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After years of marketing Legos to boys (think firefighters and adventurers), the company has recently developed a new line just for girls. This new line includes a café, a beauty shop, a horse academy and a veterinarian clinic and is introducing six new colors, all in Easter egg hues. If this isn’t enough, the sets also include accessories such as lipsticks, hair dryers, bows and a mirror. And let’s not forget the Lego “money brick” that fits in the purse to pay for the frills at the salon. Even the building bricks are bigger and easier to construct into the shops than the “boy’s” sets. The message is clear; little boys can build towns, explore space and save the world while little girls can play with their hair and put on makeup. Gender stereotyping sets a dangerous precedence for kids. It limits growth and understanding at a very young age in children which will limit them as they grow older.
Wow. I played with Legos (and Lincoln Logs, etc.) all the time growing up. Back then, the toys weren't gendered as far as I can tell--just brightly colored blocks and my imagination. The proliferation of more "structured" toys bothers me on two key accounts (1) the scripting of gender (race and class roles and (2) the reduction in imagination that is required... creative and critical thinking if we're going to have a more just world... there was something good about plain blocks, no?
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