Shopping Mysteries and the Reinforcing of Stereotypes

[ralphmelton]

Last night, because Lori was still sick, I went shopping for Christmas presents for the girl that Lori's class had 'adopted'.

The games were no trouble. (Although the version of Uno currently for sale seems to have removed the word 'Wild' from the Wild cards.) I even managed to get a doll that Lori approved of without too much trouble.

But I was challenged by the first item on the list: size 6 snow boots for a 10-year-old girl. I found the girls' section of the shoe department, but there I was stymied by the complete absence of size 6.

I reinforced stereotypes: I found a helpful female salesperson, showed her the specifications Lori had written down for me, and asked for her help and advice.

The answer: there's a discontinuity in girls' shoe sizes. When the sign at the end of the aisle said that it held sizes 8 1/2 - 4, it meant that the sizes started at 8 1/2, went up to 11 or 12, then jumped to 1 (which is still larger than the size 11), and then went up to 4. (I may have some of the details of the particular numbers wrong, but the general nature is as described.) So the size 6 shoe in the specification was actually a woman's size 6, not to be found in the girls' shoe aisle.

I had not known about this discontinuity. And I think that it would have taken me a long time to figure it out, even with the evidence of the shoes before me.

I continued to confirm stereotypes: I asked the saleslady for her fashion judgments, and when she considered one pair and said "those are cute," I took them and added them to my cart, checking only the snow-worthiness and the price. I'm sure I'm not qualified to judge fashion, and so any choice the saleslady considered adequate was satisfactory to me.

Comments

[echoweaver.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel any better, I can easily see myself in your shoes -- showing my written instructions to a salesperson and asking for fashion advice. I am completely lacking in the sterotypical female fashion gene.

[cellio]

If it makes you feel any better, I have done similar things and I am, supposedly, genetically predisposed toward understanding this stuff.

[lcowper.livejournal.com]

My daughter has verified for me that I have no sense of what would be stylish for anyone under the age of 25.

I have also discovered that sizes in just about anything-- shoes, pants, socks-- are hopelessly idiotic, especially in women's sizes. As an example, men's pants 36W, 34L means that they are, in face, 36" in the waist and 34" inseam. Women, on the other hand, have waist sizes that appear to be about waist size in inches minus 20, and a choice in length, if offered, of P, A, or T. On me, the Ps are always too short; the As are always too long.

[cellio]

I'm 5'3" and most of the "petite" pants don't fit me; I buy "average" and put up with long legs. In addition to the length of the leg part, I think they also change the distance between crotch and hips, and whatever they do just doesn't work on me.

I long for men's sizing for pants. That I understand!

[lcowper.livejournal.com]

I believe they do. It's called the "rise". My rise is somewhere between P&A, just like my leg length, meaning that the waist is always just a bit too high on my pants (and tend, therefore, to fold over slightly).

Sizing's even more confusing in my daughter's size, as she can wear some clothes in girls, junior, misses, and women's, but the numbers are all different. I basically don't buy her clothes unless she's with me or it's something basic and stretchy like tee shirts or warm-up pants (and she's picky about those, too, so I only do that in emergencies).

[harpwolf.livejournal.com]

And then a women's size 10 shoe is a man's size 8, or thereabouts. It's maddening.

Stereotype Confirmation

[dianamarie.livejournal.com]

It's not always a bad thing to fall into the generally familiar modes of gender behavior, especially in terms of clothing. After all, why /would/ a guy know intimate details about girls garments?

But yes, I'm amused all the same. Go Ralph!!!

When Stereotypes get Broken...

[dagonell.livejournal.com]

the results can be highly amusing. When the Buffalo SCA chapter got a large influx of newbies, we did a series of classes to help them acclamate. "Welcome to the SCA", "How to Register Arms" and "Beyond the T-tunic". The last was taught by Lord Richard Tyler of Swiftwater, possibly one of the best qualified people to teach a sewing class. The second half of the class was a field trip to a nearby fabric store. He continued his lecture in the store on what was and wasn't a good choice of fabric. The women employees, seeing two males (Richard and myself) and eight women immediately jumped to the conclusion that we were merely pack horses and came practically racing over with rolling carts to relieve us of our burdens. When they saw that one of the men was *teaching* the women about fabrics, they practically went into shock! :D

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

You did such a good job! I am still grateful.