Girls in boys clothing
Updated: Feb 5, 2021
I’ve been reading some of the utterly ludicrous coverage of little Shiloh Jolie-Pitt lately and some of the shock-horror reporting about her “tomboy styling” has truly boggled my mind. A veritable hoard of experts (who have never actually met this kid) have been weighing in, asking questions about her gender identity and snidely implying that Brad and Angelina are being deficient as parents for letting her dress this way!!
Hello guys, err she’s 4 – have you ever tried persuading a 3-4 year old of any gender to wear something they don’t want to wear? Or if you do manage to get them to wear clothes, can you be eagle-eyed enough to ensure that they will keep them on? A recent christening I attended saw a dad friend of mine chasing his little boy the length of room as the wee scamp cast his garments asunder the minute dad had turned his back!
Boys clothing is cute and practical. Vertbaudet do some lovely stuff for boys that is actually pretty stylish and frankly, I don’t blame any child of any gender for picking it out. Admittedly I’m biased because I’m a bit of a tomboy myself (though I did go through a very girly phase at 3, weird huh?) but were it not for the fact that, due to my being a master of disaster (or mistress of disastress, disastrix perhaps?),I’d have worn trousers all the time if I hadn’t nearly managed to nearly bankrupt my mother by tearing big holes in them as a result of falling over. Practicality wise, boys clothes are loads better, if only because they are warm! Tights are a very poor substitute, let me tell you, speaking as “Miss Under-10’s Chilblains 1980”. Childhood is also one of the few times in a blokes life when they can wear strong bright colours and not be mistaken for a children's television presenter or a clown in training.
When you look at girls clothes, there is waaaaaaaaaay too much pink, and sparkly, and princessy. Exactly why marketing people think this is pleasant or attractive is beyond me. There are also some very bizarre crispy textured fabrics. Another friend is currently wearing shades at night because she’s just been forced (her daughter is 3-4 so naturally this is a bribery tactic) to paint her bedroom a shade that she has described as “retina singeing pink”. I feel her pain.
You’re using the word styling about a 3-4 year old. Wholly inappropriate. In this context, “styling” consists of managing to get your offspring out of the house wearing normal clothes as opposed to being dressed as a bee, Buzz Lightyear or the Easter Bunny. Congratulations, your child has chosen to dress in clothes that match, however that does not instantly make them a miniature Gok Wan.
This sort of thing really makes you realise that some people have far too much time on their hands.