Why does my daughter have to have butterfly or heart zipper pulls on her school uniform?

[MsMotherOfDragons]

Just that, really.

Why do the school uniform options for girls not have things like rocket or dinosaur charms? And why don't they have pockets?!! It drives me wild.

I've looked at several of the main supermarkets and they all seem to have the same problem. Eventually I went for the Sainsbury's ones on the basis of price and quality, so we're stuck with butterflies on everything.

Can I replace them with something else... does anyone know where to get rocket charms or similar? Can anyone recommend a better supplier? I'm kind of appalled that all the gender nonsense starts so early. It's so unnecessary.

To the person who asked why pockets were necessary... what exactly are the men and boys doing with all the pockets they get? Are they complaining that they are useless fluff repositories and that they would like the option of pocketless clothing?

You are actually allowed to buy from the boys section for your daughter, and vice versa?
The signage is only a guide, not an instruction.

Yes, I do buy from the boys section too.

However as my DD gets older she has started saying that that section is "not for her" and she is resistant to the idea. She also particularly likes wearing skirts and dresses so for those we are definitely stuck with the girls section.

I really like brands like Frugi and Maxomorra, Little Green Radicals (LGR) as they are fairly unisex and still interesting and colourful. However they are a lot more expensive that high street clothing so I tend to buy secondhand. Boden is also pretty good for hard-wearing clothes for girls and a higher proportion of pockets than many other brands.

Boden is fab, I agree.

Does she want a rocket on her dress? She sounds like she likes girls clothes and you are pushing her to wear boys.

Yes, she wants a rocket on her dress.

FWIW, Boden did some pretty awesome rocket/space clothing for girls last year that hit all the buttons and sold out, so clearly we're not alone in wanting girls clothing that has space stuff on it.

My 16yo was disgusted when her school abolished blazers, because of the lack of pockets. And she's been wearing boys' trousers for years, because of the decent-sized pockets and absense of pointless embellishment. (Entirely her choice and nothing I've imposed - in contrast, her sister hand loves a pointless slogan!)

As DD1 has grown, the contents of her pockets have evolved from tiny toys/stones/shells etc, through tissues, coins, keys, revision flashcards and (yes) spare sanitary pads. Doing the laundry is like a little treasure hunt all of its own.

I have no idea why manufacturers can't figure out that girls and women like to keep things to hand - or that not everyone wants to lug a full handbag around at all times.

I am not pushing her to wear boys clothing, I am complaining about the lack of choice in the girls section.

Many people are suggesting that shopping in the boys section is the best solution to this. Although I do sometimes do this, I think that this is problematic because (a) it does not offer skirt or dress options, and (b) it continues to reinforce gendered clothing for children, which (c) understandably gives children the idea that one section is for them and the other isn't.

Eye well she better get used to it.

When she grows up she'll find it's almost impossible to find dresses or skirts with pockets.

Or a top without an unnecessary frill, or a balloon sleeve, or missing fabric on the shoulder or back.

And women's shoes, especially for work, are a minefield.

After my dd wore out 3 pairs of Clarks girls school shoes in two terms, I bought her a pair of Clarks boys shoes. They were absolutely brilliant and lasted until she grew out of them!

1 buy her skirts, trousers or 'bib and skirt' pinafore .
2 Put your own zip in
3 remove offendin zip pull
4 stop bein such a try-hard virtue signaller

Suppliers follow consumer demand- if there was no demand for hearts and butterflies they wouldn't sell them.

www.facebook.com/letclothesbeclothes/?fb_dtsg_ag=Adwt2MdP19Tkl68KZ24uBzV_iiGI6xbUPVNUX0ztm4YuEA%3AAdwKgk2UJmUuD-L2zPoMDpJDDjIqbFknNdygfcI1JHkU2g

After my dd wore out 3 pairs of Clarks girls school shoes in two terms,
Really? what on earth are they doing in them? I have raised 2 girls whose clarks shoes last easily a full year.They've never worn out before they've been outgrown

Playing football I think. The soles kept coming off. The boys ones were great, thicker sole, more supportive. She wore them for two terms then I bought another pair which lasted a year!

Of course there's demand. That doesn't mean all girls want hearts and butterflies. My dd didn't. She didn't want that girly sparkly label even at 8.

My dd goes through Clark's shoes in a term or so too! She wears the sole and toes out of them. She's not sporty but she's quite heavy footed and skips along a lot. My ds's Clark's shoes last him a year. The boys ones are much more substantial.

Clark’s shoes have changed dramatically in the last couple of years. The quality is abysmal now.

DD’s Clark’s shoes lasted the whole of last year.

You bought the Sainsbury’s butterfly stuff, you therefore signalled to Sainsbury’s that you liked it.

Scatty Not true. I bought butterfly stuff this year because me and OH both work FT and had to fit clothes-buying in between everything else. Asda was easy, so I bought from there. I signaled a need for convenience, not a preference for butterflies.

Had there been an option of non-adorned in the girls' section, I might have chosen it. I say 'might' because all her friends have gems, so after 2 years at school, she wants them too now. She would much have preferred a non-heart/star/butterfly gem tho. A dinosaur would have been fantastic! There wasn't one, so how do a signal that I'm buying the butterfly heart because there isn't any choice?

These threads always make me laugh. Reminds me of a few scenarios I've witnessed.

Couple have first born - a girl. They dress girl in 'boys' clothes and say it's because it's more practical, comfortable etc. They rant about how they shouldn't conform to stereotypes at the expense of their child's comfort. Fine, I agree.

Couple go on to have a boy - boy wears a pink tutu, tight unpractical 'girls' shoes..... Are we still talking about comfort and practicability?!

No, it's purely to make a statement.

That is so true...

Asda girl shoes have lasted DD way better than Clarke’s ever did. Pretty and shiny so she likes them, sole an inch thick so I like them.

Boys are the ones who lack options, this thread has it 90% wrong. Girls can wear boy stuff easily enough. Girls can embrace rockets & Dinos.
Put a boy in a scallop edge polo & watch the grief he gets (shame he'll feel). Or the 'wrong' blazer at high school age. Boys are the ones with restricted sartorial possibilities.

Lack of pockets = because most women don't like a box look. Now I do like a boxy look & go out of my way to get it (cargo style if I can). But very clearly most other women don't choose that. They like to gush about handbags instead of using pockets. Compare what you find if you google women's shorts vs. men's shorts. Most women (DD is like this, she only wants weeny shorts & no boxiness. We women brought no pockets on ourselves.

Asda shoes are surprisingly fantastic. Both my kids are really really really hard on their shoes - scooter but have no mastery of the break at all and just use their feet, constantly climbing any vaguely upright surface and school have trees they're allowed to climb (they even have little step stools for them to get the first step up). Bought Asda ones as a stop gap since I suspected a foot growth spurt was looming and didn't want to shell out until after it had happened - and they lasted all flipping year (then the kids' feet grew the week after school broke up for the holidays - how's that for timing?!)

I buy a lot of my own clothes from Yours (yeah - I'm fat) and they're starting to market dresses with pockets as a huge selling point! My fave summer dresses this year have had pockets in - just enough to chuck my phone in but bloody awesome!