To be angry about sexism on kids TV

[Antoniacaenis]

Feeling very sad that DD (3) has just told be that the pink pig on her plaster must be George and not Peppa because it's in an astronaut costume.😡.

I am angry about what has made her think like this and In part I think it's the TV she watches, nearly always CBeebies and I thought these were ok. But when I think about it - where are the strong characters in lead roles? I guess I'm thinking about the cartoons mainly. Where are the girl characters in Peter Rabbit, Mike the Knight, and even DDs favourite Octonauts? In supporting roles... the fun , active main characters are nearly always male. I was liking Go Jetters until I realised that the only female character ( out of 5) never does anything except drive the car and worry she is not good enough ( non of the other characters have confidence issues and need constant reassurance from the team.

When the main character is female we get Kate and bloody Mim Mim. I know there is the likes of Katie Morag to balance things a bit but AIBU to be getting angry about this subtle conditioning?

Can anyone tell me about any good fun cartoons on other channels that don't follow this crappy pattern?

[KanyesLunchbox]

So thrilled to discover that there are so many pegasisters around! Dd is 7, ds 5 and we all love it.

We were in holiday last week and dd found a cartoon called Miraculous Ladybug on Netflix. It's about a teenage girl who discovers she has super powers so is a masked crime fighter. She has a male sidekick - nice to have the roles reversed for a change. Haven't watched too many episodes too closely but it seems passable. And less offensive than the usual Nickelodeon fare.

[CheshireChat]

How I come across to whom exactly? It's my house and I've said no to a cartoon .

The sexist stereotypes aren't the only reason I've banned Peppa Pig, but obviously play a part.

And the reason Daddy Pig cocks up is because he doesn't listen to instructions... And like I said I hate this attitude that men are incompetent around the house and are just tolerated because they should be at work.

It's a by product of previous generations when men weren't involved in any way in raising children and managing a household and they ended simply being tolerated and looked down in their own home as they had no idea what it takes to run a house. Damaging for both genders and very pervasive.

[CheshireChat]

And not equality in every situation, but balance. Like I said other shows manage this. Look at the last Cars movie. The men are still running the show such as it is, but women play a big part. Neither gender is seen as systematically incompetent. Women are in variety of roles and have different personalities.

So not equal, but balanced.

[craftsy]

I don't hate Ladybug but Marinette's main motivation in her real life is her crush on school-friend and part-time model Adrien. Who she doesn't know is really her super-hero partner. While Adrien has a crush on Ladybug not knowing she is really classmate Marinette. And he mildly sexually harasses her as they go about their super-heroics. Partially due to the bravado he's learned mimic due to the clear emotional damage his distant and authoritarian father causes. It's a really weird set-up for a kids show, tbh, I never know quite what to make of it.

[TmiTuesdays]

Bloody Paw Patrol merchandising. This drives me nuts. It's divided into boys (all pups except Skye, generally bright blue or red background) and girls (Skye, Everest and sometimes token boy Marshall - always him for some reason - pastel background, usually pink). Girl fans like ALL the pups, why can't they have them all? And any halfway observant boy fan would be wondering why Skye isn't on his t-shirt with all her friends, and how exactly do you explain why she's not there? Really don't get the 'Avengers mentality' (as DH calls it). If they're a team on the show, let them be a team on the merch.

[SnugglySnerd]

Joey clearly I'm referring to the CBeebies Peter Rabbit rather than the original Beatrix Potter stories. Since they've changed quite a lot a made up a load of stories anyway they could have changed the gender stereotypes too.
Just having his female sidekick Lily doesn't make up for gender stereotypes being reinforced in other parts of the programme.

[KanyesLunchbox]

Crap, craftsy, really? I must watch it a bit closer. I kind of went into holiday brain so once it wasn't too awful, I didn't pay much attention to it

[liquidrevolution]

My D D is 3 but doesnt even know who pepper pig is. Likewise paw patrol.

Hey duggee is ace. Love octonaughts and i dont think the girls are marginalised as they clearly have responsibilities and talents beyond getting their nails done. Peso is a bit gender fluid to a toddler perception anyhow. I dont mind the one girl situation in go jetters as she clearly wasnt tacked on the story like skye in paw patrol in order for manufacturers to sell pink as well as blue stuff.

My little pony sounds like sparkly spangly hell and will be avoided for as long as possible.

[craftsy]

Crap, craftsy, really? I must watch it a bit closer. I kind of went into holiday brain so once it wasn't too awful, I didn't pay much attention to it blush

Well at least it's better than DC Superhero Girls which made their heroes "accessible" to girls by infantilizing all the heroes and sticking them in high school. They had a homage to Batman V Superman, Batgirl V Supergirl, where the two heroes battle each other for the last fat free muffin in the canteen. It's literally fucked up.

