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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

The fear of dressing babies in the "wrong colour"

110 replies

Praisebe · 09/05/2018 23:58

So i was picking up a few bits online for my baby and came across this review for some bibs. Do people actually think this was in RL or is this some sort of joke Confused what does this woman think is going to happen if her baby son wears a pink bib that he'll turn gay or god forbid not be her "little man"

The fear of dressing babies in the "wrong colour"
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MeltingSnowflake · 10/05/2018 17:05

This really pissed me off too. I hated pink as a child - my favourite 'outfit' was a pair of red, green & blue flannel pyjamas that I never wanted to take off - and I grew up to only have relatively minor mental problems! Wink

PS Praisebe that dino dress is so lovely! whips out card and buys it for hypothetical future child

Praisebe · 10/05/2018 17:11

ikeepaforkinmypurse good for you. -slow clap- no one on here has been remotely offensive or homosexual and how do you know what sexuality we all are anyway ?? Do tell. You have merely taken offense at the fact people have pointed out people like you pigeon hole their kids into stereotypes. Back to nethuns for you Biscuit

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GreenTulips · 10/05/2018 17:15

I refuse to put my boys in pink and my girls in blue

That's fine - but why are girls forced into pink and boys in blue?

Why can't they all wear yellow green orange purple red?

The answer is that's what the shops sell so there little choice. That's what most parents buy into.

Why haven't you questioned why you'd feel the need to do this and why girls should feel like they are dressed as a boy because they choose to wear blue? Woman wear blue black green etc Men wear pink and purple.

Why do girls 'grow out' of pink?

AlbertaSimmons · 10/05/2018 17:23

Years ago when DS1 was very little we had neighbours who had four boys. Their youngest was the same age as DS1 and so would play with him a lot. One day, his mother found him round at our house where he'd been into the dressing up box and was wearing a long dangly pink bead necklace. She took it from him and (fairly politely but firmly) told me off for letting him have it and explained that it was "lucky" her DH hadn't seen it. She also took it upon herself to say that it wasn't appropriate for my DS to have a toy kitchen to play with (it was his absolute number 1 favourite toy for ages) and I should make him spend more time in his crazy coupe (which he also loved).

They were known god-botherers in one of those evangelical cults churches though so I don't know if that was a factor.

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 10/05/2018 17:29

Praisebe if you can't see how offensive you are in stating that people are afraid that their kids turn gay, you need to take a long hard look at your horrendous attitude. You should be ashamed of yourself, and I am embarrassed for you.

I couldn't care less if you mock my refusal to put my sons in a pink dress, that says more about you than me.

SapphireSeptember · 10/05/2018 17:30

I want a dinosaur dress now. Sad I love dinosaurs.

I don't remember things being this bad when I was younger, I remember my sister being born when I was six and she had dresses and clothes in all sorts of colours (she had two lovely velvet dresses my teddy inherited, a dark green one with a white satin pinafore over it, and a dark blue one with a satin sash.) Any hypothetical children of mine will be in black, red and purple, even if I have to dye the clothes myself.

ikeepaforkinmypurse · 10/05/2018 17:34

my daughter got a dinosaur dress from Boden, but you can find adults one too everywhere!

BrutusMcDogface · 10/05/2018 17:36

lovely velvet dresses my teddy inherited, a dark green one with a white satin pinafore over it,

I had one like this!! It was one of my absolute favourite favourites when I was about 5! Aw, thanks for the memory!

velourvoyageur · 10/05/2018 17:36

Adorable photo of Jean Renoir when young.
Think despite the trauma of looking indeterminately male-female as a child he managed to limp on ok in adult life.

The fear of dressing babies in the "wrong colour"
BrutusMcDogface · 10/05/2018 17:38

GAP and H&M are fab, I agree! Got lovely sage green leggings/vests from the latter, and rainbow stripy things from the former! 😁

SapphireSeptember · 10/05/2018 17:44

ikeepaforkinmypurse Thanks, I'll have a look around and see what I can find. Smile

BrutusMcDogface Aww, you're welcome! That's lovely. Smile Still have my teddy, but the dresses have long gone. Dunno what happened to them, I think they must have got thrown away.

Sunshinedaze · 10/05/2018 17:49

Some people don’t dress their boys in pink or their girls in blue. Probably the majority. Only on MN are little boys running around in dresses.

This!

