Potentially because the vast majority of market sellers (NB. not this market necessarily – just generally those in my experience of combing them checking out potential competitors for my seed of a home business idea) seem to focus on girls and in the small handmade item/clothing business “kids” is often code for “florals and pink and dresses and bows and ruffles and did we mention stereotypically girly!!!”?
I still have a visceral, kick-back reaction to anything along the lines of “BLAH ONLY” though. >|
Rigidly policed gender boundaries FTL.
What I find odd, in addition to what Nacey said, is that the “BOYS ONLY” signage is the largest font! The rejection of half the market is, apparently, MORE important than the actual event itself (like the face painting and bouncy house). What the eff? If the point is to get parents (read: mothers) to come to the market and buy stuff, and you’re having free fun stuff for kids as a motivator to attend… Gah! Excuse me. I have to go clean up the pieces of my brain that just exploded.
I’m with all of you: I just don’t get it.
Plus, they’ve got to be cutting out more than half their market – there’s a reasonable chance that people who have more than one child do not only have boys (75% for 2 children, and it just goes up from there). I would imagine that a significant number of those people would not necessarily want to take their boys to the market and leave their girls at home.
I checked on the website, and there seem to be a minority of markets in some states that alternate between general Baby/Kids Markets and Boys Only markets.
I’m surprised that there would be actual demand for Boys Only markets, but it does seem to be a staple of their offerings.
I can actually understand the demand after trying to buy boy’s clothing in Alice Springs. The Kmart there pretty much had a monopoly and had endless racks of pink and very little for boys. What was there was often sold out within days. It’s not so bad here, but then there is competiton with Canberra. So if there isn’t a lot of competition between retailers in Belmont, that may explain the need for boys gear only markets which would probably do a roaring trade. They still could have advertised it better.
I wonder if I’d be allowed to take my daughter and purchase things, given how not!pink we are, and given how many “boys’ clothes” she wears, and the fact that she likes dinosaurs and skeletons best at the moment (we’ve hit the age of fascination with fossils).
…*shrug* Are they going to check for a penis at the door?
I’ve been to a generic, all-in BKM with my son. Who happens to have a penis. We got generic sorts of clothes, a fire truck, puzzles, and we looked at a toy chest.
There was no lake of pink or ocean of frills. And certainly nothing that should lead the marketers to make a giant BOYS ONLY sign.
The 109th Down Under Feminists Carnival is up! 
Abortion will remain in the NSW Crimes Act 
Wonder Woman movie marketing machine tied up in knots 
Hoyden About Town 
… Huh?! Why would you cut out half of your market like that?!
Potentially because the vast majority of market sellers (NB. not this market necessarily – just generally those in my experience of combing them checking out potential competitors for my seed of a home business idea) seem to focus on girls and in the small handmade item/clothing business “kids” is often code for “florals and pink and dresses and bows and ruffles and did we mention stereotypically girly!!!”?
I still have a visceral, kick-back reaction to anything along the lines of “BLAH ONLY” though. >|
Rigidly policed gender boundaries FTL.
What I find odd, in addition to what Nacey said, is that the “BOYS ONLY” signage is the largest font! The rejection of half the market is, apparently, MORE important than the actual event itself (like the face painting and bouncy house). What the eff? If the point is to get parents (read: mothers) to come to the market and buy stuff, and you’re having free fun stuff for kids as a motivator to attend… Gah! Excuse me. I have to go clean up the pieces of my brain that just exploded.
Maybe they’re having a Dad’s day…?
I’m with all of you: I just don’t get it.
Plus, they’ve got to be cutting out more than half their market – there’s a reasonable chance that people who have more than one child do not only have boys (75% for 2 children, and it just goes up from there). I would imagine that a significant number of those people would not necessarily want to take their boys to the market and leave their girls at home.
I wonder if their profits will drop? Or if someone turns up with a girl they’ll be asked to leave? I wonder what they were thinking?
this is what their website says: “This Market is exclusively for preloved & wholesale goods for boys.”
Advertising Fail then.
I checked on the website, and there seem to be a minority of markets in some states that alternate between general Baby/Kids Markets and Boys Only markets.
I’m surprised that there would be actual demand for Boys Only markets, but it does seem to be a staple of their offerings.
I can actually understand the demand after trying to buy boy’s clothing in Alice Springs. The Kmart there pretty much had a monopoly and had endless racks of pink and very little for boys. What was there was often sold out within days. It’s not so bad here, but then there is competiton with Canberra. So if there isn’t a lot of competition between retailers in Belmont, that may explain the need for boys gear only markets which would probably do a roaring trade. They still could have advertised it better.
I wonder if I’d be allowed to take my daughter and purchase things, given how not!pink we are, and given how many “boys’ clothes” she wears, and the fact that she likes dinosaurs and skeletons best at the moment (we’ve hit the age of fascination with fossils).
…*shrug* Are they going to check for a penis at the door?
I’ve been to a generic, all-in BKM with my son. Who happens to have a penis. We got generic sorts of clothes, a fire truck, puzzles, and we looked at a toy chest.
There was no lake of pink or ocean of frills. And certainly nothing that should lead the marketers to make a giant BOYS ONLY sign.
I wonder … If a parent went along without their girl- child, and bought boys’ clothes and toys for them … would anyone know?
Probably not, Sheryl. But why be so exclusionary that parents felt compelled to such subterfuge?