Boys clothes vs Girls clothes - what are the main differences you have noticed in the shops?

[Flowertailbird]

I wonder if you can help me out.

My daughter is doing a project on children's clothes and in particular how the clothes labelled as for boys and or for girls differ. She wants to focus on whether or not there is obvious sexism in the clothes and at what the different clothes feature as prints and patterns for example she has seen boys toddler clothes full of words like 'adventure' or 'brave' etc. and girls clothes full of princesses and 'be kind' designs.

I honestly did not notice this when my children were younger, I was oblivious to it but now when she has pointed this out to me I am really quite shocked as to some of the differences that passed me by.

As parents of young children, please could I have your comments as to what you have noticed, if anything, with regards to this so I can pass them on to her.

Thank you and if I have put this in the wrong board or I could get more responses elsewhere I would really appreciate this being moved or put where is most suitable.

Agreed, girls tend to be bigger at birth and stay bigger on the whole until puberty. So why on earth does my DD fit into an H&M size 8-10y T-shirt from the boys section but the same age girls T-shirt is too small?! Boys Tshirt is black, Harry Potter. Girls Tshirt although still HP, is yellow, thin, cropped with shorter sleeves

Boys clothes are definitely thicker and warmer. It’s so hard to find sturdy clothes for girls.
Unicorns everywhere.
I also find girls summer clothes prioritise “being pretty” over sun protection. The t shirts have shorter sleeves or frills which offer no sun protection.

@LunaNova total side note but do you sell clothes you make?

I don't believe there is a significant difference until puberty. there's enough of a difference that red books are sexed. But it isn't just the basic size, it's the cut. Boys are designed to be looser on top of the extra bit for being boy sized

@mrsmch123 sadly at the moment I don't have the time to make to sell, it's something I'd love to do in the future though!

Shorts!! Girls' shorts are always super short and there are no practical/comfortable sporty options that aren't cycling shorts.

T-shirts - girls' tops generally have shorter sleeves and "pretty" gathers on the sleeves and neckline. No idea why in ranges for children up to 7.

Girls' clothes are generally slimmer cut in general making it difficult for those children who do not fit that norm.

I don't mind the darker colours for boys' trousers as DD's light pastels got trashed by her active lifestyle but really struggle to get comfortable trousers that stay up on 3 year old DS.

The hardest wearing t-shirts I’ve found come from Mountain Warehouse, who often have sales. They are as guilty as other shops for gendering their clothes but my daughter has been more than happy to wear things from the “boys” section.

Polarn O Pyret are good for unisex clothes but they’re bloody expensive!

T-shirts and tops are more fitted, shorts are shorter, harder to get brighter colours for boys at an earlier age than girls.

My dd is 10 and the last year or so we’ve found it harder to get clothes she likes apart from branded sports wear. We tried the New Look 9-15 range recently and every single top and sweatshirt was cropped or super cropped.

For girls’ shorts, I have found comfy jersey shorts in H&M, John Lewis and Joules. They are short though.