For a few years now it seems clothing companies have been under scrutiny for their very genderised clothing for children. And while things may have changed a little bit (Clarks now do a couple of pairs of harder wearing shoes for girls), there still seems to be a massive disparity between how boys and girls are perceived.
I took this photo a few weeks ago when looking for summer clothes for my 5 year old. I couldn’t find any shorts of a decent length that were practical for climbing, jumping going for walks in etc. So I ended up buying boys shorts, not for the first time and I suspect not for the last.
Why are we giving young girls the impression at such a young age that they shouldn’t be as adventurous as boys? Why are we letting them believe that clothes are to make you look good and not be comfortable and tough enough so they can play?
The clothing companies will inevitably say that they stock what sells but if they only stock ‘fashion’ clothes for girls then that is all that is available to buy! It’s a catch 22 situation. You are probably thinking, ‘why doesn’t she just buy her girls boys clothes then?’ And I regularly do. But when shopping with your own children they pick up on all the marketing that surrounds them. From a very young age they are internalising what makes a girl a girl and it becomes increasingly difficult to challenge that.
As much as I would like to be I am not their only role model. They are also influenced by their friends, teachers, other family members, TV shows, adverts, films etc etc. Just as we as adults are they are being constantly bombarded with information about what women should look like, how they should behave and what happens if you don’t for into that ideal. But I hope that as their mother I can continue to have a significant positive influence over them and also have such a relationship with them that they feel able to share their worries and concerns about what it is to be a girl/woman.
Happy Healthy Daughters 