Friday, January 14, 2011

What is your take on this subject: Gender Neutrality in Toys

I am a geek. I prefer things that are different than "mainstream" (whatever that means anymore!) I like video games, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, MMORPGs (if you know what that is you are a geek too!!)
Anyway you get the point. I would rather go to the renaissance faire than the mall. I am also currently designing the castle that I hope we can move into one day. That is not a metaphor for a big house, I want a literal castle. 

So I am a reader of Geekmom . This week however seems to be a slam fest on Disney Princesses. While I am a big geek and usually enjoy their articles, this one I did not enjoy at all and even find myself angry about it. 

I have three girls the oldest of which just turned 5 last November. The 5 year old is very girly, loves pink and anything that has a crown on! The 3 almost 4 year old loves all toys and really doesn't show a preference to anything except tea parties. The youngest turned 1 in September and she has only shown a preference to baby dolls, giving them bottles etc. NOW.....I have many girly toys, pink, frilly, ruffles glitter and sparkly etc. HOWEVER, we also have buses, cars, match box cars and tools. The middle one likes tools and cars, the oldest does too but the preference is the girl toys. I have even remarked to my husband before that the oldest one kinda skipped over the whole baby doll thing and went right into Princess stuff, Disney or otherwise. The middle one loves the tea party and organizing things, especially tiny things. The youngest makes everything into a baby, stuffed animals and all, and likes to feed them and hug them. 

I also watch a little boy the same age as my youngest. He plays with all the baby toys and the girl toys, but he plays with them differently than my girls do. You wanna know why? Because he is a boy not a girl. 

At what point in time did it become a crime to like girly things if you are a girl? How is it not OK to like the princesses and to dream of those things? Why can't  my girls watch Cinderella and be happy? I really HATE and yes I said HATE when people try to tell me to give my girls positive, strong, independent role models. You wanna know why? Because their role models aren't the Disney Princesses or Princess Fiona or Miley Cyrus. Their role models will be me and their grandmas, aunts and cousins. I don't think that the toys they play with now will make them believe that a prince will come rescue them someday, or even that they need rescuing, that is for us as parents to help them learn about, NOT the Disney Princesses!

I am a traditional person and unlike a lot of people I recognize the fact that men and women have different roles to play in the family. I also recognize that  some of those roles are the traditional "1950" roles that a lot of people want to get rid of! I can not stand when a woman tells me that she can't cook and that her husband will just have to get over it. WHAT THE HECK!?! If a man ever said that to a woman she would go insane and call every friend she knows and probably beat the crap out of him.  How would you feel if your husband told you that? How about if you are moving and he says he can't carry the heavy stuff and that you will just have to get over it?!

Personally for me the traditional roles fit our house. I keep the house, we do the bills together and we both cook. My husband works and I stay home with the kids. This doesn't make me feel like less of a person, or less of a female. It makes me feel good actually and I am tired of women telling me that I shouldn't feel this way because its a traditional role or a gender role etc. There are just some things that women are better at then men and vice versa and once people can accept that then maybe all this garbage about boy toys and girl toys will stop. 

If you are a female and you like boy stuff, great wonderful good for you. If you are a female and you like girl stuff, great wonderful good for you. It doesn't make you any less a girl to like boy stuff or girl stuff, you are still a girl no matter what.

My .02