Feminist baby clothes?

[pippinleaf]

My little girl arrives in January and I'm excited to raise a strong and feminist baby. (I would have done this with a boy too.) I'd love to get her a few clothes with a feminist message on but can't find any. Any ideas?

Phaedra, didn't you also find FWR threads overly academic etc etc?

Ann that's how I read the thread as well and congratulations on raising such a smart daughter, that's what I would call a feminist. Good for her!

I don't think all babies suit all baby clothes, personally pale blue and grey wash my daughter right out. Just doesn't suit her. All babies will have their own skin tone surely, just like adults do?

UncleRory - I think short and fierce is totally fine. I am very much not short, hence my comment

Ann - Yes, people said those things, but that doesn't indicate the conclusion you reached. People are saying that, when pink is so ubiquitious, so expected of baby girls, you are making a feminist choice if you choose not to dress your child in it (whether sometimes, or often, or always). That isn't the same as saying that, if you do dress them in pink, that is anti-feminist, or stops the child being feminist. One isn't the flip side of the other.

Avoid pink/sparkles/any mention of princesses/sweatshop tat and you're sorted ...

Yep, that was me - guilty as charged.

I don't think what you dress your baby in will make a blind bit of difference to how that baby turns out as an adult. I do think that some other women will judge you if you have chosen to dress your baby in a way that is generally associated with passive femininity.

Not me - mind you, I like pink. I also have a world class collection of sparkly hippy tat with beads and mirrors and sequins all over everything.

Tell you what OP - find some stuff that makes you smile and dress your baby in it - OK?

( Runs away back to AIBU )

I don't think the OP thinks baby clothes will affect how her baby grows up!

Her post is separate statements isn't it:

1. I want to raise a feminist;
2. I'd like some clothes that reflect my feminist interests.

See, we have had all these recent threads about 'why everyone hates FWR' and I think in a way this is quite revealing. I honestly can't imagine anyone posting about wanting clothes referencing lesbian parenting/football teams/bands/dogs, etc getting such a hard time. It's a light hearted thread - I'm a feminist, can you find me some baby clothes. Why is it that much more provocative than "I'm a Ramones fan, do they do that in a babygro anywhere'

Yes, people said those things, but that doesn't indicate the conclusion you reached. People are saying that, when pink is so ubiquitious, so expected of baby girls, you are making a feminist choice if you choose not to dress your child in it (whether sometimes, or often, or always). That isn't the same as saying that, if you do dress them in pink, that is anti-feminist, or stops the child being feminist. One isn't the flip side of the other.

But that doesn't make sense. If it is feminist to do something, how is it not anti-feminist to do the opposite? Like UsedtobeFeckless says, if pink is associated with passive feminity to you, then it makes sense that dressing your baby in pink is saying that passive feminity is okay.

See, we have had all these recent threads about 'why everyone hates FWR' and I think in a way this is quite revealing.

I think it is revealing too, if this is a light hearted threat why are you telling me so strictly that I have read the thread wrong? Your tone is very bad.

don't 'get' "child process"

When unix commands run, they start a process - as does Windows, which you can see under task manager - a particular application/program may have a number of associated processes. If a unix process starts a second process, it's called a child process.

I suppose it's like if you start a washing up process, then you'll have child processes of taking the washing up bowl, running hot water, putting in washing up liquid and so on.

Oh, thanks, Bearhug, for explaining that - I feel enlightened and am smiling at that now. MN is an education.

You can definitely get Ramones baby grows ...

You can also get steampunk baby grows

Why is my tone bad? I genuinely don't understand what I have said to annoy you and I'm sorry if I have. I was just trying to respond to your comment that the thread was odd.

All I was trying to do was say was that whilst carrying out a particular act can be feminist, not doing so doesn't necessarily mean you are acting in an anti feminist way. E.g. you could argue it is a feminist act to take care of maintaining and arranging servicing for the family car, because it is so often a 'man's job'. That doesn't mean that the fact DH does it in our family makes me 'anti feminist', just that I've chosen not to do that.

Spiral Designs have some rather nifty Goth/Steampunky ones!

Eating a sandwich is not a feminist act.

It is also not a anti-feminsit act.

I see I have touched on 'a thing' with my Ramones comment. I never knew that! I just used it as my example because I happened to talk to a woman today who was wearing a Ramones t-shirt. I've see the toddler t-shirts though.

You sound very lecturing and not at all lighthearted.

Um, can you both be right?

Women should be able to dresses themselves ( and by extension their not-quite-here-yet babies ) in whatever the hell they like but some of those choices will come freighted with certain cultural baggage they may not welcome ...

( Picks splinters out of bum )

Annunziata

Your daughter was brought up in a different. Things are very heavily gendered now much more emphasis on pink/blue etc. And the STEM toys are very heavily marketed to boys. Toys and clothing are going the wrong way IMO and also there are actually fewer women going in to STEM careers now. We have to wonder why this is happening. Girls aren't likely to be getting stupider are they?

Penguins,

I totally agree Feckless. And I am sorry Ann. I was just trying to answer you.

dresses themselves ? I'm turning into Toki. Time to go to bed.

Oh don't worry honey

AsaMan, my daughters were raised in an Italian family... My MIL and my mum serve men's food first, my brothers never lifted a finger, toys were the least of their worries!

Not sure I can articulate this how I would like but I will try.

I find it sad that women will judge others on what clothes their babies wear.

I know my colleagues daughter judges me because I love my own DD in pink clothes. My favourite babygrow when she was born was white with pale pink spots. She was gorgeous in it. My colleagues daughter never wears pink. She wears only blue and black, no flowers, certainly no heart shapes. Nothing feminine.

But she's wrong in her judging. If my daughter wants to be a princess when she is 5 then good for her! A vet when she is 10 brilliant and a civil engineer when she is 18 just as good. She can and will be whatever she wants and pink clothes won't change a thing. I don't understand why the clothes you dress your children in matter to their attitudes as they grow up. Women can be girly and clever and this thread seems to suggest otherwise.

I think you are both right and are actually kind of agreeing with each other