To think the NH museum shop letting girls down?

[Ambam]

So my daughter loves dinosaurs. I wanted to get her a dinosaur t-shirt for her birthday and went to the Natural History Museum online shop. But to me the vast majority of their kids clothes look stereotypically boyish (in terms of the colour palette and graphics). www.nhmshop.co.uk/toys-and-games/kids-clothes-and-accessories.html#4

She’s pretty gender heavy and I don’t reckon she’d like them.

This was a while ago but I’m now in the same position and just checked their shop again. It’s exactly the same. I get that you can say girls can wear any of the clothes they sell but, like I said, to me most of the colours and graphics align exactly with the “boys” section of most kids clothing shops. Kids aren’t stupid. They notice how things are pitched.

AIBU unreasonable or do you think their collection is a bit sexist?

[Edited by MNHQ to remove identifying info]

People would be as likely to complain if there were gendered, stereotypical, pink, glittery clothes aimed at girls.

If they're saying that some of their clothes can be customised by colour, why can't you just choose something from that range in a colour your dd would like?

So you want a pink, glittery top with dinosaurs?
And you think the NHM are sexist for not stocking same?

I think you are gender stereotyping. Those tee shirts are fab and boys or girls could wear them. Genders don't have set colours and T Rex and other dinosaurs are more aligned to Earthy Bold Colours.

Not the point of the thread... but H&M have some sequined dinosaur tops and jumpers in. They're in the boys' section.

YABU, the current trend is against gender stereotyping, as its so harmful. You don't know she wouldn't like the range, you just assumed she wouldn't.

I also have a dinosaur mad DD. We've bought

https://www.rocketandrose.com/products/girls-like-dinosaurs-too-cute-kids-slogan-t-shirt?pos=9&&sid=b603f9601&ss=r

They have tractor ones too for when she on her Grandfather Massey Ferguson. But you are right most places don't cater for girlie girls who love traditional male things.

They're being the opposite of sexist surely?

You’re upset they won’t unnecessarily gender stereotype their t-shirts. Are you quite sure?

They have amazing Dino skirts too!

You're the one gender stereo typing by saying there are 'boys' colours and 'girls' colours! Just get her a 'boy' shirt which she will then pair with leggings or a skirt or a pair of girls' shoes and, ta da, suddenly it's a 'girls' shirt

I hear ya. As a dedicated biophile it drives me nuts that dinosaurs and animals in general (other than cute fluffy things) are marketed at boys. And this is about marketing. Is there any reason you can’t have dinosaur t-shirts in multiple colours that ALL kids like, after all, we don’t actually know what colour they were.
The NHM aren’t alone in this however, so not really fair to single them out. I suggest a trip to H&M. They do flippy sequin dinosaur tops that are marketed at boys but are more appealing to both sexes than the sludge brown/green tops most outlets sell.

I've just had a look and the range looks pretty good, but I'm not sure what you mean about the graphics being aimed at boys? What were you looking for?

This made me LOL

I spotted some dinosaur clothing in more traditionally “girl” colours in Asda recently, if your daughter might like them, for example;

direct.asda.com/george/kids/sweatshirts-hoodies/yellow-dinosaur-print-ruffled-sweatshirt/GEM713547,default,pd.html?cgid=D25M2G1C16

I don’t think any of the t shirts are particularly stereotypically boyish , but I can see where you’re coming from when you say they match up with a typical boys section as they’re blue, green and yellow. I wonder why they didn’t choose other colours such as red or purple?

Although to be honest if my DD liked a particular animal/theme i’d Just but it in whatever colour. I often buy her black/grey/navy/dark green tracksuit bottoms from the “boy” section as they’re comfier and more practical than sequinned pink tight leggings (don’t get me wrong, she has those too!)

Well done to the museum I say.

Oh OP I think you’ve argued against your own point here. You’re gender stereotyping, not the shop - it’s you who has decided she wouldn’t like that, which is just personal preference not an offence on the shop’s part.

Gender neutral always means red or dark navy. Because in reality they aren't gender neutral or we'd see more biys in lighter, brighter colours.

Thet could have thrown in a grey, or purple, or mid blue.

I kind of get where you're coming from in that 'gender neutral' so often just means 'everyone wears clothes originally stereotyped as male'. Surely as wide a range of colours and styles for all would be better?

I have a solution:

Buy the dino top.

Put the dino top on your daughter.

Congratulations, it is now a girl’s dino top.

I cringed my way through reading your post. I can't believe you actually expected them to change their stock based on your ridiculous "my DD can't possibly wear a tshirt I consider a boys' one". Way to give your daughter the right message

@Inebriati I think most parents know what colours and looks their children gravitate to. My mum knew I would not be caught dead in green or yellow, preferred pinks and whites so knew which items would just never get worn

I would say a lot of the T-shirts are unisex in colour (navy/ red etc) with a realistic image of a dinosaur on the front. I think the only reason you think ‘boy’ is because they have a realistic dinosaur on the front, if the front showed a cat or a butterfly or even a cartoon dinosaur they would look girly, there’s not much that can be done about that stereotype though. In fact that’s the stereotype we should be trying to move away from and I think there would be uproar if there were lots of sparkly pink girly dinosaur T-shirts.

If your DD is very stereotypical though then not all of the unisex T-shirts are in muted colours or of realistic images. This dinosaur T-shirt and this bugs T-shirt definitely look more aimed at a stereotypical girls market than a boys one.