Gender debate in UK spills into children's clothing
John Lewis removes gender-specific labels from its brand of children clothes, introduces unisex babywear
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IN the gender wars recently, British retailers have had trouble striking the right balance in the children's aisle, either perpetuating stereotypes or going too far in the opposite direction.
The supermarket Asda came under criticism for selling T-shirts for boys featuring slogans such as "Future Scientist" while their T-shirts for girls proclaimed "Hey Cutie!" and "Ponies Rock". Last year, an eight-year-old British girl, Daisy Edmonds, became an Internet sensation after her mother filmed her at a Tesco supermarket railing against T-shirts that she saw as sexist. Why, she asked, did the boys' T-shirts say things like "Desert Adventure Awaits", "Think Outside the Box" and "Hero" while the girls' shirts were emblazoned with "Beautiful", "Hey!" and "I Feel Fabulous"? "Everyone thinks girls should just be pretty and boys should just be adventurous!" she said.
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