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If for no other reason, like you said, it lets people know if the baby is a boy or a girl. The only real unisex baby clothing I have ever seen are newborn, yellow and green onesies and sleepers. I assume that is for people who want to buy clothes, but don't know the gender ahead of time. So for someone who doesn't want to stick with gender specific clothes, they'd have to purposefully and specifically buy clothes that are meant for the other gender. I don't know that it is worthwhile to do that, just to make a point.
Agreed. It may be hard for some to believe, but "back in the day" people didn't know what the sex of their child was until it was born. People gave the expectant mom unisex type of clothing as shower gifts (or the mom bought such clothes for that reason).
After the baby is born, most people like to identify the child as a boy or a girl. I did find the clothing for the youngest kids to be the most sexist in terms of color. As the kids get older, they wear more jeans, khakis, polos, etc. However, that does bring up the issue of how "unisex" is actually "male". The same goes for toys, but that's off topic for this thread.
Even as the kids get older, who want's to be mistaken for the opposite sex? Until people hit puberty, there really is nothing to distinguish a boy from a girl except the way they dress. My son has one of those pretty faces, and long eye lashes. Someone very bluntly asked him if he was a boy or a girl (he's 8). She was older and went on about not being able to tell anymore, since some boys grow their hair long. My son's hair isn't particularly long, either. Anyway, I guess I don't see anything wrong with dressing a girl like a girl and a boy like a boy. If you don't like lots of frills, there are more practical girl clothes that still identify your girl as a girl.
I ignored it because I feel it is a very uninformed, uneducated stance. Anyone with even a basic knowledge of history would understand why there are women's studies courses.
How are you so sure of the posters education He\She appears to utilize the information afforded via City-Data. Basic knowledge of History or Misleading knowledge of history.....
How are you so sure of the posters education He\She appears to utilize the information afforded via City-Data. Basic knowledge of History or Misleading knowledge of history.....
I am sure because of his ignorant statement about women's studies.
Agreed. It may be hard for some to believe, but "back in the day" people didn't know what the sex of their child was until it was born. People gave the expectant mom unisex type of clothing as shower gifts (or the mom bought such clothes for that reason).
After the baby is born, most people like to identify the child as a boy or a girl. I did find the clothing for the youngest kids to be the most sexist in terms of color. As the kids get older, they wear more jeans, khakis, polos, etc. However, that does bring up the issue of how "unisex" is actually "male". The same goes for toys, but that's off topic for this thread.
Not really off topic in that whether it is clothes or toys, gendered lines give more messages than is realized. It isn't just 'blue is for boys, pink is for girls' There's so much more underneath. Such as the message that 'boy' is the default and 'girl' the exception.
Not really off topic in that whether it is clothes or toys, gendered lines give more messages than is realized. It isn't just 'blue is for boys, pink is for girls' There's so much more underneath. Such as the message that 'boy' is the default and 'girl' the exception.
Exactly! When boys and girls play together, they rarely play with dolls or do dress-up. They do "boy" things, such as build with legos, or play ball games and the like. Sometimes boys will play "house" with the girls, but they boys are usually the fathers and go off to work while the moms take care of the kids. I remember one time when my daughter was playing house with her friend. The friend's brother asked if he could be the father. (She was the mother; I guess my daughter was the cleaning lady or something.) The "mom" said, "I'm divorced! We don't have a father."
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Originally Posted by Katiana
Exactly! When boys and girls play together, they rarely play with dolls or do dress-up. They do "boy" things, such as build with legos, or play ball games and the like. Sometimes boys will play "house" with the girls, but they boys are usually the fathers and go off to work while the moms take care of the kids. I remember one time when my daughter was playing house with her friend. The friend's brother asked if he could be the father. (She was the mother; I guess my daughter was the cleaning lady or something.) The "mom" said, "I'm divorced! We don't have a father."
Yeah I remember when I was like 8 or something, was playing with this girl and we had this 'mock wedding' . I remember not enjoying it too much. I guess in that sense I was a pretty typical boy. I did a bit of rough-housing with friends and sometimes it got out of hand (remembering giving a friend a blood nose by accident, he was none too please. We would beat each other up for fun). But on the other hand I was pretty sensitive, not too loud, and quite timid and shy.
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Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom
The reason there are "women's studies" is because it all used to be men's studies. They didn't need to stake claim to it, history was written from the male perspective and women were treated like property.
I don't think women who call themselves 'Nadia's Mom,' or 'John's Wife,' or things like that are celebrating their womanhood or trying to identify themselves as women. I've always seen it as insecurity, they don't know who to be if they aren't defining themselves as someone's mother or someone's wife, just like women used to identify themselves as Mrs. Husband's Name when they wrote letters or signed checks, instead of using their own names.
I'm aware of that, but I still think there is no specific 'men's studies'. Mainstream study was dominated by men, true, but it wasn't so much about the study of men as men studying things.
Yes, it could be insecurity, or these women might just be very relational. Always found it weird in old movies when the wife was called Mrs. Frank Jones or something like that.
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@ Stumbler
Yes, that could be an explanation if statistically infant males are indeed bigger. My two nieces were quite big (one was 8 pounds 10 ounces), bigger than I was. I have a cousin two years my junior who was much lighter than me as a baby (I was spot on 8 pounds) who is bigger and taller than me so often course birth weight does not correlate with eventual adult size.
You're right, boys and girls are pretty much the same height until say age 12-14, but around that time girls are slightly taller on average due to an earlier growth spurt. I remember when I was 12 I was one of the shortest kids (compared to both boys and girls). I'm still on the short side (at least here 5'9" seems shortish), but at least I'm far from being the shortest!
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Originally Posted by SPECFRCE
How are you so sure of the posters education He\She appears to utilize the information afforded via City-Data. Basic knowledge of History or Misleading knowledge of history.....
I have more than a passing knowledge about the history of the Feminist movement. Obviously, I know why 'women's studies' began, but still, the absence of any equivalent is what I find work noting. The fact that the sciences were 'male dominated' does not negate the need for a study specifically about the male gender.
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. I remember not enjoying it too much. I guess in that sense I was a pretty typical boy. I did a bit of rough-housing with friends and sometimes it got out of hand (remembering giving a friend a blood nose by accident, he was none too please. We would beat each other up for fun). But on the other hand I was pretty sensitive, not too loud, and quite timid and shy.
