Based on my limited and decidedly non-scientific observations, my theory is that kids start to get gendered clothing sometime between 3-4 years old. In Juniper's 2/3 year old preschool class the boys were just as likely as the girls to play dress-up with tutus, sparkly butterfly wings, and silk scarves. By the time she got to her 4/5 year old class, everyone was still playing with the pirate costumes and firefighters' helmets, but the shimmery, sparkly, sequined things were largely the domain of the girls. No one in our families will tell Hazel and Henry that girls don't get buzz cuts and boys don't wear skirts, but they'll probably get that message anyway. I wonder, is this photo what our world would look like without those messages?
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