Sexism printed on children's T-shirts
The teacher and researcher Julia Sainz Cortés, from the Design, Visual Culture and Gender Research Group (GENIUS), has published an article in The Conversation, a popular science media, under the title "Do T-shirts for boys and T-shirts for girls exist? Unfortunately, yes", the study analyses the prints on children's T-shirts in the online shops of Zara and H&M during the last spring-summer season. On both platforms, the sections are clearly differentiated by gender. Moreover, both the motifs and the messages - explicit and implicit - of the prints aimed at girls and boys perpetuate traditional gender stereotypes.
In order to assess the current situation of children's fashion with respect to gender stereotypes and roles, a thorough iconographic and iconological analysis was carried out of all printed T-shirts available for girls and boys aged 18 months to 8 years. This research complements and updates a previous study on the messages written on this type of garment. In the T-shirts aimed at girls, decorative elements such as flowers, bows or hearts predominate, as well as cute animals and messages centred on romantic love. In boys' T-shirts, on the other hand, there is an abundance of heavy machinery, superheroes, aggressive felines and dinosaurs, and motivational phrases that encourage action, creativity or adventure.
Despite living in a society with formal equality and the clear advances of recent times, it is also necessary to point out the blatant sexism present in gender-differentiated products for children, as well as the expectations placed on each of them. In a climate of growing aesthetic pressure, hypersexualisation and scepticism about gender violence among a significant part of the adolescent population, it is urgent to reflect on the processes of child socialisation and how everyday elements such as clothes and toys influence them.
A commitment to gender-sensitive design would allow girls and boys to grow up free, without the barriers imposed by stereotypes from childhood. To achieve this, the commitment of families, brands, designers and educators is key.
