I work at Target, specifically in the softlines and fitting room department. Since I've been there since summer of 2015, I have gotten to see the improvements and changes throughout not only the stores, but the brands themselves. Sometime a few months ago, Target started carrying the Cat and Jack children's clothing brand in place of Cherokee and Circo, and I wasn't sure what to expect at first.

What greeted me was a fantastic surprise.

A lot of times when it comes to children's clothing, I am disappointed. Mostly because many shirts and designs have stereotypes that children wear and grow up with and see normal.

For example, many times you'll walk into a boys clothing section and see football and basketball shirts, some graphic tees that have things along the lines of being rude to your siblings or parents, avoiding responsibilities, and things that boys have been told that are okay because "boys will be boys." Point in case are the following shirts.

Boys shirts also feature superhero and video game graphics a lot, which you hardly ever see in girls clothing.

Meanwhile, plastered on girls shirts are slogans that talk about their physical and social attributes-- being cute, being popular, talking a lot, being a drama queen, texting a lot, being pretty, etc. There is also a lot of pink, which I don't think is a big deal, but it is widely conceived as a feminine color.

Some more examples:

Maybe you don't see a big problem with these, but I do, and I have for a long time.

Rather than focusing on what children should be when they grow up and lifting their confidence, they separate girls and boys clothing by generalizing girls as preppy and focusing on their looks while saying boys should be athletic and should be playing video games and being, well, just boys. Whatever that means.

To me, this is frustrating, because it tells girls to focus on looks rather than telling them they can be doctors and scientists and can do so much with their lives. It tells boys that they can't be feminine and that they should only focus on more traditionally masculine activities and sports.

Then comes Cat and Jack.

This brand has done nothing but uplift children, not only for boys and girls clothing but even starting with the infant and toddler section.

There is an anti-bullying message that rings out throughout the whole brand, one of acceptance and being yourself and being kind to others. There are so many shirts for girls that are aimed toward the STEM field and telling them to explore science and math. There are shirts for boys that tell them to speak up and stand up for themselves, something that many boys have problems with since they are so used to being told to act a certain way.

I'll include some pictures for reference of some of the greatness they convey.

I have never felt so much love and appreciation for a brand. I'm so, so, SO happy that it influences kids to be great, to love themselves and others and to influence others. It doesn't focus on material things, on looks, on social status. It looks past that.

On top of that, my graphic designing heart is in love with the styles that they use.

There's just so much that I love about it and the good it does for children. As they grow up, they see the things they are subjected to wearing and playing with, and that influences their way of thinking. By limiting them to physical attributes, it doesn't allow them to grow to be inventors and scientists.

Thank you, Cat and Jack, for developing such a wonderful brand and for helping children grow to be the best they can be. This is the future generation we are talking about, and by influencing them in such a positive way, hopefully their futures will be confident and powerful as well.