Is she a boy?
“Is she a boy?”
That’s the question I was asked today by a boy who couldn’t have been much older than five or six.
I can understand the question he asked so naively.
I mean looking at R in her blue canvas pumps, blue shorts and blue t-shirt I can see how from a quick glance he may have thought her a boy, but when looking from the shoulders up at her long brown hair and feminine face there’s no mistaking that she is in fact a girl!
I wasn’t offended by the boys question. I found it humorous more than anything, but it did leave me wondering how R felt after hearing the boy ask me this question.
In truth I’m not sure that she even heard him, but if she did what did she think?
I’m well aware that she loves her shorts more than anything and the fact that they’re blue, her favourite colour, makes them even more special to her.
She wears her shorts every day. We have two pairs. One to be washed and one for her to wear.
It’s funny isn’t it, that at such a young age the boy saw a child wearing blue and associated that with a boy.
Granted the shoes and t-shirt were probably aimed at boys, but I wonder if the boy picked up on her blue clothes and assumed she was a boy from his upbringing or if he’s simply learned that blue is for boys from his perception of the world.
It’s interesting. I mean R and M have never been taught that blue is for boys and pink for girls. I don’t agree with this personally and have no problem with a girl wearing blue or a boy wearing pink.
I give both R and M the freedom to wear what they want and R just happens to love wearing blue clothes. Her new minions t-shirt is a favourite at the moment and like her shorts she wears this t-shirt every day, but I do have to compromise with her every other day to wear a different t-shirt so I can wash her blue one!
M, on the other hand is a very girly girl and loves to wear dresses. Pink or yellow is her favourite.
I wonder if their tastes in clothes will change much over the years or whether R will still be wearing blue and M, pink when they’re older!
What do you think?
12 Comments
Claire Elizabeth Noke
July 22, 2015 at 8:10 pm
My youngest daughter (aged 3) is very girly 60% of the time, BUT loves nothing more than chucking on her footy kit and digging up worms, climbing trees, wrestling her brother, etc … the other 40% of the time. I dont care how she looks (as long as shes presentable) if shes having fun !! xx
Emily
July 22, 2015 at 8:12 pm
Hi Claire, she sounds just like R! She loves football, digging in the mud and climbing things!! xx
Jenny Evans
July 22, 2015 at 9:05 pm
Is "she" a boy? That's a pretty funny question!
#sharewithme
Emily
July 22, 2015 at 9:28 pm
I know right!!
Something Crunchy Mummy
July 23, 2015 at 7:53 am
I think some children do use pink for girls and blue for boys as Finley once came home from preschool and said blue is for boys. I have never taught him this. It's sad to think at such a young age they have a perception of girl and boy things #sharewithme xx
Emily
July 23, 2015 at 9:58 pm
Hi Kirsty, definitely some children do use pink for girls and blue for boys x
Katie Haydock LifeOnVista
July 23, 2015 at 9:53 pm
I think both of your little ladies are gorgeous! It also looks as if R is very confident and wouldn't have batted an eyelid at it 🙂
But I must admit – as a child I should point out – I did confuse a teenage girl with short hair as being a boy. The guilt of how I must have made her feel has stayed with me – and I'm in my 30's!
And I agree with you on the gender specific 'colours'. I have a little girl that is often mistook for a boy because I put her in blue and she still has very little hair – but she looks so good in blue!
Emily
July 23, 2015 at 9:59 pm
Hi Katie, thanks for your comment! I know I'm biased, but they are gorgeous aren't they! Oh that's funny how you still feel guilty about it now. Like your daughter, blue does look good on R!
yummyblogger.com
July 24, 2015 at 9:09 am
That's so cute that one is into pink and the other only wears blue… Bless them!! Baby W gets mistaken for a girl quite a lot because we haven't cut his hair yet (I don't want to!!) xx
Emily
July 24, 2015 at 8:53 pm
It is cute isn't it! When the girls were younger, people always used to ask if one was a boy and one a girl! Always used to annoy me, even if they were both dressed in pink! xx
Jenny Ripatti-Taylor
July 29, 2015 at 3:44 am
I refused to wear pink and only blue until I was 11 years old. I am sure my mother got the same. lol 🙂 These days lots of boys are wearing their hair long again too so it gets tough. I still get asked if MM is a boy all the time and she is in pink dresses and bows in her hair. I often wonder if people even look or just trying to make convo in passing. lol Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me, I hope to see you again tomorrow for another great round. #sharewithme
Emily
July 30, 2015 at 9:06 pm
Hi Jenny, thanks for your comment. I agree a lot of boys have long hair and vice-versa too with girls having short hair so it can be tough x