To feel less than thrilled about pink mega bloks

[TeacupTempest]

that MIL has bought for DD 1st birthday?

I love my MIL. She is a star.
I also realise that many girls love pink.


I had just hoped to avoid the pinkification of my baby for a bit longer.

Surely normal mega bloks are gender less?

[Portofino]

I love the 1976 Argos calendar - it's like my childhood in a catalogue

[Portofino]

I am completely with Tethers on this one. Dd is asking for the Lego Friends stuff for Xmas, the marketing off which in France and Belgium is much more "ooh look they have invented Lego for girls" a good point made by Belgo when I was bemoaning the cost of the advent calendars the other day.
However she also want a chemistry set.

[MrsCantSayAnything]

Well I know. But it's a start.

[fishcalledwonder]

Don't fancy a trip to Knightsbridge every time I want to buy DD toys!

[MrsCantSayAnything]

Look Harrods open gender neutral toy dept

Ha! Good on them! Now when Tesco see fit to do the bloody same we'll be on the way.

[CanonFodder]

And the worst offenders have to be ELC. I just don't get why kids toys can't just be bright, funky colours, which could include pink, but not the pink overkill they currently are!

[CanonFodder]

YANBU, it never fails to strike me as completely ridiculous that everything a girl touches these days has to be pink. My DD is 7 and we have had to go out of our way to find things that are girly but not fuschia, in your face pukey pink OR sweet and sickly baby girl pink. DD hates the colour, as do I these days, mostly because of it's pigeonholing of females and because it is absolutely bloody everywhere!

[tethersend]

But even parents aren't impervious to the strong societal influences.

[fishcalledwonder]

I think it will continue as so many parents embrace it. As someone said upthread, if people didn't want them, pink toys wouldn't be made.

As a mother of a DD, I do not want any limits placed on her because she is a girl. She is currently only 1 so I can ensure she has access to all types of toys, pink pretty ones included. At this point, pink blocks would do no harm.

As soon as other influences creep in, I will be fighting against the narrow view of what it means to be a girl that is thrust at little girls from all angles. Yes she may 'choose' the pink, princessy path, but I feel that girls are being pushed down that path rather than choosing it for themselves.

[MrsCantSayAnything]

It's not only the organised campaigns that make waves Tethers...parents do...even ones not involved in campaigns. We're the ones who buy or don't buy.

[tethersend]

Is it?

Because most campaigns I see against the genderisation of toys are stigmatising pink and doing all the things I have described.

[MrsCantSayAnything]

It's getting a push already but these things take a long time.

[tethersend]

You see, I disagree with that, Mrs- I don't think it would even out without a 'push'- otherwise the parents are going to ensure that the divide remains, even if its impact is softened. Which, IMO, isn't bloody good enough

[MrsCantSayAnything]

Oh I know Bastard I know.

Sorry Curious for being rude. I do think it's best to read a thread fully and then respond accordingly.

[MrsCantSayAnything]

I can see some might do that Tethers...just as some parents would still discourage their DS from choosing "girls toys" but eventually it would even out as things became less about separating things.

[BastardSpiders]

MrsCant pulling people up on being rude, by erm being rude....

Oh the sheer irony of it.

[tethersend]

I think de-genderising the toys is one of the answers- it would certainly have an impact. But I worry that the effect would be undone by well-meaning parents steering their DDs away from play which they see as not as worthy due to their own entrenched negative connotations with anything traditionally defined as 'female'

[MrsCantSayAnything]

Yes I did craic* because imo it's rude to read the thread opener and not bother with the rest of the input.

[MrsCantSayAnything]

Tethers...which is why I suggest making toy irons in ALL colours and having ONE aisle of toys in which toy irons feature alongside cars, dolls, workbenches, horses....etc

[TheCraicDealer]

Ignore Mrs, Curious- I'm sure she didn't mean to be so rude.

[MrsCantSayAnything]

Goodnight Bamboo

[DamnBamboo]

Anyway Mrs nice to 'chat'

I'm off to bed now.

[tethersend]

The iron is a good example- the only reason we see ironing as a negative activity is because of its low status. Low status which is due to it being done almost exclusively by women over the past few hundred years.

Do we feel the same about building a house?

[MrsCantSayAnything]

Tethers I know. And I am talking about de-genderising the toys being the answer.

[MrsCantSayAnything]

Oh ffs curious join in by all means but the thread has moved on a lot. It's not about what your DD has.