[vikingprincess81]

wordery.com/good-night-stories-for-rebel-girls-elena-favilli-9780141986005?currency=GBP&gtrck=enJQMS9BSFhuME45aHZZaXBFUWxDRnpTUCtJNlpJQ01LQUJXcUNVRTdjTTNnOGV6SWwweVcwY1ZXMW1rSnozc1lhcmxJS1hIRHFkMWttbnRiNERtYmc9PQ&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuOG40IPS1QIV6hbTCh05hgh9EAQYASABEgJVEvD_BwE
Not RTFT but this book is fantastic

[SnugglySnerd]

My 3 yo has never seen Peppa either. She is currently enjoying the Princess Smartypants books from the library which are quite funny. They show the Princess rebelling against all the Princess norms in fairytales.

[MyPatronusIsAUnicorn]

There is a programme in BBC 2 on Wednesday (I think it's Wednesday) about gender stereotypes from a young age. Sounds really interesting. The man went into a class of 7 year olds and asked them some questions and it was pretty depressing.
Miraculous: The adventures of Ladybug and Catnoir is bloody drivel! I don't care if it's the most positive thing in the world. DD does like it though. She also loves MLP too and i'd never actually paid attention to the episodes so it's good to hear how positive it is.

DS has a few friends who are girls. We were having a chat about them recently and apparently they are acceptable to him because they are tomboys. I asked him why are the tomboys, he couldn't answer but basically they like sports, football, running around and don't wear dresses or skirts. I did point out that they are just girls who are into sports which is acceptable and not tomboys. It's 'interesting' where his view has come from as it isn't from us. Probably TV and peers I would imagine.

[Sophia1984]

Jamillah in Jamillah & Alladin is pretty awesome.

[SideOrderofSprouts]

Mlp is brilliant. My nephew loves rainbow dash. I'll
Happily sit and watch it. female ponies that can do anything. If anything shining armour was the one crying at the donkeys wedding not the
Females!

[TheMasterNotMargarita]

I bought that for Dds birthday Vikingprincess81, it is really good although she was initially at Hilary Clinton .

[MorrisZapp]

It's true that female leads don't attract male viewers or readers, and this leads to Hermione syndrome. Girls get to be clever and kick ass to the point of obnoxiousness, but only in a supporting role.

Nobody ever questions why the hero always wins the day despite being less able than his female friend.

[Vanillaradio]

I have a ds and the Paw Patrol and Peppa merchandise is driving me crazy. Ds is desperate for a T-shirt with Peppa and George together or all the pups together but apparently you are supposed to only want the characters same gender as you even aged 3...........

[BoneyBackJefferson]

I came on to post that it will be fine as when they get older the majority of the male characters in the shows with actors turn in to idiots.

But I see that that has already been spun.

[KatharinaRosalie]

Have you seen Masha and the Bear? My 4 and 2yo love it, and Masha is certainly a feisty character.

[RoboticSealpup]

I second Masha and the bear!! DD loves it, but it's also a really funny depiction of life with a toddler. That bear has the patience of a saint!

[Marymoosmum14]

My knight and me, Princess Cat is also known as the Princess Knight, she is badass. My DD loves my knight and me and wants to be a princess knight, she also likes things like Scooby Doo, My Little Pony, Paw Patrol and Phineas and Ferb. She isn't allowed to watch CBeebies and peppa pig is banned in my house.

[Marymoosmum14]

Oh Masha and the Bear, I love that programme let alone my DD.

[ProfessorBranestawm]

Yep it's everywhere isn't it. Saw a lovely new science/space range of baby clothes in mothercare today and of course they are under a big sign saying "boys"

My 7yo DS and 10yo DD adore my little pony, definitely recommend

[ProfessorBranestawm]

I was really excited about Miraculous having a female superhero but then she spends so much time simpering after Adrian

[Batteriesallgone]

I hate Peppa Pig. I think the worst episode I've seen is the one where they go on holiday and Mummy Pig packs excessive stuff, and then does lots of pointless shopping for tat when on holiday. It was just so in-your-face Jim Davison style stereotyping it was the final straw for me! Not to mention that Peppa herself is really fucking annoying.

Quite like Bing in this house although I know it gets a bad rep on here. I know Bing and Flop are both male, but Flop being a man in a carer role is good I think. The other female parents - Ama and Padget- run a nursery/preschool and shop respectively, so are quite strong female characters I think. Sula is into pink girly stuff but there's no insinuation that she's lesser than Bing, they are best friends and equals. The biggest / oldest / cleverest child is Coco, a girl, and the baby is a boy (nice touch as often babies are girls which taps into the whole vulnerable = female thing).

Not watched MLP but will give it a go now!