The gender neutral debate- does it even exist?

Just recently I have seen more and more people fighting for gender neutral things - toys, clothes, shops. Fair enough you might say but is it really all that necessary?

Toys are toys. Clothes are cloths. Even teachers are being asked to use gender neutral pronouns for kids at school - erm really? Shall we just let people use whatever changing rooms they want, or toilets? Why bother with those.

People want clothing companies to stop producing girls clothing and boys clothing and to make gender neutral clothing but what is so wrong with having boys and girls clothes? If I see a t-shirt that says Little Princess on it then I will buy that for my daughter and not my son, and vice versa if the t-shirt was to say Little Prince.

In the clothing shops I go to the boys section for ideas for my son and the girls section for my daughter. That said there is no electric fence that stops me entering the opposite gender's section if I want to see if there is anything there that might be suitable. Well not that I have noticed but the way people fight against clothing and toys stores having boy and girls section indicates that there is a barrier there that can't be crossed.

I never knew that people were unable to ignore a sign that states what the clothing (or toys) are generally aimed at. I have bought many bits of clothing for both children from the opposite gender's section and have not been electrocuted, questioned, or stopped from doing so. I just bought a pair of trainers for my son that are described as girl's. There is no reason to be girl's trainers but the fact they have girl in the description did not mean I could not buy them for my boy.

Both children love playing with my daughters girly looking kitchen. Both children play with my son's tool bench. Both items I would not have been surprised to be classed as girl's or boy's in the shop but does that mean I can only buy to for a girl or a boy? No. My son loves to play with dolls, my daughter loves tractors but I don't think it is necessary to shout about it to the stores and ask them to remove the boy or girl signs. Nope I just simply have to let me children play with what they want to play with.

Why don't people just shop for what they want, what they like, what they want to buy and if they don't want to be told something if aimed at one sex or another, then why on earth don't they just ignore the signs, pick up the item and buy it.

People have campaigned for things like aprons that say "Mummy's little helper" in pink and "Mummy's little helper monster" in blue to be removed from a High Street store. Like really? Don't like it don't buy it but don't spoil it for those that do want to buy it. If a parent want to buy clothing for a girl that states she is a princess or fairy that is fine. If they want a strong like daddy jumper, great! If you don't want to buy that then go and search elsewhere for something. There are thousands of clothing retailers that you are bound to find something that you want to buy, just the same as other parents might want to buy the things that you don't want to buy.

Yes I do get annoyed about how limited the choices in boys clothing there are in comparison to girls clothing but that wouldn't be solved by removing the signs from above the shelves, that just need someone to realise that blue, blue and more blue is not all that a parent wants.

There is no need for shops to change their displays. There is no need to remove boys or girls from shop displays. There is no need for any of this fuss.

Want to buy a pink t-shirt for your boy? Buy it! Don't shout about how unfair it might be for it to be in the girls section, just pick up it, take it to the checkout, pay for it and put it on your son.

Training Mummy



  1. Oh well thank god for that! I am so sick of hearing the same things on this. I've actually got a post in my drafts asking if the gender neutral debate has had its time? In my eyes, it has. I'm totally in agreement with you that if you want to buy blue things for boys and pink for girls, then go for it. If you want to buy pink things for your boys and blue things for your girls, go ahead. But please stop pasting it all over the internet and making a huge deal out of it. At the end of the day vendors need an audience to market to. I grew up with Barbies, but I was still a tomboy and climbed trees, it doesn't mean I'm going to be confused or too 'girly'. Just ugh, I've had it! Haha xx

    1. I am so glad it is just me. I can't stand it. Just cos a sign suggests it might be suitable doesn't mean you will be shot if you buy for the opposite sex. Just go shopping and get on with it.

      I am same, had Barbies and dolls but still a tomboy too. Maybe this is wrong to say too?

  2. Oh i feel this completely!! I really wish companies focused more on gender neutral clothing than your typical pink or blue! Im expecting a boy and he’s very gender neutral with greens, whites, greys and yellows in his wardrobe - why should everything be blue!?

    1. I wouldn't even mine having boy or girl aimed clothing if it just had colour - a little price doesn't have to be blue, he can like green, orange, yellow! I have felt so disappointed shopping for stuff for F.