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Despite some progress in the fashion industry, gender stereotypes are still alive and kicking. Although adults now have a growing number of options for unisex – or neutral – collections, children continue to experience the same cliché. A new study in Germany has found that children’s fashion has not stopped promoting gender stereotypes. We will see. Anyone who walks into the clothing department of a high street store or supermarket can easily see that children’s clothing is not just sold in one department. There is a clear separation between men and women. If there is one advantage, it is difficult to combine these two parts, the women’s area is generally distinguished by a pink explosion, and men by a blue wave. This is true for the clothing department, as well as the toy department. Despite many advances in gender neutrality over the past few years, the gender divide on which gender marketing is based is far from being the last word.
Pink and blue, the colors of argument
A study by information journalist Marie-Louise Timke and published in the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung looked into the matter to find out. The expert, along with her peers, analyzed no fewer than 20,000 shirts and shorts sold to children under the age of ten by retailers such as H&M, Zalando and About You. Prints, colors, lengths, cuts… everything was under scrutiny, and the verdict seemed clear: “Current children’s fashion cements gender stereotypes,” Marie-Louise Timke said on Twitter.
When looking at the colors of children’s clothing, it is clear that blue rules among men’s clothing, all products are included, pink rules among women’s clothing. So we can check the “proven” box for this old cliché that we thought was outdated. The survey’s conclusions go further: “Girls’ second shirt is almost always pink.” This image is the most extreme in the H&M collection,” says the data analyst.
Predestined to be dreamers or adventurers
Although girls and boys have long – if not always – shared love, the prints that are supposed to create a sense of fun in children’s clothes prove that the line between the sexes is stronger than it seems – and clichés and characteristics about each gender’s preferences are difficult to break. The most commonly used words for girls are “love,” “girl,” “sunshine,” “smile,” “dream,” and “dreamer.” On the men’s side, we find words related to adventure or sports, with an emphasis on surfing, such as “aloha”, “wave”, “surf”, “fast”, “beach” and “crew”. Two completely different atmospheres. Not content with clearly demarcating gender, children’s fashion promotes stereotypes that have no reason to exist.
The prints also depict different lifestyles. Here are the most characteristic words on shirts for girls and boys under ten. Boys 🏄 sports, girls should dream. pic.twitter.com/qknWeV3lg1
— Marie-Louise Timke (@datentateterin) August 22, 2022
Last but not least is the length of the dress. While it may seem obvious that boys and girls under the age of 10 should have the same shirt and shorts, in practice this is not the case. Unreal! “We stocked and compared thousands of shorts for kids from H&M, Zalando and About You. The difference in length is obvious: on average, women’s shorts are 30 cm wider than men’s shorts, six cm shorter. And this is despite the fact that children’s bodies rarely differ at this age. Boys are a bit taller and heavier, but you can easily choose the next size up. “The fact that girls’ pants are tight and short is simply a result of fashion and socialization,” said the specialist.
The research indicates that it is impossible to find clothes specific to any print, for example, evening dresses decorated with dinosaurs, football print dresses, or cargo shorts covered with unicorns.
“In the logic of these markets, girls are first and foremost little women; for them, clothes are to please. And men must be everything but ‘girls.'” closed Marie-Louise Timken.
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