Through various initiatives, including a gender-neutral capsule collection, JBC is calling for more attention to gender equality. The Belgian fashion chain starts out by giving the good example itself, dropping separate labels for boys and girls from its shelves.
Collection
Labels based on age categories (babies, children and teenagers) will replace the references to gender. JBC also launches a gender-neutral capsule collection, consisting of jumpers in different colours that say things like “When I grow up, I wanna be a CEO”, “game developer”, or “firefighter”. The items are available in sizes 92 to 170, with prices ranging between 24.95 and 29.95 euros. The collection is reminiscent of a similar initiative by the Dutch chain Zeeman, which introduced a gender-neutral collection early last year.
JBC is also introducing a colouring book entitled “Dream outside the lines”, with drawings by Belgian illustrator Manon Hermans. Through the pictures, which depict less common professions such as female firefighters or construction workers, JBC wants to help break through persistent stereotypes.
Dreaming outside the lines
A recent research by the Free University of Brussels VUB has shown that gender norms (the expectations and associations that a specific gender evokes) still significantly influence the professional preferences of young people. Boys mainly want to become engineers, bricklayers or firemen, while girls have a clear tendency towards ‘soft’ professions such as nursery teacher, nurse or hairdresser.
The results of the survey did not leave JBC unmoved. “As a Belgian entrepreneur and family store, we hope that children can make a free choice in the labour market, regardless of their gender. We want children to dream outside the box about what they want to become. That is why JBC wants to be more aware of the prevailing stereotypes from now on and actively tackling them”, owner Ann Claes explains.
