Sexist Marketing for Toys Hurts Economy

[Quintessence]

In an interesting article that ran on BBC news recently, some rather observant people noted the potential impacts of sexist marketing of toys to children:

'Dreams'
Society should therefore aim not to make boys who want to play with a pushchair and girls keen to kick a football feel guilty or ashamed, she argued.

"A boy who has never had a sewing kit might never discover his talent for design and a girl who has never had a Meccano set may never discover she has real potential as an engineer.

"Clearly not every girl that plays with Lego is going to be an architect... but why should we limit girls' aspirations at so early an age by making it so rigidly defined?"

Toy shops gave off clear signals, the consumer affairs minister said: "The shelf may say 'girls' or 'boys' on it, or otherwise girls' and boys' toys may be colour-coded or displayed in separate aisles.

"What message does that send out? What are we telling our children? We are telling them that girls and boys are different, that they like different things and that they have different interests and skills.

"We are telling them that their gender defines their roles in society and their dreams about the future."

I have long been disgusted by the sexist marketing trends used in children's toys, but I never really thought about the longer-term ramifications of doing so beyond the offensive reinforcement of sexist gender stereotypes. I think that at least some companies try to break the molds - we have scientist Barbies after all - but segregating toys by sex still sends a strong message.

What do you guys think about this article? What do you think about how our culture markets toys to children? Do you think your own childhood experiences confirm some of the concerns raised by the article?

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

In an interesting article that ran on BBC news recently, some rather observant people noted the potential impacts of sexist marketing of toys to children:



I have long been disgusted by the sexist marketing trends used in children's toys, but I never really thought about the longer-term ramifications of doing so beyond the offensive reinforcement of sexist gender stereotypes. I think that at least some companies try to break the molds - we have scientist Barbies after all - but segregating toys by sex still sends a strong message.

What do you guys think about this article? What do you think about how our culture markets toys to children? Do you think your own childhood experiences confirm some of the concerns raised by the article?

I don't know, but for what it's worth, I played a lot with "boy toys" as a child and I don't feel particularly confused or bitter. I do hate the "pink aisle" for the simple fact that it presupposes all girls like pink (which I know many who do not)

I don't think stores have to change their aisle set up - after all if you mix baby dolls in with legos you might have a hard time finding stuff. Categorize, just don't color code it I guess.

I think that advertisers are going to do what comes easiest so it's up to parents to steer their children towards a balanced set of preferences. But at the end of the day if Suzy prefers barbie over lego it's not really a tragedy. Kids like what they like. Also, if parents stop buying, makers stop making - so buy different things and that will influence the market to change. That's just my thought.

:camp:

 

[Penumbra]

I run into this issue precisely once each year- a few days before Christmas when I am hastily trying to buy presents for two young children in my extended family, a boy and a girl.

Because each year I'm like, "do I take the easy route and get the girl a pink thing and the boy a blue thing, or should I purposely try to mess with things here?" And the parents are rather conservative, and I don't know the kids very well.

 

[Alceste]

I run into this issue precisely once each year- a few days before Christmas when I am hastily trying to buy presents for two young children in my extended family, a boy and a girl.

Because each year I'm like, "do I take the easy route and get the girl a pink thing and the boy a blue thing, or should I purposely try to mess with things here?" And the parents are rather conservative, and I don't know the kids very well.

I think you should just make sure you're not ripping off the girl by giving her some kind of retarded doll while the boy gets something challenging, creative or stimulating, like lego, blocks, train tracks, mechano, science kits, telescopes, an ant farm, etc.

When I was a kid, people kept giving me stupid dolls, so I had to steal all my brother's toys. The only thing I ever figured out how to do for barbies that I found "fun" was to build them a house out of garbage and other crap that was already lying around anyway.

 

[Aquitaine]

I remember not too long ago a Swedish toy manufacturer attempted to break the mold with a Gender Neutral Christmas catalogue, sadly it appeared to get a significant amount of criticism.

But hey, I guess that's what happens when you try to change old and established ideas.

 

[Penumbra]

I think you should just make sure you're not ripping off the girl by giving her some kind of retarded doll while the boy gets something challenging, creative or stimulating, like lego, blocks, train tracks, mechano, science kits, telescopes, an ant farm, etc.

When I was a kid, people kept giving me stupid dolls, so I had to steal all my brother's toys. The only thing I ever figured out how to do for barbies that I found "fun" was to build them a house out of garbage and other crap that was already lying around anyway.

Yes, the one rule I have is that the presents must be open-ended. Those were the types of toys I played with as a kid- crafts and building materials, plus the occasional mecha. I've never once given a doll. (She gets various dolls and stuffed ponies and things from other relatives.)

I often get legos and other kiddy building things for the boy. And for the girl, I happen to know she likes arts and crafts, so I get a variety of art and craft things and spend a lot of time thinking about which one to get, and then I throw in some other stuff like a dinosaur puzzle. When she's 8, I'm planning on getting her a big box of K'nex, which I loved as a kid. She's very intelligent, so I generally push the age-range a bit as it's listed on the toys, like if something says recommended for 8-12 and she's 7, then that's good enough, because she'll get it. The presents I give tend to be the things that get played with all year.

 

[Alceste]

Yes, the one rule I have is that the presents must be open-ended. Those were the types of toys I played with as a kid- crafts and building materials, plus the occasional mecha. I've never once given a doll. (She gets various dolls and stuffed ponies and things from other relatives.)

I often get legos and other kiddy building things for the boy. And for the girl, I happen to know she likes arts and crafts, so I get a variety of art and craft things and spend a lot of time thinking about which one to get, and then I throw in some other stuff like a dinosaur puzzle. When she's 8, I'm planning on getting her a big box of K'nex, which I loved as a kid. She's very intelligent, so I generally push the age-range a bit as it's listed on the toys, like if something says recommended for 8-12 and she's 7, then that's good enough, because she'll get it. The presents I give tend to be the things that get played with all year.

Awesome. Good for you! You're doing fine.

Bloody dolls. * grumble *.

 

[Wherenextcolumbus]

Awesome. Good for you! You're doing fine.

Bloody dolls. * grumble *.

I used to love dolls, which probably explains why I was a slow one as a kid.

 

[Sunstone]

Each year, I give everyone an autographed photo of me regardless of their sex or age. No one speaks to me anymore.