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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be annoyed by this on the early learning centre website...

147 replies

dreamylady · 01/12/2009 21:43

"For the little princess in the family we have great feminine outfits like Butterfly Fairy, Sleeping Beauty, Ballerina and Nurse's uniform. Why not add a medical case for that extra touch of authenticity.

The boys are catered for too, with great Doctor, Policeman & Fireman uniforms, not to mention fantastic Pirate and Knight costumes. All these can be combined with a range of accessories so your child will really look the part."

Here's the page: www.elc.co.uk/toys/dressing-up-roleplay/dressing-up-outfits/?filter=filter&category=604

gr r!! I've already written them an email to complain, but I wondered what the general mumsnetter concensus would be?

OP posts:
Chaotica · 01/12/2009 22:27

You would care, Richard Cranium, because your child would care if the other children at nursery/reception treated them like they were weird. My daughter is smart, but not necessarily smart enough to know that it's OK not to have friends for years because you're a small girl who likes rockets. Personally, I don't give a shit, but I don't expect my children to be that thick skinned.

And Pigletmania - it is a benign "suggestion" only if there are ever suggestions for the opposite roles to be played. Which (outside 1970's feminist magazines) there aren't.

CitizenPrecious · 01/12/2009 22:28

YANBU.

this gets right on my tits. Also does anyone remember when ELC started, its usp was that it was a bit more Right On than other chain toy shops?

not bleedin' likely

hmmmph

Chaotica · 01/12/2009 22:29

Thanks - dreamylady. I'll see what response I get. And send it on to DP who is just as annoyed as me about it.

Original poster
dreamylady · 01/12/2009 22:29

richard would you not care if your DD was told by other children that she was silly for playing with a 'boys toy'? Do you think she wouldn't mind being teased? Do you not think it might influence her choice of toys in future? You might see those who ridicule are narrow minded but that's a tough one for a child to deal with.

OP posts:
Chaotica · 01/12/2009 22:31

I'm with you, dreamylady - tell it like it is!

Original poster
dreamylady · 01/12/2009 22:31

oops sorry just x-posted with Chaotica, who also said it better than me

too slow, never did that secretarial course, wish i'd been slightly less feminist about that

OP posts:
edam · 01/12/2009 22:35

Bloody EL bloody C. How stupid to assume that nurses and ballet dancers are always female and doctors and police officers are always male. Where the hell do they get their copywriters (or the people who tell the copywriters to produce this shit) from, the 1950s?

Bet the head honcho at ELC wouldn't be very impressed if he had to wait for a cancer diagnosis because all the female doctors were off being retrained as nurses.

midnightexpress · 01/12/2009 22:35

I'm with you OP, it pisses me right off. DS1 used to love pink and purple and now he just flicks past those pages becase they're 'for girls'. A pink cash register ffs. Why not just a cash register? And yy to more imaginative dressing up stuff for the boys. I also HATE how we segue seamlessly from fairy princesses for the nice girls to seige towers and generally aggressive, fighty stuff for the boys.

AND I hate how they give names like 'castle of courage' to the castle. Not just 'castle' and let the children's imaginations do the work.

IT STINKS.

Yeah. That feels better.

Chaotica · 01/12/2009 22:37

Just emailed them - I'll see what they say.

comewhinewithme · 01/12/2009 22:46

Didn't the elc used to run an advertisment slating gender specific toys?
I think it had barbir and acticn man trying to break into the elc.

stressheaderic · 01/12/2009 22:47

I don't think they're that bothered about gender stereotypes...but they are bothered about making money. And if they can sell gullible types a pink till for your daughter and then a blue one for your son, it's twice as much profit as selling you a rainbow-coloured one to hand down...simple as that, really. It stinks. YANBU, for sure.

Original poster
dreamylady · 01/12/2009 22:49

blimey yes you're right they did . have to admit I was as much as about the stuff I originally posted at the start of this thread. Well, bemused at least. It just seemed so - old fashioned. Or have things gone round in a big depressing circle?

