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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

John Lewis removing gendered sections in kids clothing

572 replies

moutonfou · 02/09/2017 12:46

John Lewis has announced they are no longer having 'boys' and 'girls' clothing sections. Just kids clothing. Which to me sounds fair enough. I had to buy several football shirts from the boys section as a kid and always felt like they weren't 'for me' and that someone was going to notice and call me out on it.

On some of the news outlets' Facebook posts about this, there are the most OTT comments from people who seem to have interpreted this as an attempt to make all kids be 100% gender fluid, stop calling them boys and girls at all, make all boys wear dresses, etc etc.

AIBU to be frustrated that people can't see the value of just letting kids like what they like, and that it's not all some sinister agenda??

OP posts:
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MrsOverTheRoad · 04/09/2017 12:28

Daddy a t shirt can't call your child's gender into question.

BeyondLimitsAndWhatever · 04/09/2017 12:30

"seems to being suggested to very young children that they might not be the gender they think they are"

Are you new here, daddy? Grin

Gileswithachainsaw · 04/09/2017 12:32

But the question is would these issues exist if people were just free to be who they were and like what they like as opposed to trying to associate certain things with genders

You use the boys toilets as you are a boy and have boy parts.

SDaddy007 · 04/09/2017 12:34

Mrs - How can a t-shirt call my 4 year old boys gender into question?

Beyond - Yes, I am, and I'm a bit scared.

orlantina · 04/09/2017 12:35

Why does the world all of a sudden want to start suggesting to my boy that he may not be a boy

Do you treat him differently because he is a boy?

MrsOverTheRoad · 04/09/2017 12:35

Daddy well, it can't. That's my point.

orlantina · 04/09/2017 12:37

daddy

Wearing / liking something usually associated with girls does not make someone a girl.

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 04/09/2017 12:38

Five year old boys however probably will be assumed to be girls if they wear a pink T shirt

A) does it matter

B) well it didn't happen to ds2... anocdata i know [smil]

And ds2 was dressed up by his brother and sister as a girl about 12/18 months ago (12/13) and everyone i showed his picture to thought he was dd...the boy is THAT pretty

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 04/09/2017 12:38

Aaaggghh

Smile obviously

BeyondLimitsAndWhatever · 04/09/2017 12:39

Daddy - to put it lightly - mn (on the whole) does not have a very positive viewpoint towards the 'transing' of pre-pubescent children

SDaddy007 · 04/09/2017 12:39

Do you treat him differently because he is a boy

Nope, I took him to watch his his first rugby game on Saturday, got him his first shirt and we had a brilliant day out. If I would of had a daughter I would have done the exact same thing with her. Without a doubt.

orlantina · 04/09/2017 12:40

I know a boy who has long blonde hair. He is constantly being called 'she' by children who meet him. He's got used to it.

SDaddy007 · 04/09/2017 12:41

Beyond

Well that's good to hear if I understand what you mean correctly.

Gileswithachainsaw · 04/09/2017 12:41

So you acknowledge that lining rugby would not make a girl a boy any nore than you ds picking a pink t shirt would?

And no transing of any kind required.

orlantina · 04/09/2017 12:42

daddy

And if he wanted to do something less associated with men?

orlantina · 04/09/2017 12:43

Why does the world all of a sudden want to start suggesting to my boy that he may not be a boy

What do you mean by that?

SDaddy007 · 04/09/2017 12:45

Orlantina,

Rugby isn't just about men, I've just watched an enjoyable womens' rugby world cup and 50% of my group at rugby are female.

At the age of 4 - what would be a subject more associated with girls? I can't think of one.

orlantina · 04/09/2017 12:47

At the age of 4 - what would be a subject more associated with girls? I can't think of one

So what do you mean by this?

Why does the world all of a sudden want to start suggesting to my boy that he may not be a boy

Gileswithachainsaw · 04/09/2017 12:48

Then surely you are on the same page?

By separating things by having labels designating items belong to a certain gender, that's contributing to all the issues where kids are thinking they must he a girl as they like the stuff in the girls section.

Remove that and give the freedom to chose what you like woth nothing and no one telling you otherwise then surely you can see thats better.

SDaddy007 · 04/09/2017 12:49

also, when at Rugby on Saturday there was a mini tag rugby competition - full of teams of boys and girls playing together. I'm afraid you're the closed minded one thinking Rugby these days is just a masculine game.

SDaddy007 · 04/09/2017 12:50

I've already said that things like "trans" toilets in Primary schools disturb me.

orlantina · 04/09/2017 12:53

I've already said that things like "trans" toilets in Primary schools disturb me

This is NOTHING to do with trans toilets. If anything, it's got more to do with getting away with 'transing' - at the moment, there's a thing that if a boy likes something that is associated with girls, he mush be trans. This will break that association.

So a boy like it because he likes it.

reallyanotherone · 04/09/2017 12:54

Why does the world all of a sudden want to start suggesting to my boy that he may not be a boy?

The world is already suggesting to my girl that she is a boy because she doesn't wear head to toe pink or have long hair.

Read my pp. people will actually tell her she's a boy. Openly, to her face. She has been sent to the mens toilets by women in the ladies.

It's not sudden, she's 12 and it has been happening all her life.

Maybe moving toward less segregated clothing will mean she doesn't have to argue with strangers over her genitals, and a girl in jeans and plain t-shirt won't be told she's a boy.

SDaddy007 · 04/09/2017 12:55

OK, at 4, what would you decree as a feminine activity?

orlantina · 04/09/2017 12:55

full of teams of boys and girls playing together

Good - so this is just another example of trying to make things ;ess associated with men or women.

It sounds like you shouldn't have a problem with this.