Scandals about gender roles: C&A criticized for children's clothing!

Scandals about gender roles: C&A criticized for children's clothing!

The discussion about gender stereotypes in children's clothing is becoming increasingly important. A current article from BuzzFeed News Germany addresses the differences between boys' and girls' fashion and puts them in a critical context. For example, boys' shirt designs often feature images of sharks, while girls' pants are often decorated with butterflies. Evelyn Höllrigl sharply criticized the numerous differences between the sexes in children's clothing in a video on social media.

The fashion and body sociologist Melanie Haller supports Höllrigl's criticism by explaining that the clothing industry deliberately constructs gender images and resorts to stereotypical representations. In Spain, gender marketing has already been banned in advertising for children, a step that might also make sense in Germany.

Differences in design and cut

Haller points out that the differences in the pattern construction of children's clothing are significant. Girls' trousers are usually shorter and T-shirts are fitted, which can often cause discomfort in young girls. These adjustments suggest that girls should dress in a certain way, which increases the pressure on the little ones. C&A, a major children's clothing retailer, has denied the allegations and stressed that it conducts extensive customer surveys and analysis to understand design preferences. It turns out that there is a strong preference for classic and traditional designs.

But the stereotypes conveyed by children's clothing cannot be ignored. Pauakids' analysis shows that a total of 54 images can be found on boys' shirts for professions such as firefighters, police officers and craftsmen. In contrast, fire brigade and police motifs are hardly represented in girls' fashion and are often only presented from a gender-stereotypical perspective. Girls rarely see firefighters on their shirts, which can limit their ideas about such jobs.

A look at the sports motifs

• Sportliche Motive sind auf Jungen-T-Shirts achtmal häufiger vertreten.
• Auf Mädchen-T-Shirts finden sich vorwiegend traditionelle Sportarten wie Ballett und Cheerleading.
• Jungenkleidung zeigt eine größere Auswahl an aktiven Sportarten, die zudem oft im Freien stattfinden.

In addition, the depiction of vehicles is another example of gender stereotypes in children's clothing. Vehicles appear eight times more frequently and in a wider range on boys' clothing, while girls' clothing tends to feature less dangerous vehicles. These constructions promote the idea that women assume passive roles, while dangerous animals are often depicted on boys' clothing.

The findings from the debate over children's clothing make it clear that stereotypes are heavily integrated into these designs. There is a growing call for diverse and inclusive children's clothing that celebrates the uniqueness of all children. Such approaches could not only strengthen children's self-confidence, but also broaden their ideas about gender roles and careers. The question remains whether providers like C&A will fundamentally rethink their design concept against this background.

BuzzFeed News Germany and Pauakids provide valuable insights and approaches to change.