An online campaign is calling on Kmart to create an “inclusive kids clothing section”, rather than separating boys and girls clothes.

The petition believes children are told which colours and styles they have to wear, stating on their website: “This is a problem that has already been addressed by many smaller and independent retailers, who have done away with “girls” and “boys” sections entirely, in favour of an inclusive children’s one. It is time for Australia’s biggest retailers to follow suit.”

Associate Professor Lauren Rosewarne from the University of Melbourne believes there has been a recent push for inclusive clothing.

“Rather than having girls clothing and boys clothing, the objective here is to have one section where children or their parents can shop from,” she said.

“Nobody really believes that boys’ interests are limited to cars, diggers, dinosaurs and sharks. Nobody honestly thinks girls only like rainbows, flowers, unicorns and ice cream. Nobody reasonably considers certain colours to belong exclusively to a certain gender,” the petition says.

The campaign currently has 244 signatures.

Photo credit – getup.org.au