To feel uncomfortable about gender representation in kids toys?

[stereeotype]

I was looking for a birthday gift and have to say the shopping made me feel...slightly uncomfortable on how badly the toy options played into gender stereotypes. I haven't looked for a kids present for years as I don't have children, but I think I'd be frustrated if I did!

I would go as far as to say I found it disturbing. There was relatively little of use in the 'pink' section and nothing but practical/technical learning material amongst the boys.

Now I appreciate you don't have to buy girls toys for girls and boys for boys - but a girl is likely going to assume she subconsciously wants the girls toys as there are pictures of girls all over the boxes so likely to veer towards those.

Also, why can't the girl section appear girly but the actual toy still be of use, not just a dolls head for hairdressing or a kitchen for cooking?

Can't believe it's 2021 and we are still dealing with this.

@stereeotype I've got to disagree. I find a lot more girls want to play with typical 'boys toys' and vice versa.

What i find annoying is when they make 'girl versions' of boy toys so like pink garage or pink construction set, just unessassery and what does that message send out!

To get around this and avoid the angst I would buy whatever suits from whatever section it came from be that a 'toolkit' from the boy's section and a balloon from the girl's section or whatever. This happens a lot too with children's clothing, buy a practical shirt from the boy's if needs must. If you are so inclined then write to the store/manufacturers expressing your concerns. There are dedicated social media channels to this sort of thing so you won't be shouting into the abyss.

This is precisely what the Let Toys Be Toys campaign is about - it was started by a MNer, I think.

www.lettoysbetoys.org.uk/

Another vote for LTBT as above

It is silly they’re marketing toys to specific genders! Put a boys face and a girls face on the dollhouse/kitchen and both on the toolkit/science experiment. There’s nothing wrong with a child of one gender stereotypically liking some things more than others. For us to assume it’s not because of marketing or past patriarchal ideals is silly. We haven’t even tried to stop the stereotypical marketing, so how will we ever find out if women really DO want to be nurses/childcare providers more?

@ikeepseeingit yes this is exactly my point! Spot on

What do you mean by none of the toys are "of use"?

I’m reality the people who buy exclusively from the pink section are those that embrace very stereotypical views of gender. The rest of us just crack on and buy whatever our kids like. Stop calling them the girls/boys sections and buy for the child you have.

I first got angry when I looked in the Early Learning Centre (fab when I was wee int he 1980s for the non gendered toys) and was stunned to see massive gender stereotyping. There was a girl aimed toy hoover in pinks and lilacs, and a gender neutral one (boy and girl on box) in reds and blues and greens. Why make two? Pointless and gender stereotyping.

I buy my children toys that they want. From whatever section they want. It annoys me that some places still split into boy/girl. Pointless.

I mourn the passing of the Early Learning Centre. Wonderful, well made, educational, non sexist toys. My now adult DDs got almost all their toys from there. Back in the 80s/early 90s, society was much less gendered.

get on to Toys Will Be Toys - they have really good ideas

Apart from stating the obvious (just buy whatever!!) I really appreciate the link for LTBT!

YABU 🙄

Does anyone who is desperately trying to be “woke” ever stop to think maybe the girls like playing with things from the “girls” section and the boys like playing with things from the “boys” section.

This is all getting rather dull now tbh.

The way toys are marketed is an issue, but it is still worth seeing the value in toys that are traditionally aimed at girls like dolls and kitchens. A toy doesn’t have to have ‘use’ to be a good toy. There is value in the creative/role play/imaginative toys too.

Babdoc I think I told you this in another thread the other day - Early Learning Centre as not gone. It is sold within The Entertainer toy shops. It is all branded ELC and has it's on section on their website.

@Newrunner29

What i find annoying is when they make 'girl versions' of boy toys so like pink garage or pink construction set, just unessassery and what does that message send out!

Yes I find this annoying. Like yes girls can have dinosaurs but only if they are pink and sparkly.

OP what age are you buying for and what is that's childs interests. There are some fantastic toys out there. Obviously it depends what the child likes to do.

But OP you are stereotyping - you're presuming the "pink" section has toys for girls and that the practical toys are for boys.

Just buy what the child likes and maybe order online to avoid being disturbed by a toy shop.

What do you mean by none of the toys are "of use"?

Pretend kitchens and hairdressing head are apparently of no use! But the area looking girly is still fine!

@Newrunner29

What i find annoying is when they make 'girl versions' of boy toys so like pink garage or pink construction set, just unessassery and what does that message send out!

Yes!! When I moved into my first flat, my Mum bought me a pink toolset. I was flummoxed that she thought that the only reason I was no good at DIY was because nobody had thought to to offer me a pink hammer before! 😂

But this is how it starts, isn't it? In the toy section. If the message we're sending to little girls is "It's only appropriate for you to play with if someone has painted it pink" then it comes as no surprise that when we get to adulthood, people are buying us pink hammers to put our shelves up with!

I sometimes wonder if posts like these are a wind up. There are only 2 major toy chain retailers in the UK now. Smyths and The Entertainer (which contains Early Learning Centre). Neither of these retailers say "these are the boys toys, these are the girls". Yes products that are similar will be displayed together - so Barbie and Steffi dolls will be next to each other with the other fashion dolls like Rainbow High etc. This make sense as a consumer doesn't want to hike around a store trying to find what they want. They want to be able to go to the 'car' section (if they want a toy car or vehicle) where all the Hot Wheels/Remote control cars etc not have to go from aisle to aisle.
Many independent toy shops are Toymaster franchises. They display the same as Smyths and The Entertainer.
Unless you go to a really old independent toy shop that has the same owner and hasn't had a refit since 1973 you simply do not have toy shops that say 'girls' or 'boys'.

I find toy shops (eg smyths and the entertainer ) don't have girl and boy sections these days, it's usually games, construction, experiments, usually quite a large doll section with only pink signage used for barbie as her colour is pink, small world play, train tracks, never seen a pink sparkley dinosaur.
I have 3 kids, who have all had very different interests over the years,i run a toddler group and a rainbows group and have worked in nurseries for years, so lots of experience buying and playing with toys.
Children play with toys, literally any toy available to them, you don't need to stick to traditionally girls or boys toys, there's really no such thing, especially now.
Also, every single toy has some educational value to the child playing with it, I also don't like the way people are dismissive about toys that are pink/traditionally marketed for girls, such as kitchens, hoovers, tills, Princess dress up, they all have so much value to the children playing with them.

Harlequin I like the colour pink. I wouldn't care if I had a pink DIY set.