IOSWYT: LIL DOES NOT BELONG IN THE PINK BOX!

Last Wednesday night in H&M, whilst browsing the boys section, I got a dirty look from a Mum pushing her son in his buggy. Yep, you read that right. Boys section. I wasn't buying a gift for a boy, I was buying for my daughter. I can't be one hundred percent sure why she gave me such a dirty look but I'd bet money on the fact it was because I held up a t-shirt from the boys section (below) and put it against Lil.

Er...since when was Sesame Street a boys programme?

This isn't the first time I've had strange looks from people when they've seen what Lil wears and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last. Since when did the rule book state that girls had to wear girls clothes and boys could only dress in boys?

Dressed in a top from the boys section at Christmas

Growing up, I was dressed in florals and pinks and princess outfits. But when I was old enough to know what I wanted to wear, I found myself buying boys shirts and lots of grungey clothes with studs on. Is that so wrong? I sometimes wear my husbands t-shirts, styled up. I've never read on the label 'NO VAGINAS ALLOWED'. The world has gone insane.

Wearing tights from Slugs and Snails

I've been reading about the whole pink for girls/blue for boys thing a lot just lately. It's crazy. Times have changed and it's sad that people are still stuck in their boxes. Here is a great post about putting girls in pink boxes.

Hamleys have now changed their instore signage, no longer labelling the floor full of soldiers 'boys' and the floor with dolls 'girls' - a small, albeit positive, step back from 'gender essentialism'. Lil has dolls and cars and a tractor with a farm and a tea set. None of these toys I would label boys or girl. My friends son has a doll. My husband had a doll and a pushchair for it too. What's the problem?

Lil can't yet choose what she wants to wear but when she can, it will be her choice. If she wants to play cowboys or dress up a Spiderman, she can be my guest. And I'll be damned if people put her in the pink box.

11 comments:

Leopard Print MommyApril 23, 2012 at 3:11 PM
I think you little one looks fab!! my little man loves dressing up in my neices pink ballerina tutu, pushing round her babys pushchair and awwing at dolls (of which he has 2 of his own) I once got a comment at a party when he was wearing a pink top, asking how old 'she' was now i think my son has a rather boyish face, and definately a boys hair cut, and when i said she was a he, i got a horrid look and she said 'why is he dressed in pink?' some people are stuck in the past! (ps love that seasame street top, got to get that for Harry) greta post x
KyNa BoutiqueApril 23, 2012 at 3:36 PM
Love this post lady, So true. Nate once wore a flowery shirt and i was told "what a beautiful little girl you have" when i corrected her she said, but he is wearing flowers.. mmm yes?
Im very concious of this when stocking the website to and try not to stick things into just "boy" or "girl" boxes.
AliceHaroldApril 23, 2012 at 7:12 PM
I completely agree with this! Elfie's favourite toy is a lorry x
SarahApril 24, 2012 at 9:33 AM
so very true. i hate all that baby blue stuff for the same reasons and always like to put stanley in yellow and reds and bright colours. a friend of mine recently got asked at the till 'oh sweet how old is 'he'? she replied "oh she is a she actually". to which the response was "oh, well you shouldn't dress her in blue then" hahahahaha like it was her fault. she was in a navy blue jacket for christs sake....
MammasaurusApril 26, 2012 at 3:47 PM
I too raid the H&M boys section for clothes for Kitty, the boys stuff just looks so much better than most of the girls items and like you say - where's the NO VAGINAS ALLOWED label?
I feel really dejected by the amount of little girls clothes that I see when out and about that makes little girls look years older than they need to - boob tubes and heels are not for kids!
The Dress TreeApril 26, 2012 at 5:19 PM
Oh hells yes. To everything you just said.

When we found out that Pip was going to be a girl and told everyone, we were given so many clothes. Which of course was great and saved us a small fortune, but if I'm honest I did start getting bored of seeing the same shade of pastel bloody pink on everything.

I wanted to get her some bits with some other colours in, just to balance it out a bit and the only place I could find anything that wasn't pink (or at a push, red) was in the boys section.

So be it then. That's where you'll find me the next time she needs some new clothes.

P.S. Lil's t-shirt rocks.
Belfast MummyMay 18, 2012 at 1:35 PM
Totally agree, I have a girl and a boy, as an example my little girl has just moved out of Zara baby and into Zara girl, this range goes from 2 to 14! Some of it just looks like mini adult clothes which is fine for 14 year olds but not for a tiny toddler. Although I have to say I find it equally hard to find nice clothes for my little boy. It does seem as of the Scandinavians have it right with the unisex approach.