How is 2011 can we have these toys for girls?

[OtherSideofSky]

Before we gained so our called intelligence we had firmly autonomous gender roles and if you look at small tribes, men hunt, women gather and nurture.

This is wrong. It is just plain not true. Hunter/gatherer societies tend to be much, much more egalitarian in their assignment of work and treatment of gender than just about anything that came after. The strict gender divisions and stereotypes we're familiar with have their origins in the structure of early permanent settlements. They are not hard-coded into our DNA.

Kinda proving my point. Women aren't the only one who face discrimination and difficulties because of their gender. There is a double standard, and it doesn't always work in favor of men. Men don't "have it made," we have difficulties because of our gender too.

And what diffculty may that me? Men being Men so to speak get alot farther in this world and alot more admiration then Women who are Women. When men are aggressive(something valued in men and sports) in the work place(in terms of sales not physically aggresive) It get them ahead. Our business model in today's world is models for the Male to succeed. Not women. Atleast that my view.

This is highly offensive to me. First you're just spouting stereotypes about men and treating them as fact, then you're judging everything by success in business. A man who isn't aggressive or "manly" has just as much trouble as a woman who displays traits our society regards as masculine. Also, while it is true that women have a much harder time climbing the corporate ladder in most cases, there are quite a few professions (anything involving children, physical contact, or providing comfort, for starters) which are seen as female and in which men face active discrimination. In social situations, both genders have a host of advantages and disadvantages, but it's really only cool in academic circles to talk about the ones favoring men.

I have a bit of an outsider's perspective on these things because I'm a high-functioning autistic. We don't even get to go as far as the "glass ceiling", because we have the "glass wall" which prevents us from obtaining and keeping jobs, despite doing (on average) better and more efficient work than our neuro-typical counterparts, because we can't play all the social games that determine what really goes on in most businesses.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

Snip

I dot agree in certain social and jobs men do have some problems. But why is it demeaning for men to be a nurse? I ask you that question and dwell on it for a bit.

It's demeaning because people give you shit for it and respect you less than if you worked in a more traditionally "masculine" profession. People don't respect you, so you're self-esteem suffers. Most men don't try to get jobs like that because they know this will happen to them if they do. They know this because the culture tells them it's not an appropriate job for them.

 

[TheLastSamurai14]

Well, I dun messed up. My childhood taught me to fly, punch people and scream while powering up.

Dragon Ball Z action figures.

You had DBZ action figures? I would have murdered someone for those, because I loved DBZ even as a kid. I had no such toys, and I never saw them in Wal-Mart or Toys-R-Us. I grew up on Star Wars toys, K'nex, and Lego almost exclusively.

FML.

OT: I don't like the gender stereotypes that we've reinforced on society. Hell, I tried to convince a friend to give Friendship is Magic a chance, but he said that "it's for girls, and I don't want to be labeled as gay". I tell him that "the gender barriers should really be brought down, as they have little place in today's society". He counters with the opinion that "some gender barriers should be maintained".

I won't get into the rest of this argument here, but if you want to see it in its entirety, send me a PM and I'll start a thread. Anyway...

While I see where he's coming from in terms of sexual differences or gender-specific, nature-bound duties such as childbirth, entertainment industries such as TV, gaming, and toys really shouldn't be infringed upon by the gender barriers that we've established. Boys should be able to like material that was "made for girls" and vice versa. The concept of gender barriers in today's culture is really an antiquated one, and in my opinion, should be abolished.

 

[Becky Donnelly]

As a 21 year old woman, I never really got any boy toys, I mostly had barbies, their cards their houses. But I preferred playing with my brothers action men, toy cars or just mixing the boys and girls toys together.
I never had any type of kitchen appliance as a toy but I cleaned around the house because I just enjoyed it. I still do, and even though I wasn't taught much (cooking, cleaning, washing clothes etc) I still learnt it as I got older.
Everything is always gender-specific. Not every man wants to become a DIY expert nor does every female want to become a house wife. Society WANTS us that way and when I have children they're going to have whatever toy they want.
We're in the 21st century and people are still trying to control what they want in men and women.
If a man or woman wants to become a housewife/husband I say go for it!
If a man or woman wants to have a successful career go for it!