OP posts:
edam · 01/12/2009 22:50

you are right about making double the money from colouring toys pink and blue, but they clearly are very keen to enforce gender stereotypes, give what they've actually written.

claudialyman · 01/12/2009 22:54

the tyranny of pink - thought provoking guardian article

scottishmummy · 01/12/2009 22:55

i think you are being really right on clenchie
unclench

med and law school admissions are currently slightly more female undergrads than male

i had a pirate costume- never went raping and pillaging or hoo hoo me hearty

class,educational,parental values educational attainment of parents will more likely determine career path than a dressing up set

santaschristmascakeywakey · 01/12/2009 22:56

I went shopping recently with a similar thread moseying around my brain. I popped into Mothercare to price up Spiderman outfits (DH is making sure that DD is a superhero fan) and found 'girls' and 'boys' dressing up costumes, on seperate displays and labelled as such.

I know that I can buy what I damn well please, but having toys being labelled along gender lines is so old-hat.

It made me so cross that I complained to one of the shop assistants and emailed head office. They sent me a standard reply email that went on about them passing on my comments to their buying team, and which didn't address my email at all. TBH, I think that the only way they'll understand is if people continue to complain or buy elsewhere.

curiositykilledhaskittens · 01/12/2009 22:57

ELC is overpriced tat the putting prices up before xmas is classic ELC behaviour. The gender stereotyping is annoying but not a problem if you don't shop there

Can you guess I really dislike ELC?

santaschristmascakeywakey · 01/12/2009 23:01

I suppose putting up prices now gets people before Christmas and then allows them to make 'discounts' for the New Year sale without losing any money. Or am I being too cynical?

shockers · 01/12/2009 23:02

I really don't like the whole 'pink for girls and blue for boys thing'.

ELC used to be somewhere where you could buy 'good toys' that would outlast your first and (in my case) go the extra 15 yrs to your third regardless of gender. A bit like Galt used to be in the 70's.

I went in today to get presents for the collection for kids that haven't got a lot. It's really gone downhill re plastic nastiness.
I managed to get 2 very gender specific but quite nice things, but walking around the shop just wasn't the same as it was in years gone by.....

secretgardin · 01/12/2009 23:03

dd is wearing ds' old blue choo choo pajamas tonight and loves her rocket wellies. don't care what other people think or sell, it doesn't apply at home

Original poster
dreamylady · 01/12/2009 23:05

scottishmummy, but it's not all about career paths, 20 years in the future - for me its about choice and who you are and what you want to be here and now, when you're pre-school or primary aged and you should be able to be whatever the hell your imagination can make you into.

There's the rest of your life to think about your career, should you choose to have one. And how great when you start to think about that, to have a totally open mind.

OP posts:
casbie · 01/12/2009 23:05

like the pinkstinks website of women role models...

I used to work in the toy industry and yes, pink is used as a ploy for getting parents to buy two of each product... also, if we did do anything that wasn't pink, we were told we couldn't because 'pink sells'. so there you go!

for alternative to high street look out for german or french toy brands... much more realistic in that boys and girls (sometimes!) want to play together!!! lol!

scottishmummy · 01/12/2009 23:10

all the stuff op describes is shop bought tat
want better for your children?well dont rely on shop bought shit.you take control as a parent you discuss things they can do
discuss all options Uni,employment

dont genderidse this either,not all wee boys want to be pirates etc

as an adult you can and should discuss work and employment give examples mummy works,daddy works etc

i have no consensus on shop bought tat other than don't buy it

shops well what consumers buy,someone likes it

Original poster
dreamylady · 01/12/2009 23:10

Thanks for the useful insight casbie. So maybe now is when pink begins to stop selling and 'anything but' becomes a selling point?

OP posts:
PlanetEarth · 01/12/2009 23:15

Yeah, hate the gender stereotyping. ToyRUs is the worst, aisles and aisles of pink/purple or black/grey/orange. Don't mind the fairy outfits, but job-wise I do want my DD's to have other ambitions!

When DD was 4 we bought her a pirate ship for her birthday, with complex parts for assembly. At her party we got out the ship, a doll's house and some other toys while we were waiting for guests to arrive. First guest (a boy), rushed up to ship and said something like "Wow! Whose is this?" (duh, DD's!). When all guests had arrived, all girls had gone for the doll's house and all boys for the pirate ship... .