Dressed: The History of Fashion

Episode: Pink and Blue: Telling the Boys From the Girls in America
Guest: Jo B. Pauletti
Release Date: July 2, 2025

Introduction

In this compelling episode of Dressed: The History of Fashion, hosts Cassie Zachary and April Callahan delve into the intricate history of children's clothing and its profound impact on gender identity. They are joined by the esteemed Professor Emerita Jo B. Pauletti from the University of Maryland, whose extensive research on the intersection of gender and dress has significantly advanced the field.

Guest Introduction and Background

April introduces Jo B. Pauletti, highlighting her remarkable 41-year career focused on American Studies, particularly the intersections of gender and fashion. Originally hesitant to study men's clothing due to prevailing academic biases, Pauletti's curiosity led her to explore how dress influences and reflects societal gender norms.

Jo B. Pauletti:
"I've spent more than four decades working on various aspects of the intersection of gender and dress, very much pushing our field forward in that regard."
(03:28)

Early History of Children's Wear

The conversation begins with Pauletti discussing her dissertation on late 19th-century American humor magazines, where male characters were often mocked for wearing overly fussy clothing. This early research laid the groundwork for understanding how gendered clothing norms were entrenched in American society.

Cassie Zachary:
"I was working on my dissertation on cartoons about men's clothing in the late 19th century... trying to figure out what these characters represented."
(07:29)

The Ubiquity of Gender Symbolism in Children's Fashion

Cassie and Jo explore how gender symbolism became deeply embedded in American children's fashion, often so seamlessly that by age three, children are well aware of unwritten gender norms. This indoctrination begins almost at birth, with clothing serving as a primary tool for gender expression and enforcement.

Jo B. Pauletti:
"Gender symbolism in American children's fashions is ubiquitous. It's also transmitted clearly enough that most children know these unwritten rules thoroughly by the age of three."
(10:14)

Defining Gender in the Context of Fashion

Cassie addresses the evolving definition of gender, referencing Ann Fausto Sterling's concept of "sex/gender" to illustrate the inseparability and cultural construction of biological sex and gender roles. This nuanced understanding underscores the complexity of studying dress and gender as interconnected rather than separate phenomena.

Cassie Zachary:
"I'm getting to the point of view that biological sex is also cultural from the beginning because we look at a penis and we say, oh, is this a boy? There's a lot of biological variation."
(10:36)

The Role of Paper Dolls and Baby Books in Fashion Research

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on how historical resources like paper dolls and baby books provide invaluable insights into the gendered clothing norms of past decades. Cassie highlights the role of these tools in visualizing how colors and styles were assigned to genders before the solidification of pink for girls and blue for boys.

Cassie Zachary:
"Paper dolls are a really good resource because you can see a whole wardrobe for a child... how long is a baby boy shown in pink clothing? Long time."
(21:52)

The Evolution of Nursery Colors: Pink and Blue

The transformation of nursery colors from neutral pastels to distinctly pink for girls and blue for boys is dissected. Cassie traces this shift to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where marketers and retailers began standardizing colors to signal gender even before a child was born.

Cassie Zachary:
"By the late 19th century, pastel colors like pink and blue began to be associated more strongly with babies, but it wasn't until the 1930s that pink was firmly established for girls and blue for boys."
(29:06)

Backlash and Reinforcement of Gendered Clothing in the 1970s and 1980s

The discussion moves to the 1970s and 1980s, highlighting how second-wave feminism inadvertently reinforced gendered clothing by encouraging girls to adopt more masculine styles to achieve equality. This era saw a decline in neutral options as manufacturers and parents increasingly embraced and enforced gendered attire.

Cassie Zachary:
"The downside of second-wave feminism was that the way to make women's lives better and girls' lives better was to have them be more like men. Femininity itself was seen as something to be minimized."
(35:45)

Modern Perspectives and Ongoing Evolution

Cassie reflects on the current state of gender and fashion, emphasizing that definitions are continually evolving. She expresses hope that future generations will adopt more fluid and unisex approaches to clothing, reducing the rigid gender binaries that have long dominated fashion.

Cassie Zachary:
"The way that we raise our children, the way we are raised, what we do as individuals and as a collective is changing our definitions all the time. There's so much we don't know."
(43:54)

Concluding Insights

As the episode wraps up, Cassie and Jo underscore the importance of understanding the historical context of gendered clothing to dismantle arbitrary norms. They advocate for a more inclusive and flexible approach to fashion that honors individual expression beyond gender constraints.

Jo B. Pauletti:
"What gender means is a constantly unfolding cultural conversation specific to time and place. Understanding that gender norms are arbitrary can help us break free from the restrictive boxes we've been placed in."
(47:33)

Cassie Zachary:
"We need to stop punishing people and taking the wrong things too seriously now. We just need to calm down and enjoy."
(46:23)

Notable Quotes

• Jo B. Pauletti:
  "Gender symbolism in American children's fashions is ubiquitous. It's also transmitted clearly enough that most children know these unwritten rules thoroughly by the age of three."
  (10:14)

• Cassie Zachary:
  "The way that we raise our children, the way we are raised, what we do as individuals and as a collective is changing our definitions all the time."
  (43:54)

• Jo B. Pauletti:
  "What gender means is a constantly unfolding cultural conversation specific to time and place."
  (47:33)

This episode of Dressed: The History of Fashion offers an enlightening exploration of how children's clothing has been a pivotal battleground for gender norms in America. Through Jo B. Pauletti's expert insights and Cassie and April's engaging dialogue, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the historical forces shaping the way we dress our children today.