Hardcover

Published: 6th February 2012

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Jo B. Paoletti's journey through the history of children's clothing began when she posed the question, "When did we start dressing girls in pink and boys in blue?" To uncover the answer, she looks at advertising, catalogs, dolls, baby books, mommy blogs and discussion forums, and other popular media to examine the surprising shifts in attitudes toward color as a mark of gender in American children's clothing. She chronicles the decline of the white dress for both boys and girls, the introduction of rompers in the early 20th century, the gendering of pink and blue, the resurgence of unisex fashions, and the origins of today's highly gender-specific baby and toddler clothing.

"In Pink and Blue, Jo Paoletti delivers an insightful analysis of the origins, transformations and consequences of gender distinctions in children's dress over the last 125 years -- one that both draws upon and informs a number of fields. A must-read for anyone interested in fashion history, consumer studies, gender studies and childhood studies." Daniel Thomas Cook, author of The Commodification of Childhood: The Children's Clothing Industry and the Rise of the Child Consumer "Pink and Blue is an interdisciplinary tour de force. Readers will never again take gendered children's fashion for granted." Susan B. Kaiser, author of The Social Psychology of Clothing: Symbolic Appearances in Context "Pink and Blue challenges the cultural panic over how children's clothing affects gender and sexual identity. Paoletti shatters myths about what girls and boys "naturally" like, and does so with details that will fascinate both the casual and professional reader." Peggy Orenstein, author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter "I found a book that fascinated me just by reading its overview. ... Using clothing, photographs, advertising, dolls, books, and a myriad of other sources, including mommy blogs, [Paoletti] examines the surprising ebb and flow of gender in American children's clothing." - As Mom Sees It "In this relatively slim volume, Ms. Paoletti has managed to cram a wealth of information in a relatively fluid narrative that scholars will undoubtedly quote and casual readers will enjoy as an engrossing cultural history of parenthood, as well as childhood." - Worn Through "Paoletti's overview reveals that in a democratic, capitalistic society where people make personal choices, attitudes change from one generation to the next, and children's clothing styles and colors bought by parents and grandparents are not necessarily the same. By the late 1980s, the unisex era waned, ushering in a third wave of pink-wearing 'feminine feminists.' Paoletti provides many possible explanations for this shifting pendulum ... May stimulate further areas of research. ... Recommended." Choice, October 2012 "This is a fascinating piece of American social history, perhaps raising more questions than it answers. It is of potential interest to students and professionals in fields ranging from child development to gender studies to fashion to marketing, as well as to new and prospective parents." - Library Journal

ISBN: 9780253001177
ISBN-10: 025300117X
Audience: Professional
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 192
Published: 6th February 2012
Dimensions (cm): 23.5 x 16.2  x 2.0
Weight (kg): 0.44