To think green is unisex?

[Katiem1234]

I'm pregnant with my first baby, a girl. Green is my favourite colour and I've bought a fair few green baby clothes, I always thought green was a very unisex colour? However a friend has asked me why I've bought so many boy clothes and I presume jokingly said she takes it I was hoping for a boy... We've also got pinks, purples, yellows, creams etc.
Green is totally fine for a girl right? People aren't going to assume I just wanted a boy so dressed them in 'boys' clothes?

Kids can wear any colour. Ds has pink pj bottoms

Small children are, pants apart, similar shape and size range. Men and women aren't.

so? They are still boys and girls? They will grow into men and women. There's no reason to try to erase or gender from a young age, why would anyone do that?

Little boys pee standing up, girls don't. I mean, we can pretend they are gender neutral, but in real life, the difference is pretty obvious.

No one is 'trying to erase gender'. Right now DS is wearing dungarees sold as unisex. I still call him 'he', tell him he's a clever boy, etc etc. I just chose clothes that don't shout 'boy' (or, for that matter, 'girl').

And the OP was about babies, so they all pee the same way - in their nappies!

you buy what you want, I should be able to do the same.

I am not sure why parents who chose non-gender neutral clothes should be looked down, that's all.

I do get your point about the nappies, but the thread has moved on to other age groups too to be fair.

All colours are unisex!!!!

*you buy what you want, I should be able to do the same.

I am not sure why parents who chose non-gender neutral clothes should be looked down, that's all.*

Personally, I don't look down on an individual choosing to dress their daughter in pink or their son in blue.

I am concerned that societal attitudes and manufacturers/shops ingraining the view that certain colours are for girls and other for boys. Because that takes away the choice and my ability to buy what I want.

I thought about this thread this morning! Took my doggo out for a walk in his awesome new pink feather collar and stopped to talk to a guy walking his dog. Oh how old is she he says, he's 9 I said. His face was a picture. "He's a boy, but that collar! People will think he's a bitch". Um. And?! 😂

Would like to say that it does not matter what you dress them in, people will still get it wrong so dress them as you like.

Both DC are boys, until dc1 was 2 I was constantly told what a beautiful little girl I had even if I dressed him in head to toe blue with a top saying mummy's boy (my mum bought it, not me!). Dc2 is just 1 now and he is also consistently mistaken for a girl. I just think they must be very beautiful babies! My friends little girl was dressed in a pink dress with a pink hat and got called a boy, presumably as she didn't have much hair at the time.

Oh, also I prefer a neutral style, the blue was more of an experiment day! Generally they're dressed in colours other than blue, I'm pretty sure that I would put a girl in exactly the same clothes too.

I mean, we can pretend they are gender neutral, but in real life, the difference is pretty obvious

It’s not about being gender nutural - it’s about trying to avoid strep types of Pink and Blue - it’s horrid

Take a look at teen PJs every set has pink or unicorns etc - they don’t want they but that’s all there is - no choice
Some with swimsuits - different shapes and styles to boys - but yet all pink again why?

A bikini is clearly a girls garment so why do they all need to be pink or purple or flowery?

I am concerned that societal attitudes and manufacturers/shops ingraining the view that certain colours are for girls and other for boys. Because that takes away the choice and my ability to buy what I want

It’s also the fact that it extends into behaviour and gender roles. Girls like pink, wear pastel clothes that show dirt, are discouraged from messy play. Boys in navy, browns and dark colours- mud is less of a problem.

It reinforces right from the start that boys and girls are different, and have different roles. That boys like a, b and c and girls x, y and z. That it’s “nature”, and can’t be changed.

See the bbc clip posted up thread. Society will steer a “girl” in pink towards quiet, nurturing activities and those they percieve as boys toward spatial awareness and active toys.

Colour coding babies allows society to further force gender roles on them. Not to mention those that feel they don’t fit said gender roles are being told that their “brain doesn’t match their body”.

*Take a look at teen PJs every set has pink or unicorns etc - they don’t want they but that’s all there is - no choice
Some with swimsuits - different shapes and styles to boys - but yet all pink again why?

A bikini is clearly a girls garment so why do they all need to be pink or purple or flowery?*

This! It is about choice. As a teen I hated pink. I wore blue bikinis because that was my favourite colour and it suited me.

I do dress DS in quite a lot of blue but he is the same colouring as me so he looks good in blues and turquoises. He does have clothes from the girls range too where I preferred the colour/design. Leggings for example I buy from the girls aisle. But there are far too many frills for me on most girls clothes.

But there are far too many frills for me on most girls clothes

This. I saw a swimsuit in next- toddler size. Rainbow frills from neck to crotch.

As a swimming instructor if a kid turned up in that i wouldn’t allow them in the pool. They’d sink.

I mean come on, seriously? Yet boys are all shorts, rash vests, clothes designed to allow them to swim.

Googling for the image above- it’s not a one off:

www.marksandspencer.com/swimsuit-with-sun-safe-upf50-3-months-7-years-/p/p60198964?extid=ps_gglpla_Kids&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrpLoBRD_ARIsAJd0BIVzf09IgwPROVDOCBjjK6w-vk9mFdhC5IInpcJFTfJVgw1_i49PqVUaAvCrEALw_wcB

Take a look at teen PJs every set has pink or unicorns etc - they don’t want they but that’s all there is - no choice
Some with swimsuits - different shapes and styles to boys - but yet all pink again why?

