John Lewis has become the first major UK retailer to go gender neutral on children's clothing.
The high street favourite, which has around 50 stores nationwide, is now labelling its children's clothes for "Girls & Boys" or "Boys & Girls" instead of using traditional binary labels.
Caroline Bettis, the retailer's head of childrenswear, said of the change: "We do not want to reinforce gender stereotypes within our John Lewis collections and instead want to provide greater choice and variety to our customers, so that the parent or child can choose what they would like to wear."
The Times reports that John Lewis made the decision to go neutral after consulting with the Let Clothes Be Clothes campaign group, which is lobbying to "end gender stereotyping in [the] design/marketing of childrenswear."
Let Clothes Be Clothes said on Twitter this morning that they are "absolutely thrilled" by John Lewis's announcement. Parents and commentators have also praised the retailer's decision to go gender neutral on children's clothes.
This is excellent! A step in the right direction and hopefully other big stores will follow suit. I looking at YOU @nextofficial
— Roxy Stafford (@ouestlacamera) September 2, 2017
Good to see #johnlewis acting on #genderstereotypes #genderneutral pic.twitter.com/NSzOUwYjhg
— JOjo (@JOjojosiejay) September 2, 2017
Good on John Lewis for ditching gender labels. As a girl I hated pink frills. I wanted the dinosaur/ wolf/ shark prints & adventure clothes
— Gill Lewis (@gill_lewis) September 2, 2017
John Lewis's decision reflects a swelling movement to end gender-stereotyping in children's clothes. Last month shoe retailer Clarks pulled a shockingly sexist girls' shoe range called "Dolly Bird" after being widely (and rightly) criticised on social media.
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