Why Is Everything Gendered?
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It is frustrating that there is such a divide in items for kids.
You try to raise your kids the best you can to accept others and to be as well rounded as you can, but unfortunately not everyone thinks the same way that you do. Namely, large portions of the corporate world are still working on ideals from many years ago. While there are definitely important lessons to be had around gender and the differences between them, they should not affect consumer items to the degree that they do.
Go into any store that sells clothing and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Try to find a shirt for your son that has a cat on it, or one that has pink or purple. It may take awhile. Now, walk over to the girls section and you’ve probably already found such an item. In reverse, try to find a shirt that has a picture of pizza on it in the girl’s section. Not happening, but you’re sure to find those items in the boys section.
What is it that makes a cat something that only girls wear? Does your son not like cats? It’s not likely only girls like cats, so why are we making such an association with clothing? Similarly, I bet your daughter will eat as much pizza as my son will if given the chance. It’s not like a girl doesn’t like to eat. These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to clothing - there are so many items that seem to be for boys or girls.
It’s not just clothing either. You’re going to find the same thing in the toys section. You know when you’re in the girls section of the store. Princesses, pink, and purple everywhere. Bright and vibrant colors everywhere. On the other hand, you walk down the boys aisle and you’re going to find cars and action figures in darker colors - not going to find too much pink or purple down those aisles either.
Toys are at least getting better. Girls can like cars, and they’re selling more of them. Similarly, there are a lot of action figures, generally depicting female characters, that you’ll find in those aisles as well. It’s great to see, and it makes sense with many of the women’s movements we’ve seen the past several years. Girls can and do like the same things as boys - it goes the same in reverse as well.
Books, baby supplies, and food products all have different ways that they target different genders. Why aren’t we just targeting those with different interests. Let’s stop labeling and dividing things by gender needlessly. With clothing, it makes sense at least to divide by gender based off of how the clothing is cut and sewn. But that’s where it should really end in terms of gendering clothing.
It’s time that items are simply targeted based on what someone likes. So what if my son wants a pink shirt with a cat on it? He likes pink and he likes cats. Who cares if my daughter wants a shirt that talks about all of the foods that she likes? Why should one of these things be for boys and another for girls? Why does a color have to be targeted at a specific gender instead of just those that like that color?
It’s time to stop making everything so gender specific. The sooner that we can get to that realization, the sooner we can start really making a bigger difference in many of the gender divides we have in the workplace and household as well.
