Neutral baby clothes

Monday, July 9, 2012

Neutral baby clothes

Neutral baby clothes

“Dresses are for Girls and Boys,” Paoletti stresses that “neutral” clothes are such by cultural cues and not by inherent design. White t-shirts, for example, were “masculine” in the early 20th century because they were men’s underwear, but in the past 40 years the cultural acceptability has shifted so that white t-shirts are now seen as gender neutral, acceptably worn by both men and women. Like white t-shirts are now, white dresses in the 19th century were gender neutral garments, indicative of the angelic innocence and implied absence of sexuality in babies. White dresses were also highly practical, with easy access to diaper changes, and able to withstand bleaching and boiling to keep clean. That said, subtle cues implying sex could be seen in the trim and details. Adult clothing was, of course, highly gendered and Paoletti points out that dresses might subtly connect desirable traits of women — the primary caretakers — with those of children: passive, chaste, delicate, helpless, and house-bound.

Neutral baby clothes