Texas Mom Finds Shorts For Her Toddler Daughter. Then She Demands Answers After Seeing The Boys’

A Texas mom is going viral on TikTok after calling out something she says she never expected to be so frustrating about raising a young daughter: the clothes.

User @escapingellymay filmed herself shopping for her toddler and flags what she describes as “the most irritating part of having a girl.”

The clip then shows a side-by-side comparison of toddler shorts, showing a pair labeled for girls that are noticeably shorter than a comparable pair made for boys—even though both are meant for 2-year-olds. She uses the moment to question why the difference exists at all.

“Until I became a girl mom, I had no clue this nonsense started so young,” she wrote in the caption of her video. “Why do little girl shorts have to be so much shorter than little boy shorts? Boys and Girls are about the same size at that age, no need to make their clothes so much smaller already.”

The post struck a nerve with viewers, many of whom echoed her frustration. As of Thursday, the video had racked up more than 2.4 million views.

What’s Up With The Size Difference?

@escapingellymay isn’t the first parent to complain that young girls’ shorts are, well, short, especially compared to young boys’ shorts.

But there isn’t one single reason why this is the case. The most likely culprit is the difference in how kids’ clothes are designed and marketed.

Brands have treated “boys” and “girls” clothing as two completely separate categories, even for toddlers. In practice, that means boys’ shorts tend to be boxier and longer, while girls’ shorts are slimmer and shorter. And while these differences might echo adult women’s fashion, this certainly doesn’t reflect how kids’ bodies actually look at that age.

Because of this issue with kids’ clothing that @escapingellymay and others have flagged, many parents opt out. In October, one mom went viral on TikTok after admitting she had been shopping in the boys’ section for longer, sturdier shorts for her daughter. And there’s been a noted rise in unisex or gender-neutral brands for kids.

In short, the size difference isn’t about kids’ bodies. It’s about how the clothes are imagined, designed, and sold—and plenty of parents are deciding they don’t have to play along.

Parents Agree That Girls’ Clothing Is Too Revealing

@escapingellymay’s video caught the attention of parents, many of whom said the options aimed at little girls feel wildly inappropriate.

“I was gifted literal baby daisy dukes for my 1yo daughter,” one mother said. “She only wears them to bed. I was liviiiiid. Who is putting those crop tops on their baby?”

“I work in children’s retail and DONT even get me started on swimsuits,” another wrote. “Why do we have small triangle tops for an infant or a cut out sides one piece????”

“They normalize the male gaze even as children,” a third commenter added.

Alongside the outrage, some parents shared the workarounds they’ve adopted while shopping for their daughters.

“I will always buy ‘boy shorts’ for my girls,” one mom explained. “Buy white ones and dye them. I refuse to let my girls be sexualized.”

“I buy my girls clothes in the boys section,” another added. “It’s so ridiculous.”

Others urged parents not just to adapt but to push back. One mom pointed to brands she feels get it right.

“One of the only good things about Old Navy is they still sell Bermuda shorts in the girls’ section,” she said. “Cute, functional, and age-appropriate.”

Another encouraged more direct action. “All the parents saying buy the boys shorts, and while that’s not a bad idea, we gotta start standing up for the kids,” she wrote. “Call these companies! Email them! Put the pressure on!”

@escapingellymay

Patch has contacted @escapingellymay via a direct message on TikTok.