Positive Relationships: Let's talk about ... Pink

A campaign group has urged parents to boycott shops selling pink clothes and toys for young girls. The campaign Pinkstinks says that the 'pinkification' of little girls leads them to choose less challenging careers and pass up opportunities as they grow up.

Q: What do you think of the Pinkstinks campaign? Are the girls at your setting being 'pinkified'?

'We do notice that girls are mostly dressed in red or pink. I think this is a reflection of what is available in the shops. When I look at the mannequins for girls' clothes, they always seem to be dressed in pink and the clothes tend to be frilly or lacy. Also, clothes for little girls tend to be tightfitting, whereas the boys are mostly dressed in baggy trousers. Sometimes I look at what some of the baby girls are wearing and I think that they can't possibly be comfortable.'

'I think some of the children are being pushed towards certain stereotypes. For example, one little girl loves dressing up and already says things like "pink is for girls". However, some of our other girls are really interested in outdoor activities and are not into pink at all, so I think it really depends on the child and the attitudes of his or her family.'

'I have noticed a growing trend for girls to wear pink or frilly and lacy clothes, and more so over the past few months. During the recent spell of cold weather, some were coming to nursery dressed in frilly dresses or clothes that just didn't seem appropriate, whereas the boys do tend to be more practically dressed. However, I think that young girls can be very stubborn and selective about what they wear, so I don't always think it is parents pushing the children into wearing one thing or another.'

'In our setting there are some girls who are real tomboys and who steer away from pink, but we also have some very girly girls who will often be wearing pink or very frilly or feminine clothes. I'm not sure if it's down to nature or nurture.'

'In my nursery all the girls wear pink - it's the "in" colour at the moment and it's about what's socially acceptable. There is normally one child who is the leader - she shows off what she is wearing or her accessories and then all the little girls have to have them.'

'With clothing, there is a real divide but we do not see it as much with toys. The girls do not really favour more traditionally feminine toys such as dolls. In our nursery the boys spend more time with dolls than the girls do.'

'I think the problem is that so many of the clothes and products aimed at young girls are pink. I think that this is what retailers think parents want. Manufacturers should look at what they are producing. We don't really see boys coming into the nursery dressed in pink.'

'The majority of the products available to girls are in colours like pink and purple, but I do think there are more unisex products available now than there ever have been. It's not impossible to get black or blue clothes for girls, although they do often have some frilly or lacy material attached.'

'When the girls are all together they say that pink is their favourite colour, but when you talk to them individually they often say something completely different. One little girl came into the nursery in a beautiful dress recently and a practitioner commented on how pretty her dress was. After that, all the girls wanted to wear beautiful dresses and they keep asking staff if they like their dresses.'

Q: Do the children at your setting think that certain colours are only for girls, and vice versa? If so, where did they learn this?

'Sometimes we have a shortage of spare clothes for children and we are limited to pink. However, the boys often refuse to wear this colour as they say that pink is for girls. They are obviously reflecting their parents' attitudes.'

'I once had a little boy who came into the nursery in pink Crocs. His mother said that they were the only shoes he would wear. He really loved them and wore them all the time and no-one teased him. So I think a lot does depend on the child's home life.'

'Lots of the children already say that pink is for girls. It must be something that they hear at home, because most nursery-age children aren't independent enough to make up their own minds about what they like. The boys tend to favour darker colours, although a lot of the boys here really like to put dresses on.'

'I think they learn these attitudes from their parents and from the messages that society gives them. I have witnessed fathers coming into the setting and if they see their son pushing a pram, for example, they will tell them that prams are for girls. But they are a minority.'

'I do think parents push their children towards traditional roles. For example, in our Christmas play a lot of the boys wanted to be fairies but some of their dads would not let them do this, so they had to be reindeers instead. I think it tends to be the older parents who do this type of thing; the younger parents tend to be more open-minded.'

'A lot of the girls are obsessed with Barbie and a lot of the television shows they watch are very girly; all the girls featured in them tend to be very pretty and there is no variety in their shapes and sizes. This means that the children are bombarded with the same images over and over again and it becomes imprinted on children's brains that that's what girls should wear and should look like. I have heard a three-year-old girl tell one of her friends that she couldn't wear a certain item of clothing because she wasn't skinny. Sometimes the media does push children towards more traditional roles although you do have programmes like "Dora the Explorer", who is an adventurer!'

'My four-year-old son will quite happily wear pink and he has a pink shirt from Next, which he absolutely loves. However, I have heard him say that other colours are for girls, which is something he may have picked up from his brother, who is at secondary school.'

Q: Do you think that is important for nursery staff to try to tackle gender stereotyping?

'I think the idea that some colours can only be worn by girls or boys is a deeply embedded attitude and I'm not sure that nursery staff could really hope to shift this. I think parents choose to buy certain colours or styles for their children for a number of reasons - partly because of what is available, and partly because of what is seen to be correct and it's what their friends have.'

'It's not an area that I feel particularly strongly about, as I do feel there is a genetic element - for example, the boys tend to love playing with swords. As long as the children have a choice, I don't feel that there is a problem.'

'It would be nice to have a pink day or a blue day, just to get the message out that girls and boys can wear either colour.'

'I don't think that it is a massive issue. We operate an active learning approach and we do not push the children in one direction or another.'

'We tell the children that everything is for everybody. We have a couple of pink and blue drinking cups and the boys all want the blue ones and the girls all want the pink ones. We have to tell them that it doesn't matter what colour the cup is, because the drink is exactly the same! I think we have managed to get the message through to them, because we hear the children correct other children if they say something like "pink is only for girls".

AN EXPERT'S VIEW

By Jennie Lindon, child psychologist and early years consultant

The idea that pink is the colour for girls seems to have developed over the second half of the 20th century. In my 1950s childhood, the sexes looked different because girls wore dresses and skirts and boys wore short trousers. Similar clothing, like a coat, was distinguished because male clothing had to button in the opposite direction to female.

Pinkstinks is more than an objection to promoting pink as the main colour for girls. The campaign is a justified attack on marketing that targets even young children as consumers, who will nag parents into purchases. The challenge, raised on behalf of girls, is that some clothing and accessories send the message that females should be judged by how they look. The additional concern is that some clothing styles for girls contribute to the sexualisation of childhood.

In general, it is up to families how they dress their children and what toys they buy at home. Pink clothes for girls are not your business. However, you do need to talk with parents when a child's clothing has a direct impact on their time in your provision.

A conversation is necessary if what young children wear affects their ability to play freely. Inappropriate images or slogans on children's clothing or bag may become more of a problem in middle childhood. Practitioners need to be aware that, once children are within your provision, you should address this particular issue. Otherwise, the message to other families is that you judge this image or phrase to be acceptable.

Commercial interests can only go so far in shaping the desires of consumers. On gender differences, companies exploit the fertile ground that already exists. Responsible practitioners think about the messages to children from the learning environment - and this awareness applies just as much to how boys learn what it is to be male.

You need to reflect on your own attitudes. Do you, or your colleagues, assume that girls and boys will inevitably behave differently? Does anyone overlook how much both sexes are affected what they experience? Does your team need to talk through some mixed feelings when a boy wants to dress up in organza and a pretend tiara?

Further information
- Lise Eliot (2009) Pink brain: blue brain. Houghton Mifflin
- Jennie Lindon (2006) Equality in Early Childhood. Hodder Arnold
- Pinkstinks, www.pinkstinks.co.uk