Feminism: chat
Gender stereotypes on kids' clothes
Annalouisa · 17/10/2021 16:55
I was looking for t-shirts in both the girls and boys section of a a big UK high street brand when I noticed the difference in slogans between the boys and girls (i.e. the words on the t-shirts):
BOYS T-SHIRT SLOGANS:
Be the change
Cool Cool Vibes Cool Cool
Cool dude
Cool to be kind
Dino Dunk
Freestyle
Hear me roar
Make today the coolest day ever
Roarsome
Urban
Yeah!
_okay, so those slogans are innocent, right? No problem at all! But now check out the slogans on the girls' t-shirts:
GIRLS T-SHIRT SLOGANS:
Beautiful
Be happy
Be happy and smile
Daddy’s superstar
Extra fun
Happy
Happy Happy Happy
Hello
Love
Lovely
Love to dance
Rainbow
Smile and pass it on
Sweet
Wonderful
_having seen the difference in slogans, I don't find them innocuous at all. I know it's just one retailer (begins with P), but I have since checked out another big supermarket one, and there's a similar preoccupation with telling girls to be happy happy, smile, smile to be happy etc.
Why aren't the boys told to smile smile smile and be happy happy happy?
Might be reading too much into it, but the girls' slogans sound almost like a chat up line: smile for me, lovely, my sunshine, smile and be happy, love to dance, you're so sweet... 
not envious, but yucky
ThirdElephant · 17/10/2021 20:12
@LolaSmiles
I saw that on the Let Toys Be Toys or Let Clothes Be Clothes pages. Girls are always fluffy bunny rabbits and prey animals, whilst boys are linked to lions and dinosaurs.
What about cats? DD wears a lot of cats. She's also had polar bears, penguins and owls.
meloonhead · 17/10/2021 20:18
I personally don't think it's a big deal. Cutesy is marketed to girls, cars and whatnot to boys but there's no reason you have to buy either.
The only thing that annoys me is lack of unisex because I have one of each sex so we'll be passing down. It's either pink or blue- I just want more neutral colours to suit them both.
whatswithtodaytoday · 17/10/2021 20:23
Once you see predators vs prey you can't unsee it. You never see a scary shark on a pink t-shirt, do you. And all the camo is revolting.
It's so hard to find cheap and cheerful nursery clothes that aren't very gendered. I'm happy to pay more for cute clothes that I love (usually JoJo/Boden/Lindex) and trawl eBay for bargains, but sometimes I just need a multi pack of t-shirts quickly.
Elephantsparade · 17/10/2021 20:23
@ThirdElephant yes I am sure there are things that you can buy that arent prey for girls. Its just enough of a trend across a number of brands and years that its noticeable. Like in my local supermarket there are woodland friend clothes. The boys get a fox the girls a mouse.
00100001 · 17/10/2021 20:32
@meloonhead
The only thing that annoys me is lack of unisex because I have one of each sex so we'll be passing down. It's either pink or blue- I just want more neutral colours to suit them both.
So you don't think it's a big deal...yet you're complaining that's there's no neutral clothes...??
Annalouisa · 17/10/2021 20:35
@meloonhead
The only thing that annoys me is lack of unisex because I have one of each sex so we'll be passing down. It's either pink or blue- I just want more neutral colours to suit them both.
True, I don't HAVE to buy any of the stuff I don't like, but by that reasoning, it's okay to sell fur, conflict diamonds, foie gras etc etc because I simply don't have to buy them. For me it's not just about seeing the slogans and then choosing not to buy them, but the messages that are being sent/spread. Sure, it's a small thing, but all the small things add up to what's basically our culture.
Annalouisa · 17/10/2021 20:39
@ErrolTheDragon
I saw the Daily Mail headline but not the AIBU thread! Did Sainsbury's promise to change anything? Bit ironic to be called out by the Daily Fail for gender stereotypes, since they are the masters of the 'so and so shows off her pins' and 'xyz flaunts her figure' type articles.
ThirdElephant · 17/10/2021 20:40
True, I don't HAVE to buy any of the stuff I don't like, but by that reasoning, it's okay to sell fur, conflict diamonds foie gras etc
Well, no, actually. Unless you're suggesting that the manufacture of, 'Happy happy happy' T-shirts involves cruelty akin to force-feeding ducks, threatening the future of endangered species by trapping them for fur and the blood diamond trade?
meloonhead · 17/10/2021 20:44
Yes @00100001 because I don't want a screaming and crying because it's got the wrong character on not because of stereotypes.
Hey, maybe my son will love Elsa from Frizen but I don't know that. So I'd rather have plain coloured neutral clothes. I also don't want to consume loads but buying twice as I'm conscious of environmental impact.
As I say, you can buy from either section. My views are contradictory in the slightest. Gendering isn't a big deal but I prefer neutral.
ErrolTheDragon · 17/10/2021 20:52
Link to the recent AIBU thread
To think that nothing is going to change for women while girls are still targeted with this bulls... http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/4368716-to-think-that-nothing-is-going-to-change-for-women-while-girls-are-still-targeted-with-this-bullshit
UnaOfStormhold · 17/10/2021 21:02
You need the Manwhohasitall shop manwhohasitallshop.com/collection/girls/
manwhohasitallshop.com/collection/boys/
Camomila · 17/10/2021 21:11
You never see a scary shark on a pink t-shirt
We have one! Its bright pink with a shark and says "totally jawsome"
But yes - it's very rare, otherwise I wouldn't remember it so clearly.
Sometimes I buy my DSs girls clothes (eg tights for winter, plain leggings, bright tops) but I've found I have to size up as an 'age 6' girls seems to be the same as an age 4 or 5 in boys clothes.
Annalouisa · 17/10/2021 21:53
Well, no, actually. Unless you're suggesting that the manufacture of, 'Happy happy happy' T-shirts involves cruelty akin to force-feeding ducks, threatening the future of endangered species by trapping them for fur and the blood diamond trade?
@ThirdElephant
true, t-shirts (usually) have nothing to do with ducks. 
I'm not sure what the official cruelty-ranking is of these things (and God knows where/how the t-shirts are manufactured, that's a whole other story) but it's this sort of stuff that helps reinforce a stereotyped view of girls and boys that leads to later behaviour that can be extremely nasty.
In its mildest form, it can lead to the old "cheer up, love, it might never happen" comment, which no woman ever shouted at a strange man walking past her. It sounds like a stupid comment, but really it's a micro-aggression.
Yet if it's printed on a cheap pink top, it's okay. SMILE!
On a related note, do 7-9 year olds really need crop tie tops? Just looked a bit wrong to me, Lolita-like. Can't remember what the slogan on that one was...
00100001 · 17/10/2021 22:28
@meloonhead
Hey, maybe my son will love Elsa from Frizen but I don't know that. So I'd rather have plain coloured neutral clothes. I also don't want to consume loads but buying twice as I'm conscious of environmental impact.
As I say, you can buy from either section. My views are contradictory in the slightest. Gendering isn't a big deal but I prefer neutral.
Gendering is a big deal though. It reinforces negative stereotypes for boys and girls. It reinforces ideas that certain toys and clothes are for girls and for boys. It pervades everything, the moment a child is born everything is gendered in society.
If you are told a girl is "x" all your life by all the people, media, imagery and slogans...then that's damaging. These things tell us to be a girl you should be soft, kind, happy, a peace maker, a good wife, subservient.
To be.a boy? You must be strong, aggressive, scary, noisy, troublesome.... An angry dominant person.
It's a big deal.
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