Friday, January 21, 2022

My Twitter Rant About Text on Baby Clothes

Short thread rant... Baby clothes with text/print can be gross. I remember many years ago, I was friends with 2 sisters and we were shopping with the older sister for her then new baby boy.  

I saw a lovely lavender onesie and pointed it out to her. Older sister-friend pretty much looked at me as if I grew horns and told me, "I don't want the boy to grow up funny". I told her, "You know orientation isn't determined by clothing color?" And she dismissed me. 

I'm just here to tell you I stopped being friends with both(other sister was another matter). If I ever have a baby(& it doesn't seem likely), before I receive any such clothes at a shower, I would send a disclaimer for my gifters that all colors were welcomed and no cringey text, i.e. "I'm a Princess Searching for my Prince"! Um, what if baby-girl grows up wanting a *Princess* instead of a Prince? Or, another example, "Daddy's Little Man" learns while growing up she's actually a woman? Could we STOP?

As I've said before, colors for certain genders is a construct. Once upon a time- During the Victorian-to-Industrial Age - Pink was a boy's color and blue was for a girl. Their reasoning? Pink was considered too strong of a hue for delicate girls. Blue was considered softer. Lighter. Perfect for shatter-easily 'glass princesses'... It switched to its current Pink for girls, Blue for boys some years later.

When I was little, the only pink I saw in toy stores was on a few of the dollies' dresses or shirts. Now I go into a toy aisle(s), and EVERYTHING is in PINK on one side or aisle, while EVERYTHING is in BLUE on the other side or another aisle! This. Is. Insanity.

What does this also say? That ideas about colors tied into gender are not etched in stone. These are not the Ten Commandments or other ethical laws(which can also change according to different societies). 

These are fashions driven by trends driven by constantly shifting social mores. Also, what we consider a 'boy's color' isn't universal. Not even by regions or continents. Not even by culture. 

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