History of gendered fashion

So, I got thinking... Why are clothes even gendered in the first place? When did this start and why?

Let's start at the beginning with children's fashion. Around 100 years ago all children dressed the same in frocks as people believed that children should suppress their sex until they reach a mature age. But gradually as the years went on, the distinction between boys and girls clothing began to grow. But, why? When children are young it's often hard to distinguish their sex, so the creation of gendered fashion was immediately profitable. This division of clothes meant that gender stereotypes were being enforced, which lead to more money being spent by parents who had children of each sex.

In the 21st century, children's clothes shops are full of gender stereotypes. Pictures on girl’s clothes are often of princesses, unicorns or something particularly feminine that will prepare them womanhood. In contrast, boy’s clothes are often full of builders, sports or something masculine to reinforce that men are strong. These gender stereotypes, as small as they may seem, strongly effects a child’s way of thinking. For example, girls don't seem to face any scrutiny for wanting to wear trousers or the colour blue but if a young boy was to wear a skirt or pink there’s a huge risk of getting criticised for it. But, why? Because gendered clothes represent with either being masculine or feminine and children are taught early on that it's better to be masculine as they're strong and athletic.

Gendered fashion has been a big part of our culture for over a century and is a big part of everyone’s life since the moment they are born. Fashion is one of the highest earning industries in the world, and with gender playing a huge role in sales will there ever be room for change? In 2017, John Lewis scrapped boy/girl labels on their children’s clothes and removed gendered sections in their stores. They also created a unisex clothing range featuring dinosaur dresses, because why can't everyone like dinosaurs? This looks like a step in the right direction to me.