teach your daughters to iron and air laundry

[louiseRyan2020]

I was shocked in Aldi this weekend to see toys - clearly marketed at girls - that involved an ironing set (complete with toy iron and ironing board) and a 'clothes airer' - clothes horse (complete with laundry basket).
Ironically both toys were labelled with the slogan 'imagination and creativity' and 'curiosity and discovery'.
The mind boggles . I fail to see how teaching little girls how to iron and air clothes will feed their curiosity or imagination. Both toys seem to show a total absence of imagination - unless perhaps 'how to imagine yourself fulfilling a 1950s stereotype of femininity'?
Perhaps the toys are meant to be ironic and this is actually a plan to teach little girls to rebel against such limited gender stereotypes and domestic drudgery. Apart from anything else, what a total waste of money. It would be cheaper to buy a real clothes horse/ airer than this toy one.
does anyone else find the so-called toys highly objectionable in the 21st century?
I recently went to the new exhibition on the women's rights movement 'Unfinished Business' at the British Library. Well absolutely, this is clearly 'unfinished business' when these kinds of toys are still be marketed at girls.

My son has asked for this set. He saw it in the Lidl catalogue. He also wants the train set.

This morning both my kids (1 boy, 1 girl) were equally keen to help me hang the washing out. I'm sure if Father Christmas brings him this housekeeping set there will be arguments over who gets to play with it

@louiseRyan2020 Have you seen the Let Toys Be Toys campaign online? It started from a mumsnet thread about similar images a few years ago. They publicise things like this and call for change, lots of toy shops now don't distinguish toys as being for girls or boys as a result of their campaigns.

My proudest moment was when dd saw a toy iron at her friend's house and said, 'mum? What's this?'

Loving the Lidl catalogue.

Just had to mention that my skimming of thread titles initially interpreted this is some activity similar to "air guitar".

I've bought my 3 year old DS a toy brush and mop set for Christmas. He's obsessed with mine half the time he tries to use them as a weapon though.

@Frequentcarpetflyer

There's nothing wrong with a woman ironing and hanging up clothes.

There's nothing wrong with a man ironing and hanging up clothes either.

My sister was obsessed with her toy iron when she was little. She wanted to iron shirts like Daddy.

@EvenSupposing

My proudest moment was when dd saw a toy iron at her friend's house and said, 'mum? What's this?'

Loving the Lidl catalogue.

My son asked my mother what that thing was “Grandad’s shirt, sweetheart “ “No, Nana, the thing you are rubbing on Grandad’s shirt.”

My mother’s loaded look at me was priceless.

My DD (now 22) had a toy hoover and a toy chainsaw . Both of which she saw me, and DH using equally. She took them both to bed a lot.

Of course not! But advertisers shouldn't always have to show a child of,the "opposite "sex for people,to consider it an acceptable advert. Nothing wrong with a boy or girl playing with an iron or a toolset.

Yes I would buy the toy, but I agree needs a boy on it somewhere in the packaging.

That little boy ironing is adorable!

A pp has reminded me of when we left out floury 'santa prints' one Christmas eve night. When ds who must have been coming up three saw them he dashed off to get his toy mop :o
A decade on and he was traumatised by me offering to show him how to work the washing machine...

I hate toy irons full stop. Irons are dangerous and something children should stay away from.

@Frequentcarpetflyer

Of course not! But advertisers shouldn't always have to show a child of,the "opposite "sex for people,to consider it an acceptable advert. Nothing wrong with a boy or girl playing with an iron or a toolset.

I agree that they shouldn’t have too (nor should they have to shy away from pink), but this is where we are. I think we need toys to be scrupulously for either sex.

Asda do a good range of toys like this, play kitchens and dolls houses and ironing boards etc all in lovely neutral colours with both boys and girls playing together on the packaging. My son loves to help with cooking and laundry, he's always loved the washing machine from when he was really tiny. It's normal for children to mimic their parents. I'm buying him and his sister a load of "caring for a baby" play stuff for Christmas as a joint gift (pram, sling, baby doll etc) and I had a really hard time finding stuff like that which wasn't super sugary pink. I didnt really need to bother even because they both like the colour pink, but seeing it so obviously targeted at girls really got up my nose. They have a "playing home" corner at his nursery which is the same, 99% covered in pink and flowers etc. No reason he can't still use it of course, which he does, but it's clearly not aimed at him.

Winterterrace, with that phylosephy you wouldn,t let children play with toy ovens/hobs as these arte too dangerous. And what about hammers and tool sets??

Definitely thought from the title of the thread that this was going to be a clever pun on teaching girls to "air their dirty laundry" in relation to some kind of sexism or anti-shaming around periods.

Disappointed.

(and very aware of the scale of my over-thinking!)

There's nothing wrong with a woman ironing and hanging up clothes.

I agree because child likes to copy parents and much more women staying home and being housewife than the men.

My boys had toy ironing board, iron and dust pan and brush. When DS1 was potty training, he swept his rather large accident up and down the hall with aforementioned dust pan and brush 😂

There’s nothing wrong with a toy iron! For the poster who objects to it in principle. It’s basic role play. My older son used to iron like daddy with an aeroplane and play scarf as the props.

I suspect the poster who objected to irons may have seen a child hurt by one. However, having a toy version may make it more obvious that the little one is theirs and the big one belongs to their parents and older siblings (my big brothers were competent ironers).

Children won't notice the packaging. They will notice if they see their dad doing his share of the ironng. Just make sure you model fair behaviour.

@ErrolTheDragon

It would have been much better if they'd had pictures of both a boy and a girl on the box. I think that should be a general rule for all toys.

It's odd they don't do this more, increase the size of their market.

I wonder if it really makes a difference ? The parents who would be aghast aren't likely to be influenced by a boy on the picture and ones who don't care about stereotypes won't be bothered anyway? I do think it's a foolish move not to though.

They’re using the little boy to advertise it on the Aldi website.