Would anyone like to join in an effort to convince retailers to stop categorizing toys by gender?

[OneHandWavingFree]

Following on from this thread and similar ones, a few of us are interested in discussing ways to send a message to retailers that it is not acceptable to designate 'boys' and 'girls' toy aisles which reinforce the message that science and adventure are "boys stuff", while girls should be primarily occupied with looking 'sexy' or practicing for domestic drudgery.

The first steps might be to draft a letter and identify a few retailers to target for an email campaign. Other ideas of how to get the message across are very welcome too, though.

Would anyone like to join in?

Now is as good a time as any Reckon this sort of time is good for traffic.

We can always bump it tomorrow and keep it in active convos.

Okie dokie ashes :)

Great stuff

Here's the Thread!

GAH I just saw a typo - double negative :( Damn. I must have re-read it twenty times before posting, too.

Well, when I ask MNHQ to fix the error, anything else I should mention they might do for us?

Typo where?

Can they put it in discussions of the day tomorrow?

Oops, I just posted this on the wrong thread - I put it on the survey one! Shall I ask for it to be deleted? Sorry !

"I thought of something to add to the survey! Sorry - is it too late?

Could we add a tick box, asking people if they'd be happy for us to use their pictures on our facebook page, in case we get any really good ones?

(If it's not possible I guess we could always PM to ask for permission to use, if they leave their MN nickname)"

This is more exciting than Christmas

Have we asked MN yet if they will consider it as an official campaign? Sorry if I missed that somewhere earlier in the thread.

ashes I said 'no child should not have to defy adult expectation before she can choose a rocketship..."

It's because I edited it from "a child should not have to..." to "no child should have to...".

I have reported and asked MNHQ to change it. I haven't asked for anything else but we can always contact them again

The Facebook page looks amazing!

Well done OHWF! (And anyone else who helped out)

Ok, seems you can request them to consider it in the Campaigns forum.

Would have thought it'd be right up their street.

They must have noticed that we are doing it ....

I don't know how much stuff goes under their radar really.

Definitely worth reporting the thread and asking them to put in discussions of the day and consider as a campaign.

Thanks, Himalaya ! Well done too to Admins / Content Creators trishawisha , aunfaniae , MurderOfGoths and ConsiderCasey :)

I think it's going to be important to strike the right balance between engaging with the overall issue of the 'genderising' of children's play - including pinkification by toy manufacturers, sexualisation in advertising, etc. - and keeping our focus on our first, straightforward ask:

We want retailers to take down the the "boys" and "girls" signposts in their shops and catalogues, and on their websites.

Those of us involved in this thread and adminning on Facebook, can we try to make sure that while contributers and 'likers' will inevitably link what we're doing to the broader issues, the focus of the campaign doesn't get derailed into a general discussion about damaging gender roles and whether it's okay to like pink?

I'm not saying we should stifle those discussions, but can our role be to keep bringing it back to our ask of the retailers in particular?

Does that make sense?

Hi there...just popping in to give my support. I will be joining this in every sense. I emailed an Ebay seller the other week to complain about her title for a sword "Boys Medieval Sword"

I am all for retailers not signposting the displays. Will there also be questions asked about when they are going to have ONE aisle meant for all kids? Or two or however many...just no separation.

"I am all for retailers not signposting the displays. Will there also be questions asked about when they are going to have ONE aisle meant for all kids? Or two or however many...just no separation."

I think we are going first for the obvious signposted segregation of toys. Then I assume we are moving onto the other types of toy segregation. Baby steps seems to give us the best chance.

Has anyone mentioned that Harrods have now opened a Gender Neutral Toy Dept ?

Well done everyone, 91 likes on the Facebook page already in a day, and new ones are coming in all the time, brilliant!

Doesn't it all go in together? Not signposting...kind of defeats the purpose of moaning if the aisles/shelves are separate and still blue and pink.

I think it'd be great to become a Mumsnet campaign, we'd get great publicity.

I don't think it'll hurt to contact them sooner rather than later would it?
They can let us know what they need from us to become an official campaign.

I imagine they'll support it - I mean why wouldn't they, it's a great campaign

Is it not ia MN Campaign then?

I meant "Officially a MN Campaign"

To see how it could be, have a look at a shop which does it already, like Sainsbury's for example. I've never noticed till I looked today, but they have everything sorted by theme.

So they have a home toys theme for example (my words, not sure what they call it). It contains cooking / kitchen play sets and tea sets in bright colours (not pink!) alongside tool sets and doctors' kist in the same colours. They're all aimed at pre-schoolers I imagine, and it makes sense.
Here's a not very good picture! (Sorry was paying more attention to DS than what I was taking pictures of!)