Let boys have clothes!!!!!!!!

[slushy]

Okay ladies I have started a mumsnet campaign a lot of ladies complain about the inequality of children's clothes. You know the fact that you go in ASDA to see 10 lines of girls clothes one line of boys clothes. Because boys don't really need clothes.

I personally would also like to see some trousers other than jeans. Post your idea and complains ladies, and perhaps if we get enough support Mumsnet will help out.

[BertieBotts]

EightiesChick I would have bought the jeans and top anyway!

[moonbells]

if you want toddler T-shirts which are plain coloured, then go to an online T-shirt specialist and you often find there's whole rainbows of options, and cheap too.

Here's one I just turned up randomly on Google by searching for Fruit of the Loom:
www.buytshirtsonline.co.uk/fruit-of-the-loom-childrens-valueweight-tshirt-p-571.html
(No idea how these folk are, I'm just quoting it as an example, since the T's are less than 2 pounds and have a range of 17 colours. And if they try and add VAT, children's clothes are exempt so argue!)

Now trousers, I'm with the poster who said they'd like some which aren't jeans. My DS is quite hard on trousers (he's a climber!) and yes, jeans are ok, but I would like to have some alternatives which don't cost a bomb. The last pair of jeans were £7 and the last pair of non-jeans were £22. Nuff said.

[Holymoly321]

I AM IN! Having two Ds's, I find it bloody infuriating that shops have aisles and aisles of girls stuff but hardly anything for boys! Cannot fathom it. Has there been an explosion in girl babies that I have not heard about? Is the balance of children in this country really 90% girls and 10% boys? The shops seem to think so! Argh is makes me so mad! And then when I do find something halfway decent, I can't find it in their size because the other 100 mothers of boys have already been in and bought out all of the stock! SORT IT OUT!

[PosieParker]

Next, eeeewwww shudder
Asda Why people why would you put your dcs in this shit?
Gap although it's very boring and hasn't changed in years
John Lewis Fabulous, good value and no character rubbish.
Boden WE've had it in this house for years, wears well, lasts, passes down very well and colours have not yet dated.
Tesco and Sainsbury's (see Asda review)
Stones and Bones, quite nice pieces but pricey
Diesel (same as above)
Phister and Philina Amazing but not a wide enough range

And my favourite for boys, although still not quite the range is this brilliant colours click around the site

[BertieBotts]

Not everything at supermarkets is chavs-r-us you know. Some of their stuff is okay.

I like how all of your "okay" clothes are the ridiculously expensive brands

I mean Jesus, who's going to spend £20 on a top which will be outgrown in a year??

[slushy]

"I really don't see this as a campaign issue. It's not like any of our children are going unclothed (unless by choice!). I wouldn't want to devalue Let Girls be Girls, tbh."

I don't think it will devalue the let girls be girls, you have done the petition for that and had many retailers sign up, I would not want to jeopardize it as I also have a girl, plus they are talking about using the campaign themselves to move on to something else.

Also if boys were to have equal choice in clothes would it not make the difference between the sexes more balanced meaning girls will be given slightly less chance to be so focused on clothes.

[PosieParker]

£20?

To be honest I buy very little but it's all nice stuff, I don't think I've ever seen anything in a supermarket that I would put any of my children in. JL tees are £12.50

[EightiesChick]

BertieBotts I did! But then my DH got cold feet about our DS wearing them so they are still on the shelf...

[EddieIzzardismyhero]

posie, £12.50 is bloody expensive for a boy's t-shirt IMO.

You can clearly afford expensive brands which many people can't.

I use ebay and buy a lot of second hand stuff which is great.

I have also found that M&S do a lovely range of brightly coloured, fun boys' clothes which are not too pricey.

Never understood the fuss about lovely girls' clothes tbh - all I see is aisles of pink, not a great choice at all!

[slushy]

Besides which I think constantly being branded naughty,trouble or a monster can be harmful to a child in a self fulfilling prophecy kind of way.

Yes not all clothes do this, but not all clothes were sexualising young girls (a campaign I supported) so I do think a campaign is needed.

[southeastastra]

i don't find it too hard personally, sports shops have plain shirts.

