Pink for girls and blue for boys. Cutesy kittens for girls and great big dogs for boys. The gender messages embedded in children’s clothing are as prominent as ever.
But if you’ve been searching for fun kids clothing which leaves the gender agenda at the door, you’re in luck.
One woman from Seattle understands your quest, and has delivered on the brief.
Courtney Hartman, a mother of two, says she’s grown tired of browsing children’s clothes that come heavily layered with pink versus blue clichés.
Talking to Mashable.com, she explains how everything from the colour schemes of clothes to wording used in slogan tees and the animals depicted in prints, carry too many messages about what little girls and boys are ‘supposed’ to like.
"We see so many designs that are super gendered, even things that shouldn't be, like animals," she says. "I started [the Jessy & Jack line] to create cute stuff for kids that don't necessarily read girl or boy."
Jessy & Jack is a completely gender neutral baby and toddler brand, that includes onesies, rompers and t-shirts all in bright colours. Above all, garments are designed to be nothing but fun and comfortable to wear.
"We are trying to be a resource for parents to find clothes that don’t fit the mould," Hartman explains. "We get inquiries saying 'I can't find a dinosaur shirt for my daughter or I can't find something pink for my son.’"
The demand for Hartman’s clothing has been so huge, that’s she’s even now launched Free To Be Kids, a sister brand that strives to create stereotype quashing clothes for children aged six months to 10 years.
“There's a problem with the clothing selection available to our children at traditional retailers,” she writes on freetobekids.com. “Girls are more than pretty princesses. Boys are more than troublemaking jocks… But you really wouldn't know it by looking at the clothing choices available to them.”
“Aisles upon aisles of princess gear, sparkly kittens, and slogan tees with messages like ‘Perfect Princess’ and ‘Trophy’ and ‘Too Cute to Do Homework’ don't empower our daughters to grow into smart, bold women who master their own destiny.
“Racks upon racks of dark stripes, sports gear, and slogan tees with messages like ‘Troublemaker’ and ‘I Didn't Do I’ and ‘Eat My Dust’ don't allow our boys much room to express their gentler, sweeter sides.
“There is nothing wrong with pink, princess, blue stripes, or trucks, but these things need to be balanced with other colours, messages and themes.”
Hartman has worked with an illustrator friend on the designs for her clothing brands, who has herself witnessed the decision making process behind the kinds of clothes Free To Be Kids hopes to counteract.
Recalling a story told to her by the illustrator, who has so far remained anonymous, Hartman tells Mashable: “She was not allowed to put 'winning' on girls' clothes because it was [thought to be] too aggressive and not feminine enough.”
Follow Courtney Hartman on Instagram to see more of her clothing designs.
