Blue is for Girls and Pink is for Boys and Dinosaurs are for Everyone

by ParentCo. May 11, 2016

Today, parents aren’t just faced with a dividing line across colors, but a whole parade of animal mascots that are similarly separated by gender. Girls get bunnies, butterflies, and unicorns. Boys get dinosaurs, sharks, and bears. Girls get T-shirt slogans about sweetness, cupcakes, daydreams, and best friends. Boys have clothing emblazoned with text and imagery related to champions, airplanes, superheroes, and toughness. The ability to determine a baby’s sex before birth, a facet of prenatal care that’s only been routine in the Western world since the 1970s, has exacerbated these divisions. These days, it’s fashionable for many parents to hold “gender reveal” parties in which they announce the baby’s sex, long before he or she is born. While little girls are often at the center of backlash against gender-oriented marketing, little boys also face real constraints, but they tend to get less attention. That’s part of why Hartman, of Jessy & Jack and Free to Be Kids, makes T-shirts that say “Love is my Superpower,” and “Kind Like Daddy”—meant to be worn by everyone, but designed with boys in mind. It’s difficult to overstate the cultural power that clothing wields. What a person wears isn’t just seen as a reflection of their style and values, but a window into that person’s identity. For children in particular, the link between what you wear and who you are is especially strong.
Source: Princess Awesome, Free to Be Kids, Handsome in Pink, and Other Businesses That Are Destroying Gendered Baby Clothes - The Atlantic



ParentCo.

Author



Also in Conversations

6 Tips for Getting Back to a School-Year Bedtime Routine
6 Tips for Getting Back to a School-Year Bedtime Routine

by Carrie Howe

With summer having thrown everyone off schedule, it's a good idea to add "gradually shift bedtime routine" to your back-to-school to do list.

Continue Reading

Grandparent loving to a kid
How a Positive Relationship With Grandparents Can Shift Views of Aging

by ParentCo.

The benefits extend beyond your child when they have a positive relationship with their grandparents. It's a love that touches the whole family for the good.

Continue Reading

kids sitting at a table
Natural Approaches to Keeping Kids Healthy During the School Year

by Natasha Scripture

From a healthy diet with colorful rainbow plates to getting plenty of rest to good-for-kids supplements, here are trusty tips for boosting little immune systems.

Continue Reading