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.

There does seem to be an awful lot of these toys at present. Much more than there used to be. I was looking at the Duplo. Thats quite stereo typed. But there are some neutral sets.

I think that adults are responsible for putting their stereotypical views onto children. Most places no longer label toys for boys and girls.

@RussianSpy101

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.

You are so right. Absolutely sick of this...

I wish that toys came in other colours.
We had a simple toy vacuum which was sold in red and yellow or pink and lilac.
Why not make them in colours like orange and purple? Green and yellow?
I do appreciate you can get these but not in standard toy shops or often in the popular toyshops online. You have dig around a bit more.

When DS was little we had a car wheel attachment for his pram which was, again, red and yellow. The 'girl' version was pink and lilac and was £10 more expensive...

Lego Friends comes in lilac boxes not pink. The last time Lego had sets in pink tubs or boxes was about 12 years ago. Some of the Friends sets don't even contain any pink bricks or very few. On another thread recently I pointed out that one Friends set had 7 pink pieces out of approximately 500 some pieces.
Yes Lego marketed Friends at girls. But they spend years and years doing the research about what would make girls more interested in Lego and Friends has been one of the most successful ranges they have ever released so they were obviously right somewhere.
Lego Friends is becoming quite popular among the male adult Lego fans because of the more interesting colour parts. They don't give a toss that the set is in a lilac box.
Repeat.... Lego Friends is not 'pink'.

I’m with you OP. Some of this stuff is subtle but you also have people deliberately seeking to prolong gender stereotypes. ‘Oh you’re having a girl...how lovely you’ll be able to do your nails together and all the girlie stuff’ or ‘here’s a pretty doll to practice being a mother with’. Gender reveals also imply you know what you’re getting, it just shouldn’t matter. It’s so insidiously dangerous and so unfair on little people.

I’m actually also annoyed at all the ‘gifts for her’ and ‘gifts for him’ sections in the Xmas catalogues. It’s not woke to just appreciate how much we are forced along societal expectation lines.

They don't give a toss that the set is in a lilac box.
Repeat.... Lego Friends is not 'pink'

Oh come on. Pink, lilac, still clearly “girl” colours, marketed at girls. And iirc most sets are puppy parlours, stables and hairdressers. Imaginative play, not spatial awareness and actually building cars, moving parts etc.

I don’t think I’ve ever bought girly/boyish toys. It’s always been something practical or something that can be unisex. Depending on the age, I’d buy things like pram toys or bath toys. For babies, usually lots of neutral coloured outfits, bibs when they start on solids, Animal plushies, play mat etc. And once the toddlers are old enough to express their own views, I usually find out what they are interested in and find things around that theme that they can play, wear or decorate their room with.

O must be imagining the Lego friends campervans, houses, boats and theme park rides. And the race track...

Tractors come in red, blue or green with yellow trim.

DD1 liked the green ones best.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves Exactly, things like that because they’re not perceived as girly or boyish.

@RussianSpy101

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.

I agree.

Which shop were you in though that had gendered sections? I genuinely can't think of a single shop that does that. Toys are usually divided into different types such as dolls one section, outdoor toys another aren't they? And the advertising is much better now, lots of wooden play kitchens in lots of colours showing boys and girls playing together. When my children were younger and we'd go to a big toy shop, we'd walk round the whole thing up and down every aisle and they could choose and play with what they liked. My daughter never got bothered choosing Minecraft lego 'because it's for boys' and my son wasn't bothered choosing a bright red toy pushchair for himself to cart his Thomas the tank around in because 'pushchairs are for girls'. I don't think it's as much of an issue anymore.

I think you will find some parents buy what they think is suitable, (what they approve of) , rather than will the child like it or not.
My neighbour had several boys in a row, desperate for girl. Finally had a girl, everything pink, room, clothes, toys etc, daughter now a young teen and mum won't allow her to wear trousers or get her hair cut.

@RussianSpy101 If the children are old enough to express their views, then yes I would do just that. I don’t simply mean expressing views by talking, as non-verbal toddlers can express views by pointing or using some form of sign language. If not, I don’t go out of my way to do so.

@Popcornriver Me neither. Perhaps it depends on where other people shop?

Aroundtheworld yes I have several Lego Friends cars and an awesome bi plane. I have the large camper van that uses LegoTechnic parts and skills for some of the build.
Some of the sets have clever little builds involving gears and cogs. One of the Emma's art sets has a pottery head on a stand that you build using cogs to make it turn round.
Lego Friends is an awesome Lego theme and this is my 'hill I will die on' only it will be a hill built of pink Lego bricks because I happen to like the colour pink

I have the Friends ski lift which I'm incorporating into my Christmas lego display this year!

The Car Wash was one of favourite sets of DDs.

There’s one of these threads every week. Buy whatever toys you want and there’s no need to constantly talk down “girls toys.” Why are pink and dolls always seen as lesser/inferior?

@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!

What message is it sending out?

Just because the pink toy section isn't labelled for girls doesn't mean it isn't being actively marketed to perpetuate the stereotype. When all the images used for marketing are of girls playing with the pink doll, it doesn't matter that it's not being sold in the "girl" section - and vice versa. It's not hard to use mixed groups to advertise toys, and some manufacturers are doing better at this, but old stereotypes die hard.

As for "girls like the pink, stereotypically girly stuff", I just bloody despair

@Biancadelrioisback

I wish that toys came in other colours. We had a simple toy vacuum which was sold in red and yellow or pink and lilac. Why not make them in colours like orange and purple? Green and yellow? I do appreciate you can get these but not in standard toy shops or often in the popular toyshops online. You have dig around a bit more.

When DS was little we had a car wheel attachment for his pram which was, again, red and yellow. The 'girl' version was pink and lilac and was £10 more expensive...

Good idea, let’s get companies to produce more plastic tat because there’s not a big enough colour range for you.

I wonder why boys don’t want to play with “girls toys?” I’m sure it’s got nothing to do with hearing their mothers constantly banging on about how useless and stupid dolls and kitchens are.

*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*

Agree

The labels are missing but toys are section off for boys and girls. The "boys" toys are challenging and interesting and the "girls" toys are unbelievably boring and sit pretty, very stereotypical, ie hoover, kitchen etc I have a son and daughter and we too only have toys from the "boys" section.

I'm not knocking the stereotypical toys for girls - there might be fewer threads on here about slovenly, housework-dodging DHs if boys were encouraged to play with toy hooves and kitchens more too