Gender Stereotypes

This post isn't really about being green, but I thought it was interesting so I'm blogging about it anyway. I take my youngest to gymnastics on Wednesday mornings. It's for kids ages 24 mos to three years and a parent/caregiver. It's a great program, they always have a theme and they do a little circle time, then an obstacle course, then free play in the pit of giant foam blocks, the tumble trak (trampoline), rings, bars, beam, you get it...they use the gymnastics equipment. There are probably more boys in there than girls, I'd say there are only about 6 or so kids in the class (they all don't come every week). There's the background.

Since it's at the gymnastic center, they're required to either wear socks or be in bare feet. The pit eats socks so you have to be in bare feet to go in the pit. And this is when I noticed something interesting...almost every single little boy, including mine, had his toenails painted! I've seen this other places as well, swimming, the block room, but I thought it was interesting how painted nails was the norm in here. I know how my son's nails got painted...he has a 5 year-old sister who LOVES makeup and is always painting her nails and he wants to have his painted too. And why wouldn't he? He doesn't get that it's something that only girls do...she's playing with paint and he wants in on it! One week the teacher made some comment about one of the little boy's nails and his dad happened to be there. He said Mom was painting her nails and he wanted his done too. "But you just LOVE that!" she said, and he just shrugged. I thought that was great.

I read an article about boys and pink in a magazine awhile ago and I thought it was really interesting. My son loves pink too, because every his sister has is pink and whatever she has he wants too. Plus, pink means strawberry (as in frosting) and who doesn't love strawberry frosting!? They were saying that there are LOTS of little boys who like pink and they should accept and market that...you never see pink tees for boys (and this article said they should have trucks on them!)

Anyway, I just thought it was interesting.