A mother has ignited a heated debate after she encountered a "problem" after her son wanted to get some Minnie Mouse underwear.
To kick this off, Minnie Mouse is a character that can be universally loved by all and certainly isn't aimed at a specific gender.
So if an infant wants to show their love for the Disney character by donning some clothes with her on them, then in my opinion, they should be allowed to do exactly that.
Avni Shah, writing for the Huffington Post, found herself in a position where she was asked by her son to buy some Minnie Mouse underwear.
Walking around Target searching for what they wanted, Shah encountered the issue that the only underwear featuring Minnie was labeled "girls."
For boy-specific underwear, the characters available included male Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse and Pluto.
Undeterred by the labels, and determined to allow her son to wear what he wanted and not be swayed into telling her son that he can't have Minnie, Shah purchased underwear labeled for "girls".
Wearing them without a sense of "oddity or difference", Shah's son soon found himself on the receiving end of comments at school during potty time, when his classmates asked why he was wearing girl's underwear.
He later wore Disney Princess socks to school and soon realized that his classmates referring to him as a "girl" was meant as a hurtful comment and to make him feel inferior.
"Separating people into categories has an adverse effect on children’s worldviews, reinforcing at an early age harmful stereotypes," Shah writes. "Kids are set up early on to use limiting frameworks when addressing issues like gender, race and ethnic identity."
"My husband and I have told our son that people will not always understand his styling choices, but the popularity of his choices shouldn’t shape his preferences," she continued.
In the months after the incident, Shah's son went to school wearing "a tie-dye pink baseball backpack, My Little Pony figurines, and most recently, sparkly Skechers that light up in pink and purple hearts."
The writer finds herself trying to explain to her son that he is well within his right to wear what he wants and to not get bogged down by categories created by others - but she also wants to instill in him that people will often voice their opinions.
When the article was shared on Facebook it ignited a debate, as one person said: "Who cares? Honestly. If he wants to wear Minnie, let him wear Minnie. People want to prescribe their own social norms to everyone."
A second added: "We don't let our son dress up in girl stuff. We tell him that's for girls. And that's the end of the story," while a third said: "You say no those are for girls you are a boy they don’t make Minnie mouse underwear the boys parents are so afraid to say no to their children."
A fourth person said: "Let them wear what they want if other people don't like their choice that's the other person's issue. We are all unique individuals we should liberate ourselves when young."
What do you think?
.jpg_ePaNgJ?tr=h-40&config=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)
.png_Mb7oS8?tr=h-40&config=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)
.jpg_ePaNgJ?tr=h-184&config=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)
.png_Mb7oS8?tr=h-184&config=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)
