Pink or Blue...How about you?

Beyond Pink and Blue: Fourth Graders get fired up about Pottery Barn’s gender stereotypes

Robin Cooley

Students were appalled by the Pottery Barn Kids catalog that they were receiving in their homes. After learning about stereotypes in their fourth-grade classroom, these students noticed that the Pottery Barn catalog was biased towards gender stereotypes of pink and blue. All girl items were pink and all boy items were blue. The question then was how do you change the stereotypes put forth by popular brands and stores?

“Newton Public Schools is actively working to create an anti-bias/anti-racist school environment. In fact, beginning in 4^th grade, we teach all students about the cycle of oppression that creates and reinforces stereotypes,” (Cooley, 248). Children in Ms. Cooley’s fourth grade class took part in this new curriculum as they learned much about how stereotypes can be unlearned in a society that teaches them and reinforces them.

Family was a large topic in the class discussion with gender stereotypes. Students were taught how brainstormed messages create the stereotypical family ideal. They discussed family structure and the impact of seeing a stereotypical family has on various family structures. Numerous children’s books were read (see list and link below) and it was discussed how these books were changing the stereotypes around and how situations were handled in every type of story.

The students ended their study with a project teaching the younger children in the school all of what they learned about bias. Together, the children created a book to teach others “Some people think that…,” “but everyone needs to know that…” The book had a powerful impact on the entire school as a whole and created a deeper discussion. Students began to see stereotypes out in their own worlds and question people as to why they were there. For example, in a hospital, girl babies are wrapped in pink and boy babies are wrapped in blue. That is why viewing the Pottery Barn catalog made such an impression.

Dear Pottery Barn Kids,

I do not like the way you put together your catalogs because it reinforces too many stereotypes about boys and girls. For instance, in a picture of the boys’ room, there are only two books and the rest of the stuff are trophies. This shows boys and girls who look at your catalog that boys should be good at sports and girls should be very smart. I am a boy and I love to read.

Dear Pottery Barn Kids,

I am writing this letter because I am mad that you have so many stereotypes in your magazine. You’re making me feel uncomfortable because I am a boy and I like pink, reading, and stuffed animals. All is aw in the boys’ pages were dinosaurs and a lot of blue and sports.

Also, it’s not just that your stereotypes make me mad but you’re also sending messages to kids that this is what they should be. If it doesn’t stop soon, then there will be a boys’ world and a girls’ world. I’d really like it if (and I bet other kids would too) you had girls playing sports stuff and boys playing with stuffed animals and dolls.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I hope I made you stop and think.

Within weeks, there was a response from the president of Pottery Barn stating that the children’s letters would be taken into consideration going forward and that their feedback was appreciated. And, in the next catalog, while not every change suggested was made, the children were able to make two strong influences on how boys were viewed in the catalog.

It is never known the power that one person can have to change the way others and the world thinks. It is important to try to change what we all see as wrong and work hard to make an impact. It just takes one person to stand up against bias for the voice to be heard.

Children's Book Resources for Anti-Bias Literature

Pottery Barn Kids