[aarghhelp]

But I pay oh around £3 for John Lewis Ts in clearance. I paid £5.50 for the last Boden T for DS. Some things mre admittedly. Less inclined to buy 2nd hand for an older age ggroup in which thins are more likely to get worn out.

[PosieParker]

Oh, bollocks I have clearly made myself look like I have money or some sort of expensive life, I don't!! This year we are flat broke and most of my dcs clothes come from my mum and dad. I do go in TKMaxx too!!

I would honestly rather have 5 nice tees than 10 cheap ones.

[slushy]

Don't take it to heart PosieParker The problem I have is DS is funny sizes really tall and skinny so we have to try clothes on him (so no internet sadly) and our nearest M&S, John Lewis, Debenhams, Gap or Boden are over a hour drive away. I don't drive so it would take about 1hr 30minutes and £15 train fare even if I did have the money to shop there, making any sale useless. We live in a rural area.

[PosieParker]

Hey slushy..JL has an amazing sale at Xmas and last year it was with free returns. The sale starts at midnight Christmas eve...

[GoldenGreen]

I do agree with you about the slogans, slushy - they really are awful - can't believe there is such a big market for them. Thankfully I am seeing fewer in the shops just recently though.

[inthesticks]

This gets worse as they get older. I have Dss of 12 and 14. Both tall for their age.

It seems boys clothes sizes go up to 13 in most stores. There is no in between equivalent of the girls young teen ranges.

I have found that by age 11 they were in the largest size of "children's" clothing. DS1 is now in men size 30" but DS2 is in between.
Most kids clothes are too small and mens sizes are too large.

So not only is there little choice of style or colour but they don't fit tall 12 year olds.

I live in the sticks and have access to a limited number of chain stores. Online shopping for clothes is too much trouble when it comes to returns.

I have recently discovered that H&M do a reasonable range up to age 14 (not that they would fit my 14 year old but they do fit the 12 year old)

[slushy]

PosieParker every year I plan to go to the city (which costs £15) Boxing day and every year MIL demands we go to hers for dinner even though I always offer her to come to ours for Christmas, but she chooses to work Christmas day (triple time), so plays the martyr act .

If I go down the day after Boxing day there are not enough bargains to make back my train fare, I am determined to get there this year though.

[becaroo]

I agree it is a nighmare. If your ds doesnt like;
skulls/pirates
ben 10
simpsons
star wars
transformers
or
iron man
...then you are stuffed!!!

My ds1 isnt into any of the above and getting plain (ish) tops/shirts and plain jeans (no stupid print or applique on them) is really hard.

Tesco do some nice plain t shirt sets and long sleeved tops sets but I tend to have to buy NEXT stuff as its one of the few places I can get plain (ish) tops and jeans.

And dont get me started on PJs!!!!! arrgh!

[becaroo]

I LOVE JL but cant afford to shop there

[becaroo]

...I also mainly shop at NEXT in the sale - I got some great tank top sets for £4 instead of £9. I think NEXT and Tesco stuff washes really well. Not keen on Asda stuff, it doesnt seem to last.

[StealthPolarBear]

Joining this having started many threads complaining about the 'choice' for boys, including one particular time when it seemed that little boys did not get wet in the rain (hundreds of girls' raincoats in every shop I went in, but none for boys).

I would like to see loads of nice bright colours with unfussy pictures - a well drawn dinosaur or animal gets my vote. Although anything Toy Story gets DS's vote

I also want trousers other than tracksuit bottoms or jeans PLEASE

[omnishambles]

but Stealth - you can get navy blue cagoules in lots of places for boys. ds has got a good cost from M&S that he has for a couple of years and JL do them too.

It isnt a big conspiracy - its just the same as the menswear issue tbh. They make less clothes for boys/men because men generally are less gullible and spend less on clothes. They are also less fashion conscious - although this is changing with the rise in body fascism for men and the creation of new products - see the whole new mens cosmetics industry.

[StealthPolarBear]

i have some now but at the time I was looking in asda/sains/tesco. our local M&S doesnt do childrens clothes.
In each of those stores there was a choice of girls raincoats, involving lots of pink, but nothing for boys

[PosieParker]

Don't you think part of the blame for this clothing desert for boys is the supermarket? Trying to cater for everyone as cheap as possible, so flooding the market with stereotypical and generally hideous stuff?

I always think about such brands Made for children, by children.