If you've ever had a small child with a favorite fictional character, you know that sometimes things go more smoothly if they can wear an article of clothing on their body with that happy face. You've probably washed a favorite shirt hundreds of times because it's in such heavy rotation. Or you may have even bought a backup or the next size, just in case. It's also a delightful bonus when kids are potty training and their faves are on their underwear to cheer them on.
But have you ever noticed that kids' underwear tends to be pretty specific regarding which characters they display? Hilary Filipowicz did, and it's become quite a hassle in her house. She posted her frustration on her TikTok page, @calmlychaoticmom, and she made a strong argument for a change in the world of kids' underwear when it comes to gender inclusivity.
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Her daughter loves Mickey Mouse but not Minnie Mouse.
Hilary, 38, explained in her video that her daughter would love to have a pair of Mickey Mouse underpants, but that's not an option for her in the girls' department. The only mouse offering is Minnie, and she refuses to wear them.
She also isn’t in love with the female Paw Patrol characters, Skye and Everest, so Hilary bought her boys' briefs instead. This is solving the issue for now, but the mom wonders if it will be a problem later.
Her daughter is headed to preschool in the fall.
Her little girl will be 2, and Hilary fears that other kids might see that she is wearing boys' underwear and make fun of her.
A mom in the comment section assured her this wouldn't be the case.
"She won't be made fun of! My daughter goes to pre school and no one has ever seen her underwear but her," she wrote.
Hilary responded, "That makes me feel better!"
The mom of two girls was inspired to create her video out of frustration.
Hilary, who also has a 4-year-old girl, tells CafeMom she filmed the video in her laundry room after thinking to herself she can't be the only parent fighting this battle.
"It's such an absurd thing to assign characters to boy or girl products overall – they're beloved characters. They should certainly span genders! I'm sure there's a mom out there with a little boy who watches Peppa Pig for example," she says. "It just feels archaic to me that licensed merchandise hasn't gotten the memo."
When it came time to get her daughter new underwear, it was a challenging moment.
"My daughter was so sad. Same thing happened with Paw Patrol – she was so sad until she found the boy underwear with the ‘right’ characters on them. She was so ecstatic and I couldn't break it to her that they were for boys. Luckily she's still little enough now to not know the difference," she tells us.
Potty training can be tough, but this mom thinks character inclusion could be helpful.
Anyone who has ever potty trained a child knows it's not for the weak and can be emotionally and physically exhausting. Having your favorite character along for the ride is a bonus.
Hilary says, "Buying big kid underwear is such a huge milestone. My daughter has been potty trained for almost a year now and she still gets excited to buy new underwear as she goes up in sizes. Kids love independence and choices so it would be so awesome if those character choices were made in both boy and girl styles."
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In the end, she wants her daughters to be happy.
She admits that even though she didn't think she would be the mom whose kids were plastered in character clothing, she totally gets why parents do it.
"The spark of joy in a kid's little eyes when they see a character they love on something is so cute that it's worth it to me to try and find the things they love," she shared. "I laugh though because before I had kids I was positive I would never dress them in character clothing and now here I am making passionate pleas in a video about how much I want certain characters for my kids!"
Hilary, we love this idea, and during our potty-training days, it absolutely would have come in handy to have all of our kids' favorite characters represented. If your daughter is happy and confident, she will shine, no matter what, or who, she wears.