Sometimes, it's just hard though because of the brainwashed idiots of today.

I'm a hardcore girl gamer who can cook, clean, and have skills in the work industry... does that even exist?

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Ok. So i was killing time looking at the toy section at K-mart trying to think of what to get my nieces and nephews for there upcoming birthdays. I was in the girls section. I saw the typical fanfare(barbies,Baby doll and cooking toy etc.) When i saw a line of "Her first" toys. What i saw appalled me. "Her first Vacuum cleaner","Her first washer and dryer" and "her first refrigerator" all of them functional item from what i could see. I was just there speechless trying to process who came up with these idea and who would buy them for there daughters. I wrote in a paper awhile back about how toys are used to prepare kid for what is expected of them. And this just seems to prepare little girls for housework.

How old are your nieces and nephews?
Get them books.

I always gets my niece a book. Always. She probably hates me for it, but I know she'll thank me later.

No, no she will not, unless of course she happens to like stories/novels. If that is not her particular field of interest, then you are effectively wasting your money as they will inevitably find their way to the trash bin. Of course I am considering older children in this scenario more so than young.

In any case, I ask what the child likes. If I'm told this happens to be barbies, then I'll purchase her one. Frankly, this is why I almost always just give money in a card. They can then buy whatever.

 

[Giest4life]

Ok. So i was killing time looking at the toy section at K-mart trying to think of what to get my nieces and nephews for there upcoming birthdays. I was in the girls section. I saw the typical fanfare(barbies,Baby doll and cooking toy etc.) When i saw a line of "Her first" toys. What i saw appalled me. "Her first Vacuum cleaner","Her first washer and dryer" and "her first refrigerator" all of them functional item from what i could see. I was just there speechless trying to process who came up with these idea and who would buy them for there daughters. I wrote in a paper awhile back about how toys are used to prepare kid for what is expected of them. And this just seems to prepare little girls for housework.

How old are your nieces and nephews?
Get them books.

I always gets my niece a book. Always. She probably hates me for it, but I know she'll thank me later.

No, no she will not, unless of course she happens to like stories/novels. If that is not her particular field of interest, then you are effectively wasting your money as they will inevitably find their way to the trash bin. Of course I am considering older children in this scenario more so than young.

In any case, I ask what the child likes. If I'm told this happens to be barbies, then I'll purchase her one. Frankly, this is why I almost always just give money in a card. They can then buy whatever.

Na, she loves them. She's an avid reader; got accepted into a magnet program at her school.

 

[BRex21]

And what diffculty may that me? Men being Men so to speak get alot farther in this world and alot more admiration then Women who are Women. When men are aggressive(something valued in men and sports) in the work place(in terms of sales not physically aggresive) It get them ahead. Our business model in today's world is models for the Male to succeed. Not women. Atleast that my view.

Men more often than not fail to meet "diversity criteria." In my current job its always questioned why I got picked for the position over the female candidates, Ironically, the questions keep coming despite my having to travel to Missouri to give a presentation about why, after losing half our summer employees we still managed such a high efficiency rating (even if i do spend my lunchhour on the escapist). Im not saying that because im a man I am more efficient than women, im saying that as a manager who was selected because of his proven managerial and communication skills I do better than the other 3 who were selected based on the arrangement of there baby making hardware in order to satisfy some requirement.
Incidentally I started in the agribusiness sector when I got sick of retail and couldnt get into University to get an engineering degree. Sadly I didnt meet the requirements for a man, but if I were a woman i would have gotten in because they consistantly have empty spots and have to work to encourage women to get in. Yet most women who dont take engineering courses will tell you that its because they dont want to be engineers.
You kinda said that if a man is an agressive salesman and makes more sales it gets him ahead, What im taking from this is that if a man is better at his job that he is rewarded, to me this seems aproptiate, and if a woman is not comfortable in her job as a salesperson than perhaps she should look for another career. I would say this to anyone regardless of gender, i have met plenty of successful female salespeople who havent had to become "tomboys" to fit in. I will say that what I find worst about all of this is that you seem to have something of an attitude that if you dont stive for and attain corporate success you are somehow less equal and i have a sister who gave up her career to become a homemaker who would take offense to that.

