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.

No, firstly I don’t have any argument with anyone. I don’t know the school and I don’t know their uniform policy - ie what shorts are allowed. But, as I said earlier, many women here weren’t saying ‘I don’t think they’d conform with the uniform policy’, they were obsessed by them being ‘girls’ shorts’, and then made comments to scare the OP (he’ll be bullied, won’t have any friends, etc etc).

If an item isn’t allowed, then yes, that’s potentially breaching the uniform policy and parents should check with the school, but this thread wasn’t about that. It was twisted into pearl clutching crap about ‘girls shorts’.

Nobody is trying to get feminism points 🙄 Just criticising backward gender stereotypes and commenting on how they pervade society, and, also, in this case adversely affect boys too. A girl would be fine wearing trousers to school, but a boy can’t wear shorts if they’re labelled ‘for girls’. We’ve had all kinds of stretches here: they’d show the dirt - but apparently that doesn’t matter if a girl is wearing them; all the teachers and parents would laugh (no, they wouldn’t 🙄).

Shocking to see quite so many old-fashioned views here. As for the idiotic feminism points crap. Ooh, yes, that’s right. They only reason a mum could possibly buy her son a doll, or her daughter a science kit could be because she’s trying to win feminism points, not because she thinks gender stereotypes are old-fashioned boll**cks.

Exactly!

Even the long hair took both Rock Stars and footballers to make really acceptable. But remember the 80s footballers with the perms. Ruud Gullit and his hair 😍. I've just googled to get the right spelling hair no more! 😥

Social norms aren't for little kids to fight, its for adults.

Nobody would bat an eyelid at a Mr Smith with long hair and male clothing, chinos, and shirt.

But they'd certainly be a bit WTF if they turned up at parents night to find Mr Smith wearing floaty summer collotte shorts!

@BreatheAndFocus would your child's Dad wear shorts like those?

If thd answer is no then they don't belong on a boy. Gender stereotypes isn't for little boys to fight.

My DH had wonderful below the collar thick wavy hair at uni. If he had rocked up in a dress or floaty collotte style shorts that looked more like a skirt he'd have been history 😂

😂

@Makingitupaswegoalong would your husband / partner wear pale blue floaty shorts?

Edit - I better clarify, would your husband or partner assuming they are male wear pale blue floaty shorts?

He doesn’t have gingham shorts but he has shorts of a similar material but a larger square check of 3 or 4 colours. So, yes, I guess. However, he doesn’t have a Bluey t shirt so I guess that doesn’t belong on a boy either? 🙄 The sheer stretches here are laughable.

Little boys aren’t fighting gender stereotypes. They’re wearing what they want and playing with what they want, without the crap of ‘Dolls are for girls’ , ‘Boys aren’t nurses, why don’t you be a builder’ etc etc.

Well, they are if their parents aren’t in thrall to outdated, and often misogynistic or homophobic stereotypes.

If by ‘monopolise the thread’ you mean engaging with it and responding to people who tag or quote me, yes I am.

You can call me rude and ageist. I can think you’re deluded and verging on bullying.

What you can’t do is be the thread police. Shame for you, but thats the way of the internet.

Not everything has ti be misogynistic or homophobic ,not wanting your child to be picked on because they are wearing clothes that are different from everybody else's is neither misogynistic or homophobic
As adults we know not to draw attention to someone wearing clothes that are different but 4 and 5 year olds don't have the same understanding
So when little " Jimmy " has been asked for the tenth time that day why he's wearing girls shorts, he might not feel that great about it.

what can I say? I’m just a romantic idealist at heart.

My poor children, being brought up to believe a better future is possible.

Yes a lad in dds reception class was bullied as he wore a cardigan. Comments like ' you have girl clothes' ' are you a girl '

I do! I’m trying to make the world a better place.

I’m the embodiment of the Coke hilltop commercial.

You’re actually quite attention seeking, dumbdog
Haven’t you had enough yet?

well said 👏

where shall I send your feminism points? I’ve monopolised the is thread I have plenty to share

Enough…what?

Attempts to bully me off the thread? Nah, I’m good.

Unless I missed a memo about the max number of engagements people are allowed?

Not read the whole thread but did see a comment about it being similar to boys wearing cardigans. Actually we have a couple of boys who have chosen to wear cardigans at my children's school. As far as I am aware no one has said a word about this. Children are usually quite tolerant and accepting of others (it's usually parents who are less so).

I have not actually seen these shorts before (maybe they don't do them in my children's school colour) so can't say whether any boys would be seen in them or not.
It is definitely hard making these choices, my daughter is only year 4 but wont wear the gingham dresses or pinafore dresses in winter as she things they are what the little children wear and will only wear a skirt and polo shirt.

I think if op had said "my son really prefers these shorts and wants to wear them" responses may have been different. I'd support my son if he wanted to go against the grain with his fashion choices, but I wouldn't force him into being different, especially not at school.

Confirmation that as I thought, a large number of people on here are completely cut off from society. If I explained any more why I said amab I'd just be hit with more bigotry or ignorance.

No most people on here are grounded in reality. A little boy turning up in girls shorts would get laughed at.

Kids lack filters they will say it exactly how they see it. Bob and Sue have the same shorts! Hahaha Bob's got girls shorts.

Note it won't be Sue has boy shorts it will 100% be Bob has girl shorts, none of the boys will be wearing any sort of gingham anything.
Why put your son through that just because you think the girls shorts are nicer?

They’re not girls shorts. They’re shorts. I very much doubt Reception children are going to identify some random blue shorts as ‘girls shorts’. The only reason people here did is because they’re labelled as such on the Asda website. If the OP had simply put a picture of them, there wouldn’t have been such a frantic clutching of pearls and comments like ‘not a proper boy’.

I don’t think OP gave the impression she’d force her son to wear them. I’m sure, like most parents, she wouldn’t. What would have made a difference was if OP hadn’t linked to the Asda page calling them ‘girls shorts’. If she’d just put a picture of a pair of blue gingham shorts, she’d have got answers not rooted in knee jerk reactions.

Ignore them. Some people have small lives and insular experiences.

IMO, related to a fear of standing out.

I don't know why people don't realise kids make their minds up from what they have seen and heard

And little kids do comment, so even if they're not 'bullying' as such, they will think they're for girls and they will say so

I don't know why people don't realise kids make their minds up from what they have seen and heard so it’s on all of us to stop saying stupid things like some clothes or colours or jobs or emotions are just for girls or just for boys.

I’m sorry @Dumbdog but we can’t actually control everyone.