AIBU about gender segregation of annuals in WH Smith?

[Catsize]

I think that MN is getting to my inner core.

Photo was taken today in a lovely market town branch of WH Smith. Went in with my partner and 3yr old daughter to see weird subliminal messaging in the display of annuals.

If you are a girl, you'll be interested in the 'Disney Princess, Frozen, pink Paw Patrol(!!), MLP, Beauty and the Beast' shelf.
If you're a boy, you'll be interested in 'Star Wars, Minecraft, Doctor Who, blue Paw Patrol(!!) and Lego Ninjago'.

I've a 5yr old boy and 3yr old girl who like a mixture of these things but the subliminal messaging won't be lost on them.
Tempted to send them an email but want to know if I would be unreasonable in doing so.

My partner stopped me from rearranging the shelves there and then (I felt slightly entitled as I worked there as a teenager).

Here we go again 😩.
YABU for shopping in WHS with their prices anyway.

Just tried to find an email address for WH Smith Customer Services. I put 'annuals' into their search bit on the website and I am delighted to report that a) they are all jumbled up b) there is a People's Friend annual!! Alas, the latter is out of stock.

By the time they reach adulthood, their critical thinking skills have been established within the social framework they've grown up in. The 'facts' they believe to be true can't suddenly be unbelieved.
I believed in Father Christmas as a child, totally down to the social framework I grew up in yet I stopped believing. My opinions on a lot of things have changed over the years. Your thinking isn't fixed for life, your brain adapts. I'm gob-smacked that you think that your viewpoint at the age of 5 is going to be the same as that of 25 and 55 and 75.

I also think a three year old is more concerned about if he or she can have it as soon as they get home rather than what gender the display is aimed at.
The next thing we'll have is M and S putting male and female 'underwear' together so I have to wade through navy boxers to find some nice navy knickers (with a bow still hopefully).

OMG more tosh. I can't think for myself, I can't bring up my kids understanding anything. I need everyone else to match what I believe in!
If they see something arranged in a shop thats their lives ruined!

There are a depressingly large number of posters who have been so brainwashed already that they can't actually comprehend what's wrong with this sort of everyday sexism.

We need to keep on fighting both the big sexism e.g. girl's education in developing countries, FGM, etc. and the insidious small sexism that is becoming more prevalent rather than less in our own culture.

Those who think this doesn't matter because every kid just chooses freely for themselves regardless of the way society is set up, why do you think more boys choose blue and more girls choose pink (on average)? Presumably you don't think colour preference is genetic?

It's like banging your head against a brick wall. So many people are quick to jump up and tell everyone it's a load of rubbish, rather than actually open their eyes and at least consider what is being said on this thread.

This in itself isn't a huge issue, but it is part of a bigger picture and whether some of you like it or not it can and does have a negative effect on our dc.

Fgs 😴😴😴😴😴

No not brainwashed just not looking to be offended by things that are not really that important.

FGM important, equal pay and equal rights in workplace important, being accepting of all humans on the planet regardless of their sex, gender, orientation, disability, race, fat or thin etc etc etc important.

Whether my daughter or son can choose a pink or blue version of paw patrol not so.

No one here is offended and it might be a novel idea to some, but it is possible to care about all of those things and this as well.

Those who think this doesn't matter because every kid just chooses freely for themselves regardless of the way society is set up, why do you think more boys choose blue and more girls choose pink (on average)? Presumably you don't think colour preference is genetic?

Well mine didn't so don't know if they are odd, if it was how they were brought up or just some kids pick things they like without thinking of the colour.

I agree that subtle gender stereotyping is everywhere and is detrimental to our children. Times should have moved on since I was a child (in the eighties) but using blue/pink to associate with boys/girls is far more endemic than it was then (think Lego for starters).

I hear parents say that their daughter just happens to love pink and their son just happens to love blue. Nothing to do with how they were brought up. Maybe not by the parents, but the messages are everywhere. Walk into The Entertainer and there are pink shelves on one side containing so called "girls' toys" and blue shelves on the other with "boys' toys". Walk into Next, and there is sea of blue clothing for young boys and a sea of pink clothing for girls (Yawn, it's so boring - where are the orange/green/yellow/purple/red etc clothes for both genders?). Paw Patrol only has one regular female character and she is dressed in pink. Many toys have a multicoloured version aimed at boys and a pink version especially for girls. It is actually amazing when some young children do manage to reject the blue/pink message, and good on them!

Even if a parent tries to avoid these colour associations, relatives will give pink/blue presents, nurseries will give the pink/housework-associated/doll-associated toys to girls and the cars/trains/dinosaurs to boys, and kids will see the colour/gender stereotypes in shops/books/friends' houses etc.

Why the problem? If girls are always associated with pink, fluffy, glittery stuff, they are seen to be frivolous, empty-headed and of lesser intelligence. This is how boys start to view them, and eventually they believe themselves that they are not quite as capable as boys at various things. This is not just my opinion - it is proven by research. Later on, girls may reject pink as a bit babyish, but the gender stereotypes remain subtly in boys' and girls' heads. Eventually contributing to the gender pay gap.

So those of us who recognise this problem, let's continue to email shops etc and try to gradually start a revolution. And hit the shops where it hurts - financially. Don't buy the stereotyped stuff (which is often difficult as you have to search longer for less stereotyped stuff). I always buy non-pink stuff for my two nieces and avoid blue like the plague for my 3 boys (they are already bought blue stuff as presents by relatives, so I buy pink and multicoloured stuff to compensate). I am going to try my best to raise my sons to see women as their equals, partly because I believe in equality and partly because I thibk my sons will have better friendships/relationships with women as a result .

YABU. Many people buy based on girls and boys preferences, this is so much easier if I’m looking to buy for a girl - saves me searching through all of them.

Katie - the point is that girls' and boys' preferences are programmed by the subtle stereotyping. The more you buy pink/butterflies/flowers for girls and blue/cars/dinosaurs for boys, the more they believe that is what they prefer!

Send the email! Stuff like this will never change unless people complain. You're right that the subliminal messaging isn't lost on kids and no little girl should be denied the awesome experience of Star Wars

Maybe parents need to take more responsibility! Always told my daughter she can wear whatever she wants be whoever she wants and do what ever job she wants!

Surely some sort of dewey/ alphabetical system just as a pretence that they're a bookshop?

I think if you asked girls and boys of about 7 onwards who those magazines are intended for they would very definitely see them as for either boys or girls.

It's a bit pointless to say "oh but you don't have to choose it if you don't want to" when the kids themselves are telling you that they are receiving the same gendered messages.

And if you don't believe that these kind of stereotypes are damaging to children then go to horse's mouth:

www.girlguiding.org.uk/globalassets/docs-and-resources/research-and-campaigns/girls-attitudes-survey-2017.pdf

Maybe parents need to take more responsibility! Always told my daughter she can wear whatever she wants be whoever she wants and do what ever job she wants!

Parents aren't the only influence on children you know. If you look at the survey above you'll see that children themselves see that parents are not as sexist as other influences in their lives: the media, classmates, youtubers, etc.

Massive eye roll at those who don't see the issue.

Sure they're arranged by types - boys type and girls type. Honestly, how naive.