Mattel introduces 'gender neutral' dolls

[JustTurtlesAllTheWayDown]

time.com/5684822/mattel-gender-neutral-doll/

Except, of course, you make it a girl by dressing it in girl clothes and long hair, and a boy by having short hair and boy clothes.
In some ways, it feels like a right step by stepping away from the Ken/Barbie divide, but it's just reinforcing stereotypes again, just from the other direction.

Then he turns to the playmate in the toy-testing room, a 7-year-old girl named Jhase, and asks, “Should I put on the girl hair?” Shi’a fits a long, blond wig on the doll’s head, and suddenly it is no longer an avatar for him, but for his sister.

The heads on sticks all in a row are a bit creepy...

Also, this is such classic virtue signalling crap, and the reporting is even worse. Fluttering eyelashes? Please.

I had to stop reading at "8 year old who's gender fluid"

Theres no coming back from that.

The whole point of toys is it keeps kids quiet so you can shower or wash up.

If you are there to sit and watch what they are doing to the point you can pin.point the pattern of gender fluidity then....

I like the idea of child bodied dolls - makes a change from barbie's boobs.

Not impressed with the reinforcing of ideas that hair length and clothes changes somebody's gender though.

and why the fuck does an 8 year old even know the term gender fluid, much less identify as it.

It’s just bragging rights for the parents.
‘Oh Zippy only plays with their gender neutral human figure.’

Just Mattel cashing in on all the gender neutral crap.

Given that "gender neutral" mostly means young woman with short hair and deep anxieties about the societal role that's being pushed on her do the dolls come with welts from binder usage?

They've been discussing this on Vanessa Feltz' radio show this morning (BBC Radio London) incidentally. She's remaining impartial (I suppose she has to as a presenter)

OMG why are so many people buying into this crap? As OP says it's just going backwards. This is what a girl looks like, this is what a boy looks like, what's under the pants doesn't matter. That is not progress

And these already exist - "fashionista" Barbies who are allowed to be female and yet not "gender conform" if that's the phrase we must use.

here

and here

Just Mattel cashing in They won't!

Little girls who want Barbie will be pissed off, little boys who want Barbie won't be impressed, and little boys and girls who want action man will be very pissed off.

I look forward to seeing them in the 99p bin soon.

I'm sure we had a Sindy growing up that had a button at the back to change the length of the hair. Ahead of the times it seems.

I had one of these as a child, and lots of Action Men because I had a big brother and when he grew out of them I got his hand me downs.

I actually like the idea of a child fashion doll with a non sexualised body. Even as a kid Barbie made me feel inadequate because I knew I would never be like her.

What I don't like is all of the pronoun stuff, and the fact the girl and boy clothing is still heavily stereotyped.