Mumsnet’s recent campaign ‘Let girls be girls’ is supported by Asda, House of Fraser and Mothercare. Borne out of parental disgust that major stores like Primark were selling padded ‘show off’ bikini tops for 7 year olds, I am not at all surprised that Mums are upset.

I think this is an interesting debate for adults too. especially when it comes to marketing to women.

Why shouldn’t women be allowed to be women, to do what we want, rather than what society says or other women expect?

For example, if we aren’t mechanically minded women drivers, should we be expected to become so or could we not rely on professional mechanics in female friendly garages instead, to look after us and our cars when it comes to safe motoring.

Similarly, what right has any female to say that being a Mum isn’t a full time, rewarding and extremely hard job to do well. Or that a business career isn’t as worthy for that matter.

And in a motoring context again, are women drivers who can’t cope with a car jack (but have a breakdown policy to hand) any less foxy than a female motorist who is happy to change a wheel, check her tyres and top up her oil and water levels?  Good for her, of course, but perhaps she mightn’t spot signs of wear and tear that a garage professional would see immediately, in a female friendly business environment too rather than getting her hands dirty, all by herself?

Especially if car fitness checks were free, as they are for members of FOXY Lady Drivers Club?

I spent years competing with men to be seen as better than them. Where I succeeded it came at a price in terms of my home life and, with the benefit of hindsight, I am not sure it was worth it.

Why shouldn’t ‘girls be allowed to be girls’ and ‘women allowed to be women’ when all this means is giving us the choice between being like the boys (and men) or to be treated in a female friendly fashion; very often this is subject to the occasion.

One thing I have learned since setting up FOXY is that grown up girls can be very different from each other and most of us are poles apart from the boys when it comes to our shopping habits (and lots of other things too…).

Each to their own I say with lots of choices for all.

FOXY

‘There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women’.

Madeleine Albright,  former US Secretary of State