A quick Instant message exchange with my daughter
Who will be having a girl in June-- 4th kid, first girl.
Me: good stuff? Phil's picking up the computer today BTW (we got them a laptop)
Her: Huge gender divide in the response a girl vs a boy gets. I find it annoying (I heroically don't say "I told you so"--that would be bad)
Me: Like what. And it is annoying
Her: the barrage of princess items like it's mandatory
Me: and pink-- even things that don't need to be pink
Her: Yup. I'm feminist enough to be offended. It's ridiculous. (Heh! I already knew that-- but I let my kids label themselves)
Me: thing is-- there's nothing wrong with with pink-- just pink overload
And they start that male pleasing merchandizing far too young-- don't be surprised to see it sooner than you expect (I'm thinking the word "hottie" on a onesie)
Her: I refuse to force my daughter into a damn princess if that's her choice fine but I will not shove it down her throat
I can hardly WAIT to go see her and have this conversation; she and many other young women underestimate how early "expected" gender behavior is indoctrinated into little girls. My daughter is very smart, and has been raised by a feminist.
My husband just said "we need to buy that kid some Tonka trucks"
= new reply since forum marked as read
everyone else has made. Respect, dignity, the right to privacy, the right to respecting others privacy. the right to be in public spaces with decorum, respect, good manners and kindness.
Happy for you and your daughter, ism
or girly stuff growing up. But my daughter? Loves to dress up and do girly stuff. It's difficult. I want her to be a strong woman, a proud feminist, but don't want to spoil her love of girly things. It's so true, the things kids are indoctrinated into right away from birth. Starts right there at the baby shower!
Once told another mother I didn't want to buy my daughter a doll house. And she was horrified. Until I told her I was building my daughter a doll house with her out of legos. That house has been growing and expanding for years
like all the women who are giving her these items as gifts.
on edit: And 'hottie' on a onesie? 
I was a 'tom boy', hated lace and dress up. Loved science and 'gross stuff'.
I was totally bumfuzzled when my daughter loved pink and Barbies. And as a girl under 9, there is no such thing as too much glitter. Mom use to joke that her grand daughter was the girl she always wanted. 
Apparently sakes are dropping off because little girls are tired of passive toys and are starting to want toys that are more interesting. Anything is better than those BRATZ doll though.
But liking pretty and glitter and soft while still gendered isn't strictly speaking a gendered thing.
Boys just don't get to let out their inner multicolored sparkly unicorn
That's funny about your mom
who is as male as they come, insisted that Mom painted his nails for a while. When Mom asked him why, he said he thought they looked so pretty. Dad had conniption fits about it. I still remember us playing in the sand box and him taking his Tonka road grader up his little hill with that bright red nail polish on his fingers.
Now my other brother was very attractive-so much so that Mom always had him in obviously 'boy' colored clothes because the most common comment was 'what an adorable girl'. He had long curly hair until his first hair cut. However, I do remember that before his hair cut, Mom took one of my baby dresses on him and snapped a Polaroid of him. Yes, he would have made a beautiful girl but again, he turned out to be a nice sensitive man.
I don't know what is worse, stepping on Barbie's shoes or Legos. Trust me, my daughter's Barbies saw plenty of action. My fav was when she took my foot massager and turned it into a spa and hot tub. She made a spa membership for me and she and her friend 'treated' me to a spa day with Barbie. You haven't lived until you have the Barbie spa treatment.
My mom was thrilled when I asked for an ORANGE bedroom when I was five. Yep! Bright orange! 
She hated the 'pink persuasion' that went on.
Your daughter is aware - and that's a very very good thing. 