Months before my son was born, my partner and I picked out an outfit for him to wear home from the hospital. It had orange foxes on it, was white in color, but was clearly made with a "boy baby" in mind. As our son grew older, we dressed him in shirts that said "Handsome Man" and "Daddy's Little Helper" and "Mom's Prince Charming" — all adorable and made for "little boys" and all purchased without a second thought. But now that our son is older and starting to make his own decisions about his clothes (new parents, please trust, that starts happening much sooner than you think it will), I'm letting my son wear whatever it is he wants.
If my son wants to wear a tutu or a purple dress or a pink shirt or try my high heels on (all have happened, rather adorably might I add), he does.
My partner and I don't tell him "no" or that he's "being silly" or that he can't wear whatever it is he wants to wear, simply because they're "girl clothes." Why? Because there are no "girl clothes." There are clothes that are worn by a majority of women, and there are clothes that are worn by a majority of men, but that doesn't change the fabric of the outfit or the person wearing it. It doesn't come with extra pockets that carry gender stereotypes and specific sexual preferences or anything else that our culture wishes to use to identify individuals. The gendering of clothing is a marketing decision designed to cast inanimate objects as expressions of the gender construct we choose to identify with, or choose to project onto our babies and kids. That's literally it.
In the end, they're just clothes, and when my son picks out pink clothes or purple clothes, or clothes that others may say are only appropriate for girls, I don't bat an eye. My son is a toddler who likes what he likes when he likes it, and who will have plenty of time to try and navigate society's ridiculous expectations of him. For now, and for as long as I can facilitate it, my son gets to be a carefree kid. So, with that in mind, here are 10 reasons why my son can wear whatever it is he wants.