She is not the first to do it, and she certainly is far from the last, but Kate Hudson is the latest celebrity to hop on new parenting trend of raising children with a genderless approach.
The actress, who until three months ago only had two sons, is making sure that her newborn daughter, Rani Rose, will not be treated any differently than her half-brothers.
In a recent interview with AOL, Hudson was asked if she's changed her parenting style to cater to a daughter, and even though she admitted that "there's definitely a difference," it doesn't mean her approach will change. In fact, it has only gotten more progressive.
"I think you just raise your kids individually regardless "” like a genderless [approach]," she said.
The 39-year-old Hollywood royalty expanded on her point, explaining that this manner of parenting is important because "we still don't know what she's going to identify as."
"I will say that, right now, she is incredibly feminine in her energy, her sounds and her way," Hudson continued. "It's very different from the boys, and it's really fun to actually want to buy kids' clothes."
She recalled when "it was just onesies" for her boys, now 15-year-old Ryder and 7-year-old Bingham, but with Rani "it's a whole other ball game."
"There's some stuff that I'm like, "˜I can't do that to her, because it's so over-the-top,'" the How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days star said.
Still, Hudson isn't afraid to dress up her daughter in extravagant attire every once in a while. For the holidays, she "went a little crazy," and put baby Rani in a red romper covered in roses.
Hudson's own childhood serves as inspiration for raising Rani without subjecting her to gender norms. The actress, whose mother is Goldie Hawn, grew up with older brothers.
"I was a tomboy in a spinning dress," Hudson told AOL. "My middle brother, [Boston,] who is closest to me in age, was basically my sister because I put makeup on him all the time, and I'd dress him up and he loved it."
She added, "But growing up as a girl with all boys, you end up with a thick skin. You really do." "People say, "˜Oh, your brothers must've really protected you.' And I'm like, "˜They threw me right into the fire!'"
Hudson can also turn to her fellow celebrities, like Pink, Angelina Jolie, and Adele, all of whom have opened up about raising their children gender-neutral, for inspiration.
"I would never be the kind of parent to force somebody to be something they are not," Jolie told Reuters while addressing her daughter Shiloh's choice to cut her hair and dress in traditionally masculine clothing. "Children should be allowed to express themselves in whatever way they wish without anybody judging them because it is an important part of their growth."
While speaking with Mirror in 2017, Pink explained that she wants her 7-year-old daughter, Willow, to be be able to "make free choices," and to not be defined or limited by traditional gender roles.
"We are a very label-less household," Pink said.
Like these celebrities, more and more parents are taking the gender-neutral approach. These are parents who want to make sure that socially-constructed gender stereotypes won't limit their children's potential as they continue to grow and figure out who they are as a person.