 

[FaithorFire]

What i saw appalled me. "Her first Vacuum cleaner","Her first washer and dryer" and "her first refrigerator" all of them functional item from what i could see. I was just there speechless trying to process who came up with these idea and who would buy them for there daughters.

Perhaps parents who want their daughters to be functional humans at some point? Or parents of a family where a mom really DOES maintain a house and little daughters want to emulate her?
I'm speechless that you can't actually figure out the legitimate motivation for creating toys like this for girls.

 

[FaithorFire]

Women tend to give birth a lot more often than men do

Brilliant! I feel like that statement should constitute a misogynist insult, but for some reason, it doesn't.

 

[hotsauceman]

What i saw appalled me. "Her first Vacuum cleaner","Her first washer and dryer" and "her first refrigerator" all of them functional item from what i could see. I was just there speechless trying to process who came up with these idea and who would buy them for there daughters.

Perhaps parents who want their daughters to be functional humans at some point? Or parents of a family where a mom really DOES maintain a house and little daughters want to emulate her?
I'm speechless that you can't actually figure out the legitimate motivation for creating toys like this for girls.

Then TEACH THEM TO VACUUM DONT BUY THEM A TOY FOR IT. buying a toy for vacuuming the rather teaching them on a real vacuum? Seriously who as a kid would have wanted a toy vacuum for play time?

 

[FaithorFire]

What i saw appalled me. "Her first Vacuum cleaner","Her first washer and dryer" and "her first refrigerator" all of them functional item from what i could see. I was just there speechless trying to process who came up with these idea and who would buy them for there daughters.

Perhaps parents who want their daughters to be functional humans at some point? Or parents of a family where a mom really DOES maintain a house and little daughters want to emulate her?
I'm speechless that you can't actually figure out the legitimate motivation for creating toys like this for girls.

Then TEACH THEM TO VACUUM DONT BUY THEM A TOY FOR IT. buying a toy for vacuuming the rather teaching them on a real vacuum? Seriously who as a kid would have wanted a toy vacuum for play time?

You teach them to vacuum WITH the toy vacuum. Little kids tend to learn best through emulating parents and older siblings than through anything else. Any child who saw a vacuum being used would want a toy vacuum to play with. Have you ever spend time around little children? The best way to protect a laptop in a house with little kids is to have a plastic toy laptop for them. The best way to keep a kid away from a lawnmower is to give them their own toy mower. They want to copy EVERYTHING they see and hear from those around them.

 

[Azulito]

Personally, I don't see an isse. Kids, male and female, like to feel adult and they like the idea of being responsible and 'realistic'. Just because the toys fit in with the stereotypes doesn't mean they're there to prepare kids to be like that in the future.

Plus, the kids will usually ask for these toys. So it's usually their choice, if they want it and have fun with it. I don't see an issue.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Ok. So i was killing time looking at the toy section at K-mart trying to think of what to get my nieces and nephews for there upcoming birthdays. I was in the girls section. I saw the typical fanfare(barbies,Baby doll and cooking toy etc.) When i saw a line of "Her first" toys. What i saw appalled me. "Her first Vacuum cleaner","Her first washer and dryer" and "her first refrigerator" all of them functional item from what i could see. I was just there speechless trying to process who came up with these idea and who would buy them for there daughters. I wrote in a paper awhile back about how toys are used to prepare kid for what is expected of them. And this just seems to prepare little girls for housework.

How old are your nieces and nephews?
Get them books.

I always gets my niece a book. Always. She probably hates me for it, but I know she'll thank me later.

No, no she will not, unless of course she happens to like stories/novels. If that is not her particular field of interest, then you are effectively wasting your money as they will inevitably find their way to the trash bin. Of course I am considering older children in this scenario more so than young.

In any case, I ask what the child likes. If I'm told this happens to be barbies, then I'll purchase her one. Frankly, this is why I almost always just give money in a card. They can then buy whatever.

Na, she loves them. She's an avid reader; got accepted into a magnet program at her school.

Well in that case, by all means.

