Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys from the Girls in America
"Jo Paoletti provides a compelling examination of 125 years of children's clothing in this volume, raising issues with broad ramifications for understanding the cultural history of the United States between the late-nineteenth and early-twenty-first centuries." —Register of the Kentucky Historical Society"Ms. Paoletti has managed to cram a wealth of information in a relatively fluid narrative that scholars will undoubtedly quote and casual readers will enjoy as an engrossing cultural history of parenthood, as well as childhood." —Worn Through"A terrific new book...if you’re getting flack from someone for dressing your boy in pink or your girl in blue...hit them with a copy of Paoletti’s book. When they come to, maybe they’ll read it and leave you alone." —CaféMom"Recommended for: Those interested in the history of fashion, gender studies, and gender politics." —"Pink and Blue is an interdisciplinary tour de force. Readers will never again take gendered children’s fashion for granted." —Susan B. Kaiser, The Social Psychology of Clothing: Symbolic Appearances in Context"Pink and Blue challenges the cultural panic over how children’s clothing affects gender and sexual identity. Paoletti shatters myths about what girls and boys "naturally" like, and does so with details that will fascinate both the casual and professional reader." —Peggy Orenstein, Author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter"This is a fascinating piece of American social history, perhaps raising more questions than it answers. It is of potential interest to students and professionals in fields ranging from child development to gender studies to fashion to marketing, as well as to new and prospective parents." —Library Journal"In Pink and Blue, Paoletti presents an interesting portrayal of an important genderedsystem—a historical perspective that psychologists might otherwise underestimate andundervalue." —PsycCritiques"Pink and Blue is meticulously researched, with references to paper dolls, old retail catalogs and the arcane field of material culture studies. Her findings are fascinating." —PopMatters"In Pink and Blue, Jo Paoletti delivers an insightful analysis of the origins, transformations and consequences of gender distinctions in children’s dress over the last 125 years.... A must-read." —Daniel Thomas Cook, The Commodification of Childhood: The Children’s Clothing Industry and the Rise of the Child Consumer"The author is skilled in writing to a wide audience." —Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences