Comments on: On pink toy microscopes http://www.parentsforethicalmarketing.org/blog/2010/01/04/on-pink-toy-microscopes/ Blog of Parents for Ethical Marketing Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:28:44 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Melissa Wardy http://www.parentsforethicalmarketing.org/blog/2010/01/04/on-pink-toy-microscopes/comment-page-1/#comment-2766 Melissa Wardy Sat, 09 Jan 2010 21:04:45 +0000 http://www.parentsforethicalmarketing.org/blog/?p=534#comment-2766 As the mother of a 4yr old girl, and the owner of a clothing company that empowers girls, the "Pinkification" of all girl products leaves me shaking my head. In 2010 there is more of a gender-abyss in the toy aisles than ever before. In fact, we were just toy shopping with our children this morning and my husband commented, "Even the peg board is pink." A shame, since our little girl was on the hunt for dinosaurs. We found them in the "boy" aisle. I am a firm believer the childhood should be gender-stereotype free. As a daughter of the women's lib movement, I am amazed that companies limit toy choices for girls to: fashion/beauty, cooking/baking, care of babies/animals. It seems, if one were to look past all of the glitter and tulle, that we are moving backwards. And enough with the pink! The pink microscope drives me crazy because it seems to say "You may want to be a scientist, but your gender-specific colored scientific instrument will be a consistent reminder that you are a girl first, foremost." Somewhere, Margaret Fuller and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are rolling in their graves. As the mother of a 4yr old girl, and the owner of a clothing company that empowers girls, the “Pinkification” of all girl products leaves me shaking my head. In 2010 there is more of a gender-abyss in the toy aisles than ever before. In fact, we were just toy shopping with our children this morning and my husband commented, “Even the peg board is pink.” A shame, since our little girl was on the hunt for dinosaurs. We found them in the “boy” aisle.

I am a firm believer the childhood should be gender-stereotype free. As a daughter of the women’s lib movement, I am amazed that companies limit toy choices for girls to: fashion/beauty, cooking/baking, care of babies/animals. It seems, if one were to look past all of the glitter and tulle, that we are moving backwards. And enough with the pink!

The pink microscope drives me crazy because it seems to say “You may want to be a scientist, but your gender-specific colored scientific instrument will be a consistent reminder that you are a girl first, foremost.”

Somewhere, Margaret Fuller and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are rolling in their graves.

]]> By: Jeff Zuckerman http://www.parentsforethicalmarketing.org/blog/2010/01/04/on-pink-toy-microscopes/comment-page-1/#comment-2746 Jeff Zuckerman Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:59:08 +0000 http://www.parentsforethicalmarketing.org/blog/?p=534#comment-2746 I liked your taxonomy of critical comments a lot. That's fodder for your forthcoming journal article on this topic, right? You got me wondering, so I did a Google search of "Microscopes for Boys." At AOL's gender-divided <a href="http://shopping.aol.com/microscope/educational-toys-page-2012/ " rel="nofollow">Shop Educational Toys</a> site you'll find, let's see, 1, 2, 3 . . 48 microscope products listed for boys and, hmmm, yeah, one (1) for girls. As you observed, that could say more about perceptions of parents than the marketers. Or not. No matter: In terms of promoting girls' interest in science education, all this is an interesting symbol of how far we have to go, in 2010. I liked your taxonomy of critical comments a lot. That’s fodder for your forthcoming journal article on this topic, right?

You got me wondering, so I did a Google search of “Microscopes for Boys.” At AOL’s gender-divided Shop Educational Toys site you’ll find, let’s see, 1, 2, 3 . . 48 microscope products listed for boys and, hmmm, yeah, one (1) for girls.

As you observed, that could say more about perceptions of parents than the marketers. Or not. No matter: In terms of promoting girls’ interest in science education, all this is an interesting symbol of how far we have to go, in 2010.

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