Target is Not Here for Your Boy-Girl Labels
Camp Kiddo from Target’s Pillowfort Collection. Photo: Target via Business Insider
Six months after its website did away with certain gender identifiers on children’s toys, Target has announced that its newest endeavor—a line of kids home goods—will also be gender neutral.
Pillowfort, as the collection is called—so cute, right?—features an array of youngster-approved themes like the wilderness, adventure, dinosaurs, and outer-space exploration. But what you won’t find are “boy” and “girl” labels on the products.
“It was an aisle of pink, fairy princesses, ponies and flowers,” Target’s Senior Vice President of design and product development, Julie Guggemos, said of Target’s old children’s decor section. “And for the boys it was rockets and dinosaurs. Well, you know what? Girls like rockets and basketball. And boys like ponies. […] Who are we to say what a child’s individual expression is? We really wanted to develop a collection that would be universal.”
That’s not to say that the superstore is doing away with gender labels entirely. Its website will still feature searches for girls’ and boys’ bedding, but the products will reportedly overlap.
Still, its a big (and commendable) step forward and away from gender stereotyping for one of America’s largest retailers. It’ll be interesting to see if other brands follow suit.
Pillowfort launches at Target on February 21.
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