So I'm reading this article that some parents organization or something or another (much of the article clearing sinking in) finds Lego friends Beauty Shop to be the most offensive toy of the year because it is "reinforcing sexual stereotypes with its pink blocks, gendered minifigures, and explicitly girly themes."
Ok, you got me. I was totally sitting around last year saying "wow, Lego is such a cool
toy... we would totally buy it for our girl if it only came in pink. Too bad she'll have to live her life without building things. It's just not girlie enough."
Perhaps I've taken issue with gender stereotyped toys before (it's totally possible, my views on things change frequently). None-the-less - we are raising a girlie girl. A pink and purple, lace and jewels, dress-up in feathers girl. And there isn't anything we can do about it. If we only ever bought gender neutral toys for her - we'd soon have a bin of toys "glammed up" with pink and purple marker, coated in stickers, or anything else to make it "pinker." She once tried to color Astro pink! She would wear Sunday dresses to school everyday if she were able!
So, if a Beauty Shop is what it takes to get our daughter to take an interest in the building and creating that is Lego - So. Be. It.
And if anyone wants to raise their kids in a gender-neutral bubble of androgynous playthings... I say have at it. But don't throw your buckets of cold water on my girlie girl's toys.
I'd like to add - as well - that have they considered all the boys who might also play with Lego Friends? The inherent assumption in their argument is that Lego Friends is only for girls and we can't have our girls getting too stereotypically "girlie". Are we reinforcing stereotypes more by forcing our girls to put down the Beauty Shop in favor of Lego Firefighters - rather than admitting that Lego Friends may have appeal to more than just the girls?
5 comments:
This new toy has been going around FB, so maybe you have seen it, but your post reminded me of it. Maybe Allison would like this (once they are actually made that is). I thought it looked cool!
http://www.goldieblox.com/
Interesting - I hadn't seen it. I laughed that this girl-themed toy is said to "bust stereotypes." LOL. You're right - Allison would probably really like it.
I was just thinking about the goldieblox and was going to comment but Erica beat me to it. Not in production yet though and the kickstarter campaign is over I believe.
Also, although Lego Friends has a beauty shop, it also has an inventor's workshop.
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