Quick! You have to go
to a little girl's birthday party! She is turning 7 this year and you need a
present and possibly a card as you make your way across town. You walk into the nearest Target and head
towards the toy aisles. Luckily for you, the toy industry giants have made it
easy or you to find the toys for this birthday as there are a few rows that are
blindingly pink and overrun with dolls and bead sets and make up. Your decision
on what to get this little girl has more or less been made for you.
Not anymore. In the recent, there had been a lot of discussion, research and revolution regarding the
toys we provide for our children; especially about boys and girls toys.
Last week, Lego
proved this by coming out with it’s first set of women STEM scientists
collection (http://time.com/3074690/lego-women-in-science-stem-toys/). - A set of lego toys, geared towards
girls, consisting of women scientists took off with some interesting headlines.
One of my favorites:
Move over Barbie. (http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/09/girls-play-are-gender-stereotyped-toys-on-way-out)
This
is not only a big deal for the feminists and all those striving for equality,
but it is a big deal for the 7 year old you are trying to buy a gift for.
Research shows that many girls associate fun with toys with praise from others.
For instance, dressing dolls correctly as being a "good girl" or "good mommy’s",
and applying the make up in their make up kits makes them pretty and princess
like. Meanwhile, boys have trucks,
GI Joe’s, building blocks, tool kits and much more. They are taught that
building, creating, and working is what makes toys fun.
These are extremely
different baselines for learning. For those who wonder why boys never grow up
to worry about looks, it’s because their toys taught them to think about what
their work looked like. And for those wondering why girls grow up obsessed with
their hair and weight, it’s because they have been learning girl-skills through
Barbie dolls.
And it’s not a
parent’s fault. You saw it as you wondered through Target in the rows of pink
and sparkle and rhinestone that there is not much diversity for girls when it
comes to toys.
“But
even the hardliners of that position would totally accept that there are trends
which are going against the over-pinking of girls' toys.”
Remember this past
Super Bowl? Do you remember the GoldieBlox ads? (Here I’ll refresh your
memory.)
It is important to
remember that while there is nothing wrong with little girls falling in love
with pink, there is something wrong with giving them a narrow view of what they
are capableable of. And that, for me, is the most important part of this Lego
revolution.
To present a
girl/woman in a working environment, in sensible clothes, with applicable
skills… bravo, Lego.
So… as you scan through
the endless pink in search of a birthday present. Remember what we are teaching
them and allowing them to fulfill. Remember that a little girl will have just
as much fun with a toy that lacks the glitter.
Love,
G4G & Ashley
Love,
G4G & Ashley
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