I am not sure where you shop, even from Primark I got non-pink and non-unicorn bits, and the choice in girls swimwear is huge!

I find it so much easier to shop for girls than boys, there is so much more choice, even if you don't want pink, glittery, neon, ditsy.

Just because you can buy frilly swimsuits for girls (some people must like them if they sell) doesn't mean you can't buy anything else.

Unfortunately OP this stupid thing about 'girls colours' and 'boys colours' gets worse as they get older.

We've recently bought our 7 yr old DD a lovely smart green raincoat which is navy and white striped inside. She liked the pictures online before we bought it and really liked wearing it for a few months when we got it. A couple of weeks ago another girl in her class told DD she looks 'boyish' and that she's got a boys coat and now DD is refusing to wear it anywhere. She's been wearing her red winter coat instead.

We've tried talking to her, explaining that anyone can wear whatever colours they want and that pink for girls and blue for boys is a silly idea. She remains unconvinced and I'm left feeling really pissed off that a single nasty comment from one stupid girl has made DD feel bad and not wearing something that previously she was really happy with ☹️

@SongToTheSiren

Shit isn’t it.

My toddler loved her short hair right up until school. It got her spotted as a child model by a top agent where different is key.

Then at school she was constantly being told she “must be a boy”, only boys have short hair, why was she in the girls toilets, she should be wearing shorts, not a dress.

She decided to grow it. I did post on a parenting forum similar to to this one at the time and got a load of shit about how I was all but abusive, apparently allowing her to have short hair was setting her up to be bulllied and it was my fault.

But I’m sure @MorondelaFrontera will have some nice explanation that it’s not about gender. Maybe they thought your childs coat wasn’t warm enough rather than it being a colour thing?

@MorondelaFrontera - Little boys pee standing up, girls don't. I mean, we can pretend they are gender neutral, but in real life, the difference is pretty obvious.

I don't think you understand the difference between sex and gender. The physical differences are due to sex differences. Gender is a concept made up by society and varies from society to society and over time.

I am not sure why parents who chose non-gender neutral clothes should be looked down, that's all.

Nobody is looking down on people for putting gendered clothes on children. What people are objecting to is the expectation that children must be dressed in gendered clothes. You have pushed that viewpoint upthread.

Unfortunately some people are will use any easy ammunition to put other people down. Mocking people because they don't conform to unreasonable sex stereotypes is very easy.

I always dressed DD in whatever colour I fancied when she was a baby. On one occasion I had picked out a big selection in a shop, a mixture of blue, pink and green. The girl at the till looked confused and asked "do you have twins?"

As that could be the only explanation as it wasn't possible that one child could wear blue and pink!

I also dressed (younger) DS in his sister's cast off pink babygros when he was a newborn. He is now 17 and, to my knowledge, his penis has not yet fallen off.

In love babies in green, yellow or white and yes they're unisex colours.

I love blue anyway, I didn't have girls but I'd have always looked for clothes that were non pink, but would have no qualms about baby girls in blue.

Both my boy's loved pink when they were about 2 or 3 and although they didnt have pink clothes they both had a few purple t shirts which they chose themselves.

Green is a lovely colour for any child. I find forest green to be quite a calming colour.

I find trying to push the idea that gender is difference than biological sex completely ridiculous. You are the gender you are born in. How difficult can that be.

bluebluezoo
I have a much more simple explanation, a little girl wants to dress like a little girl. It's quite horrible if she has to convince her parents and fight to look like the girl she is.

If the parents had recognised that there are boys and girls colours, they could have avoided the drama.

Each to their own. Judging parents who are happy to keep their girls as girls, and boys as boys is quite pathetic.

@MorondelaFrontera - I find trying to push the idea that gender is difference (sic) than biological sex completely ridiculous. You are the gender you are born in. How difficult can that be.

I suggest you have a look in a dictionary. Sex is related to reproductive organs. Gender relates to the social and cultural differences generally associated with different sexes. In some cultures, childcare is seen as solely a woman's role. It is a gendered role. In other cultures, childcare is seen as the responsibility of both parents and therefore is not a gendered role. In some cultures, certain jobs are done predominantly by men, in others, predominantly by women. In the former, the role is gendered female, in the latter, it is gendered male, yet it is the same role.

I have a much more simple explanation, a little girl wants to dress like a little girl. It's quite horrible if she has to convince her parents and fight to look like the girl she is.

You obviously read a different post than I did. @bluebluezoo's post clearly shows the negative effect of gender stereotyping on a little girl who started to question her preferences in order to fit in.

If the parents had recognised that there are boys and girls colours, they could have avoided the drama.

How do you explain the fact that the colour associated with different genders change over time? The whole pink for girls and blue for boys only became a thing mid-20th century.

Judging parents who are happy to keep their girls as girls, and boys as boys is quite pathetic.

Nobody on this thread has judged parents for dressing children in particular colours. Nobody, other than you, has suggested children should be forced into particular gender roles. Most on this thread are embracing the notion that children and parents should have free choice in terms of colour and style. You are pushing the notion that we should force stereotyping on children regardless of preference. The only judging I see us coming from you.

any colour is neutral to me as i followed/follow the gender neutral way

who said blue for a boy and pink for a girl

i didnt go as bad as to put a dress on my boys but they had what ever clothes i fancied and some of them was girl shirts as i hated the style and limited availability that are out there for boys

youngest did have pink washable nappies though as i got a second hand bundle very cheap