How do you feel about this?

I think clothing in pre-schoolers does matter. Our child care centre has had to ban super hero costumes because of the number of incidents of aggressive play that broke out when the boys were wearing them. We now know about the plasticity of human brains. I worry about little girls who only wear pink for example, rejecting every other colour of the palette. Harmless enough perhaps and they will grow out of it but what else goes with this mind set. "I'm a girl, so I only do girly things. Maths is is for boys, so I won't bother with maths. Science is for nerdy boys. Sport makes you sweaty but dancing is OK."


A lot of girls end up short changed in life because of these attitudes. I see the hyper feminisation of babies as part of the spectrum of placing females in a box of others' choosing.

School can have an effect. Teaching teenaged girls was my profession and we certainly did our best to open up the world to them but school is a much weaker influence than the home.
 
Thank you Dame Warrigal, my sentiments too.

When I was in high school in the 60's there were very few career options for girls - nurses, secretaries, school teachers, lab technicians - or get married and be a wife and mother. Girls were encouraged to look pretty and feminine (a bit before women's lib) and the goal was to get married and raise a family. At home the focus was often on clothes and hairstyles and learning how to keep house. Obviously, if your marriage broke down and you were left supporting your kids and trying to earn a living, things could get pretty tight on the low pay of those feminine careers - if you were even lucky to have one.

These days things are a lot better for girls who have more career choices equal to men, but it's still an uphill climb. Breaking out of the 'feminine' stereotype has been instrumental in providing women with more financial freedom and greater independence. - But this is not groundbreaking news - it's been going on for decades.
 
It's NOT the CLOTHES.....Ladies... it was the attitude at the time.. If girls were encouraged to achieve in the same way as boys, dresses and bows would not matter. When I was in highschool, I never once got to see a guidence counselor... never once was encouraged to go on to school despite my excellent grades. Do you REALLY believe it was the clothes that had us disadvantaged back then?
 
Hello and good morning,

Yes, I agree it was the attitude at the time that played a large part in the roles assigned to girls. But I think clothes do play a big part in women's self image, from what I see today and in the past. Maybe I an anthropologist could answer why it's the men who wore the pants and women are still wearing those crippling high heels. At least now we can all wear pants. When I was a kid girls had to wear skirts to school regardless of the sub-zero temperatures, in which case we wore our pants under our skirts til we got to school. Certainly there has always been pressure on women to look 'pretty' and the fashion industry is raking in zillions and young women are still spending money and time agonizing about their appearance. Is is all about money or all about sex and power?
 
Well, be that as it may... I like to look feminine.. I see no weakness in it. I have always worn the pants in MY family even though they had lace on them. I have always been the predominant breadwinner, out earning all of my husbands by multiples... YET I did in in feminine clothing... how could that have happened?
 
I salute you!
I have total respect for women and their accomplishments be it success in business, education or in the arts and crafts. I also have respect for men and their great accomplishments. You are an excellent role model for young women, exemplifying all that can be achieved. Kudos to you!
 
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