To think the cheaper the kids clothes the more gendered the clothing?

[howmuchtoomuch]

DS needed some new tracksuit bottoms for nursery today, so I popped to ASDA. I hadn't realised quite how prolific their gendering of kids clothing was, slogans everywhere!

On the boys side:
‘The louder the better’
‘A bit of dirt never hurt’
‘Rad like dad’

And the girls:
‘Smiley happy dreams’
‘Mummy’s little flower’
‘Giggly and cute’

And the two crimes against fashion I've attached here.

A recent trip to Sainsbury's saw similar results. Whereas a trip to Polarn O Pyret (which I can't afford!) didn't. Not a slogan in sight in PoP!

So why is it that cheaper clothes tend to carry gendered stereotypes? Is it market driven?

I find character clothing very gender oriented. Like paw patrol for example. 99 percent of the clothing has all the male characters on and is blue. Skye who is the only girl main character is almost always on separate clothing that's pink. There's no reason to have it separate she's part of the main cast. Why not have the full cast on a blue t-shirt and the full cast on a pink t-shirt.

kocha - i’m a 70’s baby and my grandmother was horrified when my mother dressed me in brown dungarees

Lmao its not being dimwitted.imo clothing is not a slur on a childs character or identity

Lmao its not being dimwitted.imo clothing is not a slur on a childs character or identity

But it can restrict them, no? Send a group of kids to school and all the boys in trousers and trainers and all the girls in ballet slippers and frocks - the girls can’t climb or play in that, so their choices are restricted and their world narrows. That’s a problem, don’t you think?

I live in Sweden and I’m just looking at ds class photo. No skirts, all the kids in similar nice bright practical stuff. Because they need it to play - if someone sent a girl in in clothes they couldn’t play outside in or get a snowsuit on over comfortably then questions would be asked.

Ten kids in the class, I think half and half (although two I’m not sure if they are not or girl) girls wearing trousers, one in thick leggings and tunic top. One girl has a grey top with pink spots on. That’s about as far as it goes. Their outdoor gear is all bright primary colours (it costs a fortune so pink isn’t popular as it’s hard to sell on.)

It just lets them be kids. They have dolls and kitchen toys and construction toys and lego. They play with what they fancy. No one tells boys they can’t play with dolls, or they must play with dolls.

And lo - a more equal society where people are far less fussed about all the gender rubbish.,massive difference to the uk.

"narrow, agressive, emotionally fucked up ideas of what it means to be a man"

Yes, lucky them if that's how their mother sees any kind of 'male' behaviour.

@justdrowningreally

I think it means 'displaying typically male behaviour'.

Yes, lucky them if that's how their mother sees any kind of 'male' behaviour.

You’re really not interested in reading what I wrote, are you?

So go on. What are the other positive ‘boys will be boys’ behaviours?

Even when you find plain colours, it's gendered. Sainsbury's do a 4 pack long sleeved tops. Boys are yellow, blue, red, green. Girls are shades of pastel blue and pinks. Next do an 8 pack of t shirts in their baby boy section. Red, blue, green, but also khaki and sludge green... Colours you wouldn't see anywhere near a girls section.

Practicality is varied too. I agree about dresses and skirts restricting certain types of play. DD has some, but she only ever wears leggings to tumble tots, for example, as does every child there, regardless of gender. Equally, the boys section is full of actual denim jeans which are stiff and inflexible. I buy DS jeggings from the girls section so he can actually move freely in them.

As Polarn is clearly the new on-trend brand judging by the number of approving references to it on this thread, curiosity got the better of me and I had a look.
There are pink tops, trousers and a lot of the tops look quite 'gendered' to me. Is it because they are listed as kids' tops rather than boys' and girls'?
Don't get the love, tbh

Clothes with slogans are horrible in my opinion. I didn’t buy them when my DC was small and if I ever have GC in the distant future I won’t buy them them.

Men / boys tend to be more assertive and likely need to feel in control a more. They tend to look for more simplistic explanations and resort to physical solutions.

They like hierarchy and accept structure. They will work toward the common good if it benefits them.

They lack capability to understand nuance in arguments, behaviours and emotions.

They tend to be at the extreme ends of most behaviours eg. most likely to have AEN but also most likely to be a genius or gifted. Most likely to be verbose or 'a man of few words' ...

More likely to enjoy the feeling of adrenaline or endorphins from exercise.

There are downsides to some of these traits but many positives as well exactly the same way as feminine behavioural traits.

Cath I don't go for PoP either, I prefer (heavily discounted) Frugi. Not because they don't do gendered clothes, but because of the huge amount of unisex stuff they do have. DS is currently wearing a pair of their trousers, which were DD's. They are navy with nautical themed pattern in red, yellow, white and blue.

