How the #StillABoy campaign is challenging gender stereotypes

My 4-year-old son’s favourite colour is pink. He has more girl-friends than boy-friends. He sometimes asks me to put his hair in a ponytail. He likes pretending he has a baby in his tummy.

He is STILL A BOY.

(Image via #stillaboy)

The same 4-year-old loves skipping a bath. He is a mud magnet. He loves slugs and snails and, if we had pets, he’d probably love (pulling) puppy dog tails too.

He is STILL A BOY.

(Image by @jarahillphoto | #stillaboy)

As a mum of two boys, I do get fed up with the casual way in which gender and masculinity stereotypes are applied to my sons.

Fellow mum of boys Martine Zoer – who has a clothing line that offers pink t-shirts for both genders – felt the same way.

(Image by @restingroost | #stillaboy)

In fact, after her clothing was criticised for “robbing kids of their gender”, Zoer felt that she needed to take a public stand again stereotypes that she felt could be harmful to boys’ development. She launched the #StillABoy campaign and Instagram account.

Yes, I’m sure Zoer’s sold a few more t-shirts since her campaign #StillABoy went viral. But t-shirt sales aside, I love that she took a stand against harmful gender stereotypes and outdated notions of masculinity.

Whether our boys are tottering in a tiara, wrestling in mud, playing with dolls or playing with sticks, let’s be loud and proud in supporting our sons and celebrating boyhood – whatever that may look like. 

Brought to you by Brighton Grammar School