children's clothes with skulls on...WHY?

[sausagepastie]

I can't understand it - it's horrible, isn't it? Or is it just me being old fashioned?

The last thing I want is an image of a skull on my son's clothes.

Skulls are "edgy" - in PR speak.

I guess it's just 'fashion' but I don't buy clothes with skulls on, they just make me think of the genocide in Rwanda:

www.kigalimemorialcentre.org/old/centre/other.html

I wouldn't object on a rebellious teen

I also never object to the guns thing, I think it's healthy to play at killing each other...it gets rid of some aggression. Skulls and crossbones don't bother me if they are in context. But just a random pattern of skulls looks revolting and I understand what the poster who mentioned Cambodia means. It does kind of look like that somehow, which to anyone's mind is a disgusting thought.

I reckon it might be the thing about pre-teenagerising young children that bothers me. Yes yes if you are 17 by all means be subversive and into nasty stuff as a big rebellion thing, but don't make tiny kids' clothes in the same vein - it's rather like making playboy outfits for small girls, really. it's inappropriate.

Exactly Cyclops

My baby has a black frilly skirt with white cartoon skulls, the 3 yo has a black and white stripey t shirt with a smiley skull with a bow on its head. To me, they are less offensive than the horrible pink t shirts with slogans about boys that I have to fight through to get to anything decent.

We have a little model of a skull with a mouse poking out of its eye as well, it came from the flat of BIL who died. DD1 loves her uncle's pirate, and it reminds her of him as he dressed like Russell Brand if he was on Pirates of the Caribbean.

I suppose it is a bit horrible if you think too deeply about it, but DD1 just sees it as a pirate, and pirates get to sail boats and say "arrrr". Much better than the toddler understanding of princesses- ie that they wear nice dresses and get rescued.

Playboy on girls clothes is a sexualisation of a young child which is not the same as dressing them up as killers goes away to think about my point
Skulls have many meanings, playboy bunnies do not.

it's a bit unimaginative but doesn't really offend me. not in the same way as teenagery clothes on little girls

oh and all those bloody slogans "mummy's little princess" "here comes trouble" etc makes me want to heave

I prefer animals/robots/aliens etc while they're little

I kind of know what you mean, am a bit ambivalent about the skulls on children's items myself. However, do much prefer it to that insidious Barbie crap.

I guess it has that Alexander McQueen-esque cool about it non?

Has to be done the right way though? Not a fan of those Deb coats either... just a bit minging.

How about these then? We can't keep them in stock!! Even a certain famous children's food writer bought one of these at the Baby Show from us... (although I think all her children are way out of nappies!)

I quite like them. It's only a body part.

Almost educational.....

Small children don't think "death" when they look at them, they think "pirate" - of the Pugwash variety, rather than the real raping pillaging sort.

My boys have had a couple of skull decorated things, boy 1 has some skeleton pyjamas.

But I won't let them wear slogans like "I am a very naughty little boy" - why advertise the fact?

I won't buy ds any clothes with skulls on.

Amazing - i was coming on to do an AIBU about skulls on kids clothes and saw this thread highlighted on the right of the page!

I detest them - and its not just for girls either - last year tesco had flip flops/baseball caps etc for girls, which looked like they were white with floral pattern and silver streaks - only looking closer the silver streaks were skulls and the grim reaper. I returned the hat i had in error bought for DD age 8

yuk!

I love them! It is so rock 'n' roll and I wish I could more stuff like that for my DS. I can't stand bland, boring clothes that all the other LO's have.

We've got quite a lot of skeletons/ skulls around the house. I painted a tray for dh years ago as a Valentine present, it says 'Viva La Vida' ('long live life' - pre Coldplay, honest!) and is decorated with flowers and skulls. We've also got little skeleton models that I made of us sat on top of a box decorated with dancing skeletons.

Have a look at some of the Mexican day of the dead stuff, and paintings of Frida Khalo - they have sugar skulls for children, and beautifully painted skulls and skeletons as part of the celebrations of the lives of dead loved ones.

Love them, have plenty on my and DH's clothes too, my DS also has Motorhead bib and top tho. I'm afraid we're alternative and most parents probably think we are beyond the pale!

Pirates are cool. Skulls symbolise different things in different cultures, arn't they revered in mexico?

I LOVED Swallows and Amazons growing up (in fact, still do) All I wanted was a pirate flag - those 2 sisters were so, so, so cool.....

If we ever get a tree house up for the DC's I WILL hunt down a skull and crossbones flag!

When I was pregnant with DD2 the first baby thing I dared to buy her (at nearly 6mths pg) was a tiny little Darkside black t shirt with white skulls over it, from Download festival. it's in her baby keepsake box. She has another in pink with black skulls she has just grown out of too.
It's a bit of a leap to genocide. When I see cartoon dinosaurs I don't see images of barbaric Triassic swamps, just cartoon dinosaurs.

Three's some really nasty ones about again aren;t there?

I ahev all boys so I find it takes time to get clothes that are affordable, funky and non nasty

They recently saw one they liked that said 'I trierd but I was bored'- er what? On waht possible elvel is that an OK message to give a small boy (or any otehr child for that reason)

I did allow ds3 one that said get outta my way becuase atb that stage (SN) it was all he could say so his catchphrase, otherwise I am even uncomfy about pirtaes tbh

I ahvent banned skulls as they are after all just head bones, but anything else that is nasty is, so slogans of violence / aggression / general crapness 9'Yes I do rule the world' type shit)etc

skulls I'm ambivalent about, they are just a bone, we all have one. I chose not to buy skull motif clothes for my boy, but I chose not to buy many motif clothes for him anyway, prefering plain or stripes.

I dislike more than skulls the T-shirts that have derogatory comments on them, " here comes trouble" " who needs parents" etc.

I hate t-shirts with statements.....

"My mummy is a yummy mummy" actually means My mummy thinks she is damn hot so I have to be a walking ad for that

"Here comes trouble" Yes, I really am a little sh*t

Yadda Yadda

Pixierara - we have got a big skull and crossbones flag, which my sister bought for me from e-bay, the dd's like to use it as a picnic blanket when they have a tea party, it makes me laugh because they are usually dressed as Disney princesses at the time.

'It's a bit of a leap to genocide'

depends on your persepective I guess. To me, skulls connote very strongly with the genocide that happened in my adult lifetime in Rwanda. Images of hundreds of skulls, neatly stacked outside memorial centres are hard to shake off.

But yes, I realise that young dc just like the association with pirates.

I hate them and none of my DC wear them.

Bit of a leap from Frida Kahlo if you ask me

I'm sure debenhams didn't make that connection, lol

I appreciate the Mexican thing, that;s fine, but over here it's not part ofthe culture, and the whole POINT is that it's a rebellion thing, a nasty, ya boo sucks to the establishment kind of statement.

That's why it makes me feel slightly ill on small children's clothes. It is no more acceptable to me than making them wear tiny reebok trainers, special baby sized levi jeans and a ponytail on the top of their head...in short, it's an adult projection.