John Lewis removing gendered sections in kids clothing

[moutonfou]

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??

If the clothes all stay the same but they are grouped by type (t-shirts, skirts, jeans, jumpers, etc.) instead of by boys on one side of the shop and girls on the other, then what's the problem? I actually can't see how anyone could have a problem with that.

My first thought was school uniform: kids know the buttons are one side for girls, the other for boys.

llijk not at my DS's secondary school, they aren't, as everyone wears exactly the same blazer. He didn't know this until I just raised it with him, that buttons button differently for girls and boys. (I do, in theory, but I could not tell you which way is for whom.)

Cloud

Thanks! Will go and investigate.

Alot of the supermarkets and high street shops sell unisex uniform shirts anyway.

And I was in m&s the other day and was actuakky unable to find what I wanted because it was all unisex sports wear (uniform section) meaning there were none if the cycling shorts. As much as I don't give a crap what my kids wear and what section they come from I do wish unisex wouldn't mean "we won't sell anything ever worn by girls" thought the whole point was that girls and boys can both choose from all items meaning that boys could pick a pink top with a flower on it and girls could wear a dinosaur top if that's what they wanted and there would be nothing to say it wasn't for them. But alot if unisex stuff means removing the stuff that they think boys wont wear and leaving girls with no choice

I don't think girls and boys bodies are interchangeable at that age. Every time we tried boys trousers/t shirts on my DD they were far too wide for her. Girls stuff just fit her better even though she preferred the designs on boys clothes.

To me this is just attention grabbing - better to have more unisex designs, less 'princessy' stuff for girls, and less superhero/army stuff for boys.

I do wonder if all these people going gender neutral with their kids' clothes wear gender neutral themselves - like never wearing feminine underwear or a pretty summery dress

do you think wearing gender neutral means "dressing in traditionally boys clothes"?

It means wearing anything, not saying "I'm a girl so I must only wear dresses". I often wear clothing that was traditionally male in design and colour. Don't you own blue jeans and jumpers?

It's very different separating adults clothes compared to childrens clothes, because after puberty we have dramatically different boyshapes. For little children who've not been through puberty, they have very similar body shapes, so there's no reason for making different t-shirts for girls and boys.

Surely if I'm doing online shopping and it's just "children's clothes" then how will I pick the pink frilly clothes that me and my dd both love?! Will take me twice as long. I don't care what kids wear and my dd has boys clothes. But on the whole she loves a pink dress! Surely if you don't care what your child wears you just look in both sections?

I would assume the filters would narrow it down.

You cab usually specify size colour whether it's a top or trousers etc

Just click on dresses

candle why will it take you twice as long?

go to dresses
browse dresses.

sorted.

Gendered clothing means that certain clothes belong to a sex.

Gender neutral mean both sexes can wear what they like.

It blows sexist gender stereotyping out of the water which is all gender is, out dated sexist stereotypes.

Giles that's stupid if they don't have any cycling shorts as they're seen as "girls"!! Have they never heard of a mamil?!
(Plus my boys wear cycling shorts for dancing when it's warm, leggings when it's hot. They're trousers ffs!)

Filter by dresses, filter by pink.

A good start, about time too!

*I don't get why it's such a problem having a girls and boys section. If you want to buy a traditionally boys outfit for a girl or viceversa or neutral then that's completely upto you....8

because my dd, who only wears 'boys' styles feels judged as she has to go into the boys section to buy clothes she likes, and has been teased too for wearing clothes from the boys section.
But if all the T shirts are together, then she can chose the green one with a shark on, instead of a pink one, and it is just a T and not a 'boys' T shirt and it comes from the kids section, so it isn't for boys or girls, but whoever likes it.

"Might be helpful to have all clothes mixed for small children, but how far are they going to take it."

The JL children's department essentially stops at 12 (there are a few items up to 14, but not many outside the uniform department - which has quite happily been non-segregated for years)

They'll still have much the same range, and they'll still make buying decisions based on what actually sells. They are large, fairly open plan departments, so it'll be just as easy to see where T-shirts or trousers are, as it currently is to see where party clothes, swimwear, sportsgear and undies are (because they are shelved by function already)

This is brilliant! Will make shopping for my 2 so much easier! I have 2 girls but usually buy their clothes from the boys section as they most of the girls clothes.

Too true steppemum

Gets worse as they get older. Dd wears trousers from the boys dept and likes trad boy's stuff and is forever being told that she must be a boy. The gender stereotypes are being enforced and policed, anything that tears that down is a good thing.

Hopefully young girls can wear what they like and have short hair without feeling the need to have healthy tissue removed or to take cross sex hormones.

Beyond

Unfortunately unisex really means male by default.

I do think it's better just to have everything under "clothing"

All t shirts together all shirts together etc

We are never going to get boys to think it's ok to wear a pink t shirt if everything unisex avoids anything a stereotypical girl might wear.

Wish they'd do this with adults. I already shop in the teen boys section to get clothes that fit, are comfortable, practical, and avoid the pink tax all at once!!
The girls clothes are skimpier, more uncomfortable, and cost 50% more for far less fabric. I can't even find jeans that aren't skinny or "jeggings" in that damn section

So, having to go twice as much stock to make a decision. Can't be bothered..

Oh sh!t I just started another aibu thread on this - how do I get it removed?!

Dd really likes the boys long sports shorts in h&m - they go to the knee, are a bit baggy and are thin material but they tend to be dark colours. She likes the colours of the girls shorts (bright) but they tend to be tailored and short.

Mixing the clothes won't change that unfortunately

This is brilliant - if I'm looking for, say, a t-shirt and a pair of joggers for DD they'll all be grouped together, so it'll make shopping faster and easier. JL are quite good already at stocking fun, non-stereotypical prints, so hopefully this will mean more choice as well.

asda's school polos and white pe T shirts are different for boys and girls. (this also applies to all their clothes)

boys - T shaped, (ie rectangular body shape) proper T shirt sleeves and wider sleeves

girls - body is slimmer and shaped in at the waist. Sleeves are shorter and much narrower. The sleeves are barely more than cap sleeves. (collar on the polos also has a frilly edge)

Both my dds, one who likes the 'boys' clothes and the other who is into pink sparkles and twirly skirts, both hate the girls shapes and ask me to buy boys polos and boys pe shirts. they prefer the looser cut and don't see why they should have cap sleeves instead of proper T shirt sleeves when they wear them in winter.

The complete irony of it is that I also have a ds, older than the girls, he was the skinniest of the 3 and he could have done with a slim fit cut, as to get the length on his beanpole body, his T shirts were always too wide.