Horrifically sexist Fisher Price advert on Mumsnet

[Chagula]

I am so fed up of seeing, on Mumsnet of all places, the horrifically sexist Fisher Price ad for a toy vacuum/duster.

A little girl is playing with the vacuum, pretending to vacuum the carpet, then she does play dusting with the duster that is part of the toy.

She is cleaning things! Like females are supposed to do! And then she has a lovely cuddle with her mother.

Because yes, that's what females do. Clean things, and congratulate their daughters for learning how to clean things!!

🙄

My now adult DS used to love their toy vacuum and kitchen. In fact, when potty training, my eldest swept up an awful mess up and down the hallway 😆

Again, why does that matter? I really don’t care if I’m expected to do the cleaning as a woman. If I want to do it, I will, and if I don’t, I won’t. And I don’t care about this imagined ‘mental load’ crap. But what I won’t do is bleat on about a silly advert that doesn’t bother most people.

And my son is really offended because he wants one but as a grown adult with no brain I won’t be buying him one.

My daughter is delighted but her brother has actual daily mail face.

Oh I would care if it was expected of me for simply being a woman.

It's a shame this wasn't on aibu with a vote. 😉

My preschool grandson is a very typical boy.His slightly older sister couldn't be more girly. They have never been stereotyped by their parents or us as grandparents as we are all very open minded. What should we do? Should we force them to play with toys advertised & geared towards the opposite sex? Children will do what comes naturally to them. If thats a boy playing with dolls or a girl playing with a digger truck thats fine. They shouldn't be encouraged to do so if its not something they desire just because society nowadays expects it of them.

Imagine bearing this mental load all the time! 😂

I don't think it's sexist.

I think you are looking at it from the prism of your own sexism.

Did they see their father dusting and hoovering? If they didn't, that might explain the difference rather than an inherent preference for females to clean, which is unlikely. Who's born wanting to dust and hoover?

I think they should show both sexes paying with it. As otherwise I could see why it could seem sexist. I don't remember ever having any play cleaning equipment as a child? But then again I'm useless at cleaning now so it might have helped?! 🤣

I agree with you @Chagula , I thought we'd left this crap behind, but every day I think we are going backwards. Does no-one remember the Let Toys Be Toys campaign? It does matter, sex stereotyping is insidious and does not help us.

How naive. It’s idiots like this that allow for sexism to remain (and I say that as a mum of boys).

'horrifically sexist' bit of an over reaction. Then, I suppose, there's feminism and extreme feminism.

Idiots like who?

I think a lot of it starts at home from a young age. Boys and girls can be shown how to clear toys away properly, dust and do basic housework. Mine used to empty the washing machine, make their bedsand how to make simple meals.
It's all very well complaining about the advertising but it really does start with the parents, kids learn by examples set to them. If mum is running ragged whilst dead beat dad is sitting on his backside then the kids follow by example. Get rid of the waste of space and raise your boys to help out around the home.
I've been a single parent to a large family, it was hard work but we got there. All adults now they respect the opposite sex and see them as equals, as it should be.

...

Yes, my DS had his own little brush when he was a pre-schooler.

Little kids of both sexes want to copy what they see their grownups do.

Predominantly showing adverts with only women and girls doing cleaning does make a difference.

OP have you heard of Let Toys Be Toys? A campaign about this stuff that was born right here on Mumsnet I believe.

https://www.lettoysbetoys.org.uk/

Why though? Does every advert now have to have a boy and a girl? What about the fact they were both white? What about gay couples? I mean anyone could have an issue with any aspect of an advert but your sexist reasoning doesn’t fit when it’s one advert - somebody had to be in it would you have preferred a father and son?

My son loved his little Dyson and mop. Not that he uses the real ones now 🤣

Further to my above post

The little girl seems to be enjoying her new toy. Perhaps it should be snatched from her hands and handed to a boy, whether he wants it or not 🤣

Here she goes again with her advert😁
Who are you trying to convince OP? Is this a case of grind 'em down and they WILL agree with me?🙄
You could bang on about this til hell freezes over, have you reported it yet?
You are so adament about this ad thought you would have done so by now if it offends you that much why keep hashing back into the thread?

it is not sexist if they are showing another type of vacuum with a boy playing with it. You are being ridiculous and I’m embarrassed for you

Well you’ve seen an advert that contains a female, someone else has shown you adverts that contain males… so where’s the problem?