleftatall · 16/12/2014 21:13

Thing is - despite this appealing to the mn massive, they'll get a load of complaints.

ChaosTrulyReigns · 16/12/2014 21:16

There was pink, yup.

But I like clear cut.

OP posts:
ClaudetteWyms · 16/12/2014 21:16

Shit I bought my 6 year old DD a grown up telescope for Christmas

ChaosTrulyReigns · 16/12/2014 21:18

Slippery slope, Claudy.

Yiu need to STEM that tide...

OP posts:
PausingFlatly · 16/12/2014 21:20

Ooh, I see what you did there, Chaos...

You're being a catalyst for change, you know.

RawCoconutMacaroon · 16/12/2014 21:26

Chaos, :)

callmekitten · 16/12/2014 21:32

WTF are they doing selling pink telescopes? What kind of girl is going to want something so sciency? The poor dears will have a brain fracture and then where will they be? Unsuitable as doting wives, that's where!

StilleNachtCarolling · 16/12/2014 21:56

DH is a STEM ambassador

ASAS · 16/12/2014 21:56

Hey hunz, I do love a bit of tongued cheek but here's a true story.... Charity shop. DS, aged 2, finds a toy ironing board. He has a toy iron at home, in his toy kitchen. I ask the lady how much it is, she says £1. We pay. DS says, "Thank you mummy". Lady says, "Oh well, he can line his soldiers up on it". I was stunned but wish I'd said, "He's 2nd gen ex military thank you very much, soldiers iron".

fatowl · 16/12/2014 22:17

Hun, If she doesn't like it, you can always sell in on your FB page to a boy, then you can get her something from Frozen like a proper mum. They have some gawjus stuff, - even with extra glitter to make her feel extra speshul

Valpollicella · 16/12/2014 22:19

Fucking hell Chaos. yanbu.

You might end up buying some sparkly plakky slingbacks for DS without realising

ASAS · 16/12/2014 22:31

Haha, did your phone auto correct me to chaos? How Freudian :)

I'm always amazed at the comments I get about my DS who loves kitchens/babies etc. People clearly worry he could grow up to be.... a dad. My boy trumps them for manners seven days a week. Hun.

ASAS · 16/12/2014 22:32

Oh gawd, obv ignore the above. Too much gin.

ChaosTrulyReigns · 17/12/2014 11:06
OP posts:
ClaudetteWyms · 17/12/2014 11:08

I have covered telescope in glitter and pink fluff, especially the lens - so DD only has to see pretty stuff instead of real science space type shit. Is this now acceptable for a girl?

PausingFlatly · 17/12/2014 11:11

But was the gin pink, ASAS?

LittleBearPad · 17/12/2014 11:18

That is acceptable Claudette. She needs to know the world is made of pink glitter and fluff. Anything else would confuse her.

ArthurSHappeyChristmas · 17/12/2014 11:24

How very shitty of them! They had a slinky in there the other day, I didn't know if it was a boy's slinky or a girl's slinky. It was silver so the colour didn't help me work it out either. I insist they cease this madness and revert to boy slinkys in blue and girl slinkys in pink and place them in appropriate sections immediately!

applauds m&s

youareallbonkers · 17/12/2014 11:48

Why do you all make such a big deal about boys & girls toys? Some people like to categorise them in that way, others do not. Some girls do love pink and sparkly as do some boys. Some people are traditional in their views that boys should play with guns and girls should play with dolls, others are not. I really don't understand why this causes so much angst. If you have a modicum of common sense it won't affect you in the slightest.

ChaosTrulyReigns · 17/12/2014 11:56

Taking away the proscriptive categories makes it much more acceptable for anyone to choose what the feck they want rather than having to be a rad Boy who likes pink or an anarchic girl who wants to do the science.

Narrow minded and limited to promote stuff to one gender.

OP posts:
ClaudetteWyms · 17/12/2014 12:07

youareallbonkers my DD is 6 and has already been told by boys that dinosaurs are for boys and not girls. One of her friends (a girl) loves pirates and has been told they can only be boys.

It is marketing and stores that help propagate this kind of nonsense. Kids should be able to be "into" whatever they like. It is not as simple as girls like Frozen and boys like trucks.

ElfontheShelfIsWATCHINGYOUTOO · 17/12/2014 12:44

Some people are traditional in their views that boys should play with guns and girls should play with dolls, others are not

I wouldn't say they are trad views actually, I think this mad phenomenon has happened recently..and its stiffling for children who want to play with whatever they want to play with.

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