DD is currently wearing Little Bird (Mothercare) trousers which are rainbow striped which I will be putting aside when they no longer fit and bringing out again for DS. I can't afford to buy clothes twice so I try to buy (reduced) brands which will last for both children. Yes, DD has dresses etc but they tend to be hand me downs from her cousins. I can't justify buying them when they won't do both children.

And yes, I could put DS in a dress but society wouldn't treat him or me kindly if I did.

^

Massive generalisation.

The human brain, no matter the sex is a mixture of "male" and "female" traits.

"They tend to look for more simplistic explanations and resort to physical solutions.

They like hierarchy and accept structure."

PMSL. Gotta show this to the men in my life.

I've noticed this too. I always wonder if people buy them because they like them, or because most of the really cheap stuff is very gendered and they can't afford anything else.
I can't stand these rubbish slogans, princesses and pirates.... urgh. It seems harmless, but it's the first sign of inequality.

Don't get the love, tbh

Yes there are pink tops. And blue ones. I wonder if the uk selection is different to the ones here?
It’s fine to have pink as an option. No one is saying it’s not. The problem is when everything is pink for girls. The problem is when girls are told ‘ no blue/dinosaurs/playing with construction toys’ - the problem isn’t a few pink items, it’s consistent lack of choice and lower quality,
Pop and most of the scandi brands just have that - good quality clothes in nice colours, some pink but plenty of other choice. It really is unusual here in Sweden to see girls decked out in frothy stuff - it’d be very odd indeed.

The love for Pop is the quality, their outdoor gear is amazing and they will fix it for free if it breaks or wears out for life. They’re expensive though. I think it’s just the only scandi brand that has a more widespread distribution in the uk?

I agree, and think it does matter. We set up expectations way too early and then argue on another thread whether women are naturally more caring than men or whther its taught. We simply don't know, and are probably stifling the potential of many boys and even more girls like that.

@Trypto

Yes, of course it's a massive generalisation hence my liberal use of "likely" and "tend".

I also agree with you about everyone being a combination of male and female traits but, guess what, men usually have more male traits and vice versa.

@slightlyglittermaned

Please do, or simply look around you or read the many, many studies about it.

Also, why piss yourself? It isn't big or clever and someone will need to clear it up.

Incidentally, men are more likely to find scatological humour appealing.

I hate the gendered slogan stuff the most- it is literally labelling children with shitty stereotypes. I’m thinking about knocking out a range of subversive ones.

jan

Lots of assertion there but very little science. Most of those are cultural rather than biologically set traits.

The ability spectrum is certainly true at the lower end because many disorders that affect development in that way are X linked and males don’t have the second X to mitigate. However, at the top end it’s less clear. There’s recent work showing that actually the ‘more Male genius outliers’ idea may in fact not be true and may be skewed by societal expectation of men and women.

We should be very careful of evolutionary psychology because a lot of it is, from a scientific standpoint, bollocks.

I'm pretty sure it's because gender neutrality is the generally preserve of the middle classes, who have more money to spend. As soon as your average ASDA shopper stops demanding pink tat for their girls, or camo patterns for their boys, you'll get your gender neutral palettes.

@JanDough I don't need to debate science with you.

Anatidae yes! I apparently have a reputation for hating pink with my friends and family. I don't, DD has plenty of pink toys and clothes. What I object to is the idea that things must be pink to appeal to girls. That is what I hate. If there's a toy construction bench, for example, in multicoloured (shown with a boy playing with it) or shades of pink (with smiling girl) you can be sure I'll buy the "boys" one. Same for toy kitchens. Our most recent "big" items, a playhouse and a trampoline, were both available in pink or in bright colours, with either a girl or a boy shown using it depending on the colour. Ffs. If DD likes pink then fine, but I refuse to get her pink things just because she's a girl and should like it.

This has been enraging me for 15 years and it still hasn't changed. Girls are dressed in frilly pastels with cute smiling bunnies and applique flowers. Their clothes are thin, skimpily cut on the sleeves and feature impractical tassles and ties. Their shoes are impossible to run in and the slogans on their tee shirts are variations of "I'm an ornament, a cheerleader - don't ask me to be useful"

Boys clothes are various shades of military with actual military themes. Skulls, camoflage, dinosaurs, swords. Death and violence abounds. Their slogans are variations on "I'm a little cunt already and I'm going to be a big one, and there's fuck all anyone can do about it because I've got a dick". Their shoes are massive clunky things regardless of what they need and the fabrics are often too heavy for summer, but obviously thin fabrics will give them The Gay and we can't have that.

Exactly

I had some pink stuff as a kid. I had some my little ponies. But I also had lego and dinosaurs and a microscope.

A variety is fine. It’s when kids are told they must ONLY like certain things there’s an issue.

No one is saying girls can’t wear pink. It’s when the pink stuff branded with ‘future WAG’ etc is the only option we have an issue.

I’m also seeing far fewer teen girls with short hair these days.

Enraging you for 15 years, Qvar? I think you need to move on.