Seriously thought that's fantastic for her. ^^

 

[manythings]

Its that fact that toys teach kids how they are expected to behave. Women in our society still(even if they have a full time job and our married) are still the ones who do a mjority of work in the house. There is this quote i wish i could remember who said it but it went like this "Men have wives,Women don't" Basically men(although it is changing) are not the ones who are expected to clean so much anymore. It is still a womens job petty much sadly

I'm more than happy to take that bet. An awful lot of women with full time jobs specifically have some woman who deals with that. Don't do the "Oppression of women" dance when things are rarely as horrifying as they are made out to be.

 

[BRex21]

Then TEACH THEM TO VACUUM DONT BUY THEM A TOY FOR IT. buying a toy for vacuuming the rather teaching them on a real vacuum? Seriously who as a kid would have wanted a toy vacuum for play time?

Kids, who in general are too short to work a real vaccum, and could hurt themselves or break things.
Also, I googled "her first vacuum cleaner" the first thing that came up was an adult woman who just purchaised her first vaccum cleaner and the second was this forum, nowhere could i find "her first" anything. The only thing i could find was "my first kenmore" a not at all gender oriented toy vaccum.

 

[spartan231490]

Snip

I dot agree in certain social and jobs men do have some problems. But why is it demeaning for men to be a nurse? I ask you that question and dwell on it for a bit.

I'm not sure if I ever said it was demeaning. but the fact is that it is viewed as a woman's profession so men who take that profession are viewed as emasculated. Just like women who body-build, or play physical sports are viewed as being butch. It's masculine as opposed to feminine.

And little boys get their first tool belt, power trimmer, lawn mower, etc... Your point is?

You know what the kicker is here? Young girls and boys actually DO have different taste that aren't determined by societical norms. Studies have been done that show that young girls will gravitate to dolls and such, while boys will gravitate to cars and such. It's called INSTINCT.

When a boy plays with a doll, he tends to treat it like a buddy. A girl will treat baby it. Why? INSTINCT. Play is used to hone skills used in adulthood. Women tend to give birth a lot more often than men do, and as such, are hard-wired in childhood to learn the skills necessary to care for their offspring. Also, notice that a group of young women (or even older women sometimes) very rarely functions. While groups of boys get along swimmingly... Why is that?

Easy. Instinct.

Boys are tapping our primitive needs here. Humans are pack hunters. A group of men needed to function as a cohesive unit to succeed. Women on the other hand tended the home and cared for the children. Social interaction was not nearly as necessary in this world. It's also why women in general have a higher pain threshold, a better memory for details/ memorization and have certain senses (like smell) heightened.

Here's a funny annecdote from a psych prof I had in college.
"When a man walks into a room, he checks out all of the women.
When a woman walks into a room, she checks out all of the men. The she checks out all of the women, in order to see what she is up against."

It's nice to see someone else knows what they're talking about. there are dozens if not hundreds of studies that show significant differences between the genders on an anatomical level. Recognizing these differences is the only way to get rid of sexism and racism. Trying to pretend that two groups with different characteristically are identical is discriminatory and prejudicial, because you are viewing the people as you think they should be, not as they really are.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

I see no issues. Now go make me a sammich.

Seriously though, I'm not sure I see anything wrong with the products. Easy bake ovens are the shit, and I'm a guy. Plus I'd kill to have a functioning refrigerator in my room. That might just be me, but whatever. The vacuum might be a little much, but cooking stuff? Sounds fine to me. Only issue I'm seeing is in the name, with the "Her First", but what can you do? No use getting offended at something like that, just don't buy it.

On another note, they also need to make a "His First Brewery" set. I would totally buy that for my kids.

haha this, honestly i laughed when i first read it, and if i saw that in the store i'd probably laugh about it, honestly they are fucking toys, as a kid i would run around stealing my easy bake oven from my aunt while running my fake lawn mower, does that make me a transexual as i played with both?

nope, they are just fucking toys, stop looking so much into it.

 

[Sizzle Montyjing]

I'm honestly disgusted with girls toys.
A doll that shits itself!?!?
NO THANKS!
Only slightly worse than the ones that piss themselves.

I don't think they should be trying to pass off babies messing themselves as FUN.


But i remeber as a young boy all the boys would, on a rare occasion, get to play with the barbies!
Happy memories...