I’m sure offline, they aren’t dressing their kids in gender neutral at the risk their child might be in the 1% born transgender and traumatised being born a girl dressed in pink and given a Barbie.

MimsyBorogroves · 10/05/2018 17:49

I have a micro mini scooter for sale. A blue one. People round us are looking to buy one. I've been told by 3 people "sorry, I want a girl colour" when I've offered it.

Praisebe · 10/05/2018 18:19

ikeepaforkinmypurse still haven't pointed out what offended you so much about this threadHmm

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Praisebe · 10/05/2018 18:21

No one has mentioned dressing boys in dresses or pink ones for that matter apart from you Wine

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RainbowFairiesHaveNoPlot · 10/05/2018 18:24

DD1 if allowed to choose her clothes will go for as much sequins, glitter and unicorn overload as it's possible to get on any item of clothing going.

DD2 likes her "boy" range superhero t-shirt and dinosaur knickers (Tesco have them in). Trousers apparently optional.

I've not done the enforced pink thing with either of them - they've had a range of colours and I've usually gone for brights and prints cos they hide the muck better.

The "must have pink" for girls though has got me a few corking bargains in terms of pushchairs and baby toys over the years - people suddenly selling brand new red pushchairs as they've found they're having a girl so "need a pink one."

Confusedbeetle · 10/05/2018 18:26

the pink for a girl and blue for a boy is a modern invention. It used to be the other way. and Victorian aristocracy dressed their toddler boys in dresses

pigsDOfly · 10/05/2018 18:35

I'm really not keen on either pink or blue as colours so when my DS was born he was dressed mainly in white or pale yellow babygros. As he got a bit older I don't remember him wearing anything in blue except things like dungarees in denim.

My DDs I dressed in the same sort of babygros and bright, or often, quite dark colours as they got older.

There does seem to be an awful lot of pink around now, or maybe I just think there is as one of my DDs dresses her own DDs almost exclusively in pink; maybe she feels she was pink deprived as a child.

OneStepSideways · 10/05/2018 18:50

Only on MN are little boys running around in dresses

Depends what you count as a dress. My friends' little boys (and girls) wear leggings with a long tshirt or tunic.

Pink and blue are very dated. I dress my DD in gender neutral clothes (including pink) and if I have a boy I'll dress him in pink and rainbows and bunnies. Why not? Why should boys wear drab browns/blues/greys and girls bright light colours?
It's a tradition that doesn't make any sense.

MonumentVal · 10/05/2018 19:00

My neighbour's kid had a baby girl about 2 years before ds was born, so neighbour offered me some outgrown clothes and I gratefully accepted.
Five bin-bag size sacks of clothes for age 0-2, at least half unworn! I gave the girliest stuff and impractical items and anything I simply didn't like to charity, but was left with sufficient clothes for a couple years. Only mainly pink- or lilac-trimmed, or cute hearts and polka-dots, or white but with puffed shoulders or wrist frills. Ds obviously didn't care, and I generally didn't, but there were a few times when ds would end up in a pink outfit, have a pink sippy cup (one in each of 3 colours), and have grabbed his pink blanket (he had four but favoured the pink one) and I'd worry that people would think I was Making A Point.

GreenTulips · 10/05/2018 19:38

That reminded me that DS also hadn't a pink blanket, it was softer than the blue one.

QueenB14 · 10/05/2018 20:19

I bought dd a bike helmet in silver and black. My dm was all "oh but they do lovely pink girls helmets in xplace" I daresay they do but I'm sure the grey will protect her skull just as well Confused

Saying that, when I put a load of clothes on a free site, I did advertise as "bundle of girls clothes" so maybe I am somewhat conditioned as well....

GrandTheftWalrus · 10/05/2018 22:05

I was at toddler group the other day and 2 boys were playing. One dressed as a nurse and one at the kitchen.

My response to a gran being concerned was "oh lovely, one will be a nurse helping people and one will be a chef"

Obviously they might not be but it made her think about moaning about them playing with "girls" toys

Bananalanacake · 10/05/2018 22:13

I saw a lovely colourful dinosaur dress in Peacocks. Wish I'd bought it but I rarely buy new as I prefer 2nd hand. Can't go and buy it now as I'm home in Germany. Wonder if it's on their website.

Praisebe · 12/05/2018 23:23

Pure cringe moment

The fear of dressing babies in the "wrong colour"
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