To wonder why it's OK - even considered a positive thing- to give girls names that are traditionally considered boy's names but....

[BertrandRussell]

.......not the other way round?

I don't think people really do that to their sons; it just happens. The only person my age I have met called Tracy, was male. Then MGM go and release High Society and he become a lone male Tracy amongst thousands of females.

There's also Lee, Shirley, Pat, Chris and Lindsey. Sometimes confusing - I once typed a memo and the recipient was referred to as Jill and then Gil later on so I had to find out from the writer which was correct.

Also today people are more creative as to spellings.
Do I recall that a girl member of the Bangles was called Michael or is that a figment of my imagination?

Errrm Mackenzie is not traditionally a girls name. At all.

As for why, because the Menz dominate the world innit! Why would the oppressor caste want to adopt a label associated with the oppressed caste?

Yup, I have a bee in my bonnet about this, being the mother of four boys! When a traditionally male name starts being used for girls, it is no longer okay to use it for a boy, which leaves us parents of boys with even less choice and there are already soooooo many beautiful (and not, if you don't want beautiful!) girls names to choose from! Please stop stealing boys names!!!

I don't think that is really the point COED - 'stealing' boys names for girls makes them unusable by your own admission ( I also have boys), and the only reason is that girls are still seen as weak.

*CEOD, apologies

I find the same with the FB things that go round every know and then encouraging parents of girls to remember to tell their daughter she is a warrior, a soldier, brave, fearless etc. I totally agree with this; however find it funny there are never equivalent memes telling parents of boys to remember to tell their son he is a nurturer, he is gentle, kind, caring. As if the stereotypically male traits are desirable in a girl but not vice versa.

I have a friend who has two boys and then a girl. She loves posting photos of her 1 year old girl playing with cars, trains, toy soldiers, dinosaurs etc with captions like 'who needs dollies?!" as if she is busting traditional stereotypes. She is, I guess - but only with the daughter! - Their playroom has NOTHING that isn't stereotypically a boy's toy in it. No kitchen, no dolls, no play food, barely even any soft toys. She thinks it's great that her daughter is playing with 'boys' toys but it seems like it never crossed her mind to buy her sons any 'girls' toys.

I think it's because many girls' names are so frilly and twee. I like strong, neutral sounding names and there aren't many of them about. I dislike surnames-as-forenames (Taylor, Hunter, Kennedy) for girls but I do like unisex names like Ashley, Stacy or Lee.

Interesting.

Also, think of all the feminine versions of boys' names (Charlotte, Petra, Denise, Gabrielle etc) -- never vice versa.

As an aside, some boys do get a feminine middle name. In uber-Catholic families, all children get Mary as a middle name, boys and girls. More common in France (Jean-Marie...!) but also a phenomenon here, especially in the past.

Unisex almost invariably means male.

I know a male Hilary and male Ashley. Know of one male Meredith in my family tree (born in the 1950s). There was a male Leslie at school (though we are veering towards the spelling differences now). Vivian Anderson was the first black footballer to play for England.

I think there is a trend towards making names unisex. It obviously wont work for all names but many will.

"Dh has a femine (sp) name it is actually a male scottish name"
That's interesting- what is it?

What really irritates me is parents lumbering their kids with a name they're going to get slaughtered for to make a point or to be "cool". Whatever that name may be, if it's going to cause your kid problems or embarrassment then why give them a name like that?

I wanted to give my son a name which was quite unusual but fairly feminine sounding. I was swayed by his dad and other family members and agreed on a more typical boys name. I've since encountered several girls with the name but still think it would've suited my son. I'm glad I don't have to worry about him being bullied because of my choice though, kids can be cruel.

It'll be Lindsay, or Lesley.

I know M/F Ashley and M/F Lee so not all unisex names are boy names I don't think. What is twee and frilly anyway ? femminine sounding names are not twee maybe not to personal taste but twee and frilly I don't understand.

What was it, Whipping?

When I was growing up in the 1970s, every third boy seemed to be called Lee; now I'm an adult, I never meet any. I wonder what happened to them all.

Yeah it is either Lesley or Lindsay or might be Francis i dont really want to say on here incase it outs me

Or him*

A neighbours son is Lee he is in his 20s though you don't get many baby Lee's around do you.

Is pink really still that controversial for boys? DD16's boyfriend is a serious jock and wears pink regularly -- baby pink button down shirt, hot pink sports competition wear, hot pink phone case, school binders in shades of pink, etc. And he is not the only one by any means. No one ever gives him grief.
I think the fact that big sports brands make expensive competition wear in hot pink for men is a pretty good indication that girls' reign over pink is over.

Really? Try telling some people on here that it's fine to put a boy baby in a pink babygro, his willy won't fall off, and it doesn't matter if people mistake him for a girl. They won't agree with you