To ask if boys can wear coloured gingham school shorts?

[Makingitupaswegoalong]

DS starting school in September. I’ve never liked the grey boys’ school shorts. I think they’re horrible.

Could a boy wear the shorts version of the summer dresses in the warmer months? The ones like this:
https://direct.asda.com/george/school/shorts/light-blue-girls-gingham-longer-length-school-shorts/G008057152,default,pd.html?redirectFromInt=1&cmpid=ppc--geor-------_-dskwid-_dm&utm_campaign=pla:Fashion-School-_Performance_Max&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17501196607&gbraid=0AAAAADt8Wcm1oMWVYoBrMZRAaJmY4OxHM&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgIXCBhDBARIsAELC9ZgYG9pdeZibdgD76_xniRBLDqnyyvZArL9DdLA7VsYiWE5zGC1CWE0aAkIFEALw_wcB

The little boys round here wear a lot of brightly coloured patterned leggings.

Why couldn’t they were these shorts? Are they obviously girly? Would people bully him or think we were weird? I just think they’re nicer.

Little boys often do get dirtier.

Little girls tend to lift themselves across the ground so they don’t feel the friction; little boys tend to drag themselves. If you watch them playing at the playground ( I have done maaaany hours of this!) you will likely find yourself thinking “ those trousers are going to be filthy/ wrecked/ knees gone through in no time” when watching the boys.

Of course there are exceptions either way and most girls get dirty too. But lots of boys really do grind in the dirt.

i meant the gingham shorts - presumably you mean the grey ones! My DS wears the grey ones all year round too.

My now adult son and I still recall one of his friends turning up for football in a pink gingham bonnet!

100%.

Getting trousers in natural fabric was a trial, especially the right shade of grey.

No choice on the plastic blazers.

My mum taught me not to give in to bullies. Why should they win? They are the problem, not the child who wants to be a little bit different , and I wouldn't be sending my child to any school that allowed it to carry on. It's also not a given. There was a boy at the last school I was in who wore a 'girls' gingham jumpsuit, had long hair, wore pink clothing on non uniform days. Year 5. Mum was everything that the GC lot on here claim to be and made him feel confident in saying 'I'm not a girl, I'm just Timmy (not real name obvs!) who likes to wear these clothes'.

Be the change, and all that.

"...but it’s been hard to find ones long enough."

Bermuda shorts are the type that go down to the knee. For example, black ones for men from Zara £39.99

https://www.zara.com/uk/en/pleated-bermuda-shorts-with-belt-p04433992.html

Or there is a website that does clothes specifically for taller men and they have shorts that are on the knee for guys up to 6'9" tall.

For example here for £35 (or two for £45):

https://www.2tall.com/products/2t-alex-tall-chino-shorts-black

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I have teenage girls. My eldest is in a large sixth form and there’s barely any colour to be seen, whether it’s casual or at a party/dressed up.

Well good for you
But i didn't want my son to stand out ,he was timid enough when he was little I wasent about to use him to make a statement

Absolutely ridiculous to gender clothes. But it's not about what you like OP, It's about what your son feels comfiest in whilst still confirming to school uniform policy.

Boys like to run as a pack when they're little. Give him every chance to fit in by wearing the grey shorts.

It’s not about what you don’t like or what he wants to wear; the uniform policy will very likely state grey trousers or shorts for boys. He won’t know an alternative exists unless you tell him.

Wow, I’m less aware of social norms for girls.

At proms and parties I see teenage girls wearing colour. But guess it depends on the prevailing fashions locally.

My DSs wear v brightly coloured football shirts (red, salmon pink, orange, neon green) but would never choose an ordinary t-shirt in those colours. I bought DS2 an orange Adidas tee, but he only wears it at home.

Firstly they are under the girls section they do not do them under the boys section and they are not unisex either.

Secondly majority of schools have a uniform policy which you would need to check.

Thirdly sadly kids can be cruel and say unkind things and a boy wearing these would certainly get comments made. Why put your son through that?

Don’t do it. My brother had a pair of Mickey Mouse swimming trunks when he was about 6, there’s a photo of him in them where the way he’s standing they sort of look like Minnie Mouse, he was teased about his Minnie Mouse trunks by his friends for years, they still bring it up occasionally now 20 years later.

Cool. Wouldn't blame you. I just think it's really interesting that for all the talk on this site that gender is made up, and not a real thing that people can feel or be affected by, this is the reaction to something as simple as blue shorts. As we can see here, gender is a real, societal structure/pressure that keeps boys and girls in little boxes. Especially boys.

Who says we are dressing our daughters in them? We don't as we know they get stains. Nothing worse than brown mud stains on the bottom if your shorts/leggings/trousers.

The pale blue gingham dresses were the worse for stains. The red weren't as bad.

The playsuits were the least practical uniform item ever invented.

You need to ask the school. If they refuse you will only really have a case to challenge if girls are allowed to wear the shorts. If no one is allowed them, you have no grounds. You could however argue your son's rights to wear a gingham dress or any other aspect of school uniform worn by girls.

Who's we? People as a whole? People do dress their daughters in them, because shops sell them and people buy them. Otherwise the shop wouldn't sell them. And noone would bat an eyelid or start a thread about a girl wearing them.

The worst thing for me was a large toy store (about 15 years ago now, so hope it’s changed)

DS, about 7 at the time, was really into drawing with felt tips. We were looking for sketch pads, pens etc. Couldn’t find them. Asked the assistant and they said it was on the Girls Floor.

Turned out the construction toys (Lego and the like) were on the Boys Floor. And paints, pens, paper etc were on the Girls Floor.

And we think this shit comes from kids. Social conditioning.

I haven't understood it the same way as you. I've understood 'not real' to mean no biological basis, and agreement with you that gender norms are a social construct that can be strictly enforced by social norms and some are harmful. (Also the norms can change over time and by culture) but not following the norms doesn't make your biology change. I see lots of comments suggesting that the 'bandwidth of male' needs to widen the most.

God they are awful.

And by the time they are six, the boys will HATE them.

Grey shorts all the way. Your little boy is growing up and you need to accept that rather than trying to play dress up as if he's a doll with him.

I'd think you were a total loon if you suggested it to the school. More so if you got them to agree.

My daughter's school doesn't have a summer uniform, she's Y5 now, but has worn a variety of navy skirts/culottes or grey shorts/trousers for the last six years. Super practical and don't show the grot. Why on earth you'd want an active four year old to wear thin gingham shorts to school is beyond me. They'd get ruined pretty quickly. Save cute cotton shorts for your holidays.

I also think they are nicer OP, very cute with a polo shirt. If your ds likes them then why shouldn’t he wear them ?
Also don’t understand the stain thing, as I have daughters, and managed to keep their Summer dresses looking the same as when I bought them. The key thing is cotton not polyester, cotton doesn’t stain easily.

Yes you can if you want him to be laughed at.