A few months ago, I was walking past a toy store, when I spotted a toy vacuum cleaner packaged in plain brown cardboard, with no pictures of any particular gender playing with it. The actual toy itself was a gender neutral green and yellow.
I ran back to the car, where my fiance and my kids were sitting, and I gushed, ‘it’s finally happened in our lifetime!’
See, it’s always baffled me that although so many of us teach our children they can do any job, be anything, we still have discrimination in childrens’ advertising: pink vacuum cleaners with a picture of a girl on the box. Or a truck with a boy playing in the picture on the box. In blue, of course…
In the news, we’ve had our first ever female prime minister of Australia. Another one of those ‘in our lifetime it happened!’ moments. We’ve allowed dolls, trains and trucks to be played with between both genders. We’ve never placed gender biases on these toys. If they’re interested, they play. If not, they don’t.
Missy 9 started school a few years ago, and was baffled by all the comments in the playground about ‘girl toys’ and ‘boy’s toys’. We had lengthy discussions about how there’s no such thing, they’re just toys. That if you only played with half the toys out there, you’d be half a person. If you were allowed to play with toys supposedly representing both genders, then you’re a whole person, and can find the true you. That boys and girls are equally brainy.
So, this post today is for my Missy 9. She came running to me from the tv, furious.
Her: Mum! Playskool just showed the most sexist ad I’ve ever seen! They had this toy vacuum, and they only showed a girl playing with it, and they were saying, ‘vacuum the house just like mum! Don’t they know men can vacuum too? And then before that, on the same ad, they had a lawn mower toy, and they said, ‘mow the lawn just like dad! Don’t they know that’s sexist? Don’t they know there’s no such thing as girl toys and boy toys?!’
Me: Bugger. I’m glad you’re ticked darling, it means you got my message.
I always wanted children who would be outraged at moral wrongdoing and to speak out against it. To be raised with a sense of empowerment. Bravo, Missy 9, keep shouting the message loud and clear. Us oldies are listening.
I am in disbelief too that these types of commercials still exist! But you taught your daughter well, so there’s hope that the next generation’s children won’t have theses messages thrown at them anymore! Good job, mum.
Steph´s last post ..Haircut
It also amazes me that in this day and age there are still these kinds of commercials. Bravo on a job well-done, you are doing a fantastic job of showing your children that gender roles can be reversed!
Charlotte´s last post ..new decade- new me
Steph and Charlotte: that was my first reaction: disbelief! It does make me feel better to know my daughter has the message, but then seeing these ads makes me feel like I’m belting my head against a brick wall LOL
Hear Mum Roar´s last post ..It’s nice to see gender stereotyping is alive and well
I was at ALDI couple of days ago and it really bugged me that the little oven and kitchen toys they were selling were all pink. Grrrr.
One of the reasons I love the wooden eco toys because they are gender neutral.
We were at a ‘superhero’ dress up birthday party today. Out of the 30 kids there, the boys were all either spiderman, batman or transformers, the girls were all fairys and princesses. Only my two girls had chosen to go as anything different – Dr Horrible and Buffy. Bugs me that not only are stereotypes so pervasive but that licensed merchandise is also.
Good job Mum
Kelly Be A Fun Mum´s last post ..I Have Three Crushes
Good on her, and good on you.
I hate Toyworld and have complained, but it makes no difference – they have aisles of ‘girl toys’ and ‘boy toys.’ It’s pervasive – all the things like science are ‘boy toys.’
Board games are even worse. Now you have to hunt for plain old Snakes and Ladders – it comes in Dora or Ben 10. Trouble is My Little Pony or Thomas. So there’s your dose of commercialisation as well.
Deb´s last post ..An Expedition on Your Bookshelf and giveaway
Wow Sharon, well done you for raising such an enlightened daughter! Bravo! Change truly does begin in the home.
Kristin (Wanderlust)´s last post ..Im sticking with thundercyclone
At the risk of being annoying, I’m posting a link at the bottom of this comment. It’s a post from a site where I was a “content provider” for many years, about my toddler-aged son who was just enraptured with a doll my daughter got for Christmas one year. He was all of three years old at the time. My father-in-law thought it was horrible that my son liked to play with the doll carriage when we visited relatives. I said to him, we’re at a house where there is only a girl – thus, she has what are typically girl toys – who cares. I’m sure he thought my son would be a homosexual if we continued to let him play with a doll. I could see “that look” on his face whenever he saw the doll in the company of my son.
My sister had a “toy” vacuum that actually vacuumed – and her son loved to use it. I know boys who still like stuffed animals, and girls who like dump trucks
http://www.spanitz.com/artman/publish/article_145.shtml
kathy´s last post ..Tuesday Miscellaney
I’m constantly annoyed by this too. I don’t care if my son doesn’t want to play with dolls, or my daughter doesn’t want to play with tools, but it would be nice to let them decide this on their own. My 3-year-old already calls some toys “girl’s toys” or “boy’s toys”. Even though I’ve tried to let them know they can play with everything, it still seeps in.
Marilyn (A Lot of Loves)´s last post ..The List- Preschool TV Shows That Send Me Over the Edge
Oh, Marita, we are huge Buffy fans here!
Thanks Kelly:)
Deb, I didn’t know they had boys’ and girls’ aisles! Oh my god…
Kristin, I hope so.. I get frustrated because as others are mentioning, there’s still such a long way to go
Kathy, that was a really interesting article! I love it when kids find a real vacuum that is easy for them, lol!
Marilyn, that’s what bugs me, is that no matter what, it still seeps in:(
Hear Mum Roar´s last post ..Toddlers love pull along play