Community Chat

[NoelSeven]

I don't understand why this has become an issue.

[Goldengate8361]

I think it's to avoid gender-stereotyping, which I think is a good thing.

[brii]

what is the issue?

[deepwaterdotter]

Don't most department stores reorganize their toy department this time of year to make room for the influx of toys presented for Christmas gifts?

[NoelSeven]

As I understand it, a mom took a photo of a Target sign that said "Building Sets" and below it, it said "Girls' Building Sets."  She complained that the sets for girls were mostly pink and different than the sets for boys.

Target agreed and has taken down the signs which label toys as for boys or girls.

But there has been a big backlash against Target for doing this.

I understand what happened, but I do not understand why some people are so upset about it.  It's all over the news.

[NoelSeven]

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@Goldengate8361 wrote:

I think it's to avoid gender-stereotyping, which I think is a good thing.

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I think it's a good thing, too. 

[Laura14]

I think it's ridiculous and more of a parent issue than a store issue.  

Does the department store really have to put signs up that your kid is allowed to buy any toy they want?  Really?  

The store doesn't care as long as you have cash or a good credit card nor should you care about what the sign above your head says.  I have yet to see a store employee refuse to sell a toy because a girl is buying it but it was in the boy aisle or vice versa.    

[gmkb]

It seems to me that in all matters in this country, the loud voice of a few means more than the voice of the majority.  That woman evidently felt she couldn't buy her daughter a 'boy' set of blocks because of the sign - ridiculous. She is free to buy either set for her daughter - no rules. 

I wanted to add that I do not object to removing boy/girl signs.  My objection is to a few forcing all matter of things on the rest of us or in this case on Target.

[NoelSeven]

I totally understand the point the mom is making.  What I dodn't understand is why so many are angry that the toys will no longer be labeled Boy's Toys, and Girl's Toys.

They are doing the same for their children's section for bedding.  Go in and pick what you want: footballs on the bedspread or Disney princesses.  The store will no longer say one is for boys while the other is for girls.

[surfk]

I don't think its ridiculous at all. And I don't think it is only the parent who is looking. Depending upon a child's age, most toy-seeking kids can read enough as to recognize the words "BOY" and "GIRL".

So there is always also that dynamic happening in the toy aisles. A kid will maybe be attracted to a specific toy but then sees all of these LABELS all over the packaging or signs on the shelves.

And they'll suddenly be confused, embarrassed and thinking something is "wrong" with them for wanting the "regular" erector set rather than the My Pretty Pony version of one.

Even if there is no real differential between two items, many kids will just shy away from or even balk at the idea of buying something labeled for the opposite gender. There is no real material difference but they read the words "For Boys" and many girls just don't want it anymore.

Or a boy will want the lavender colored item and not the blue one which is marked for "BOYS".

COLOR belongs to everyone - to both males and females. its ridiculous to limit a person's world even down to whether they are "blue" or "pink" people.

And a toy which isn't intