How to avoid superhero costumes for boys and princess costumes for girls?

BarcelonaEfforts have been underway for some time to eradicate sexist language, including reducing sexism in areas such as advertising and toys. Is the same effort being made in the children's costume sector? In other words, has the range of options broadened beyond princess or ballerina costumes for girls and superhero, police officer, or athlete costumes for boys? For psychologist Elena Crespi, the answer is a resounding "no." She points out that although a new self-regulation code came into effect three years ago, aiming to prevent catalogs and advertisements from linking a type of toy to a specific gender, "wherever we're going, we still see that in firefighter and police officer figures and toys, boys continue to be the protagonists of images typically associated with girls." The only change, he adds, is that if there is, for example, a police costume in which we can see a girl as a model, the dress automatically changes to sexualize that child with tighter trousers or a skirt, a shirt that opens more or a shorter t-shirt."

How can families avoid these costumes?

For Crespi, the problem isn't the costume itself. "It's understandable that a child wants to dress up as what they perceive as appropriate, that most girls want princess costumes and most boys want superhero costumes." However, she makes it clear that at these ages it's important to start fostering critical thinking. "Open the door and say, 'Listen, of all these costumes you can also choose this other one or this other one.' In other words, make sure they understand that girls can also be Spiderman or Spiderwoman and boys can also choose a costume with a suit," she says.

If a child chooses a costume that falls outside the norm, the psychologist believes it's important, especially in the case of boys, "not to comment or laugh because maybe they want to go in a Frozen costume." This often happens with children who, as young children, choose costumes with skirts "and then are ridiculed by those around them."

Why are these gender roles still present in children's costumes?

The first thing that happens, according to Crespi, is that these roles are everywhere. Most socially constructed role models, whether in series, films, songs, or cartoons, reinforce these stereotypes. "And we mustn't forget," she points out, "that behind this we have patriarchal and sexist structures, which govern and have a monopoly on everything that is manufactured." Crespi emphasizes that this factor is combined with a second, equally important one: "the consumer society in which we live, where there is a strong interest in promoting these stereotypes."

How can schools promote more inclusive and neutral costumes?

For Crespi, the role of schools is paramount. However, she warns that if, when trying to minimize the risk of choosing standardized costumes, they choose professions as a theme, "we will tend to choose masculinized professions because that's what has been constructed as generic." In this sense, she points out, "we have to do a lot of work rethinking our approach and what we're missing so that, for example, a profession can also be that of a hairdresser, a secretary, a nursery school teacher, and so that boys can also dress up as those." The same would apply when we choose animals. "We shouldn't fall into the trap of male and female animals, and for example, we shouldn't put a bow on a cow."

If our son or daughter chooses a costume that is sexist in nature, how should we address it?

For Crespi, when a child chooses a costume with this sexist bias, "we have a great opportunity to instill some critical thinking." Because, deep down, there's nothing wrong with a girl wanting to dress up as a princess, but "we can take advantage of the moment to ask her: 'Do you think a boy, if he wanted to, could also dress up as a princess?' or 'Do you think a boy who really wanted to would dare to dress up as a princess? What would people say to him? Do you think he'd feel comfortable?'"

Should we prepare children to choose non-normative costumes?

"Unfortunately, it is necessary to prepare children who choose to dress up in a non-normative costume, based on gender and what society tells them they should wear," Crespi points out. She believes it makes sense to talk about this "if we have ever had a critical perspective and always explained that everyone has the right to dress as they truly wish." If we have never done so, she continues, "it's never too late to start."

If we see a child dressed as a dancer or a princess, the psychologist suggests telling them we love their choice and wishing them lots of enjoyment in the costume, "but also warning them that there might be someone else who wouldn't look good in it and who might share the costume with them. All of this, of course, using age-appropriate language. In the case of girls who dress up as a soccer player or a mechanic, we obviously need to talk about it too. And even more so, Crespi points out: "If we find that there isn't a single costume that doesn't have this sexualization, we have to question why a female mechanic's jumpsuit might be much tighter than a male mechanic's."