Here in the tech world us girls face a lot of weird stereotyping statements like “You don’t look like a programmer,” or, “You can do the presentations, we’ll do the code.” Those stereotypes are there partly because of the nature of the industry – there’s no denying there are way more males than females in tech – and partly because of the way we were raised, with strict-ish gender roles engrained in our little heads in ways we may not have realized. Today I’m happy to introduce an incredible initiative working hard to shift the way we teach our kids about the world, through fashion. Introducing Jill and Jack Kids, the clothes that go beyond pink and blue.
Jill and Jack Kids is something we should have seen a long time ago. Walking through the children’s sections of stores you can clearly see the divide between the “girls” and “boys” sections. “Girls” is defined by pastels, ruffles, sparkles and pink, while “Boys” is characterized by camouflage, strong colours, lots of pockets, and blue. It’s an odd thing to point out, but when you walk through the adult’s section, there is not such a strong divide. Sure, the shapes are different, but why are we teaching our kids that blue is for boys and pink is for girls? It’s an age-old question, yet no one has thought to answer it until now.
Jill and Jack Kids has launched their Kickstarter with four main shirt designs, chosen by a selected panel of interviewees that you can read about on their blog. Yessiree, I am happy to have been interviewed for this and to have had a hand in choosing these awesome designs! You can read my interview here. :) While I love the “Curious” and “I <3 #startups” shirts, my absolute favorite is “Half of the T. Rexes Were Girls”. I want one for myself! It even comes in adult sizes as well, with awesomely reversed colours so you match your mini if you have one.
All the shirts are locally made and designed specifically to fit active young bodies in the perfect way, regardless of gender. Join me in supporting this excellent initiative and saying goodbye to gender stereotypes!