Tag Archives: gender roles

Gymboree’s discretion last week continues to offend me. If you haven’t heard about it, some moms were in an uproar because the children’s outfitter sold a variety of Onesies in which “Smart like Daddy,” was written on the boy’s version and “Pretty like Mommy” on the girl’s.  An article about the Onesies on Salon mentions some of the backlash this controversy created citing one writer’s words,  “if we get hysterical over every perceived slight, we won’t get anywhere. Choose your battle, ladies.” The article on the onesies goes on to include a commenter’s response to that statement, “These moms obviously have nothing better to do.”

These moms have nothing better to do? I’ve seen what moms do and they are usually very busy people. I’m sure they have plenty of better things to do than continue to fight this uphill battle in which every step women in the US take in the direction of equality (outnumbering male enrollment in universities, even) are thrown backwards a few steps by petty, yet offensive distractions like this type of children’s-wear. I do not fault the mothers across the US who spoke out, for not wanting their daughters to grow up in a country that continues to force women into the role of sex-object at increasingly younger and younger ages. Is being valued for our intelligence too much for a woman to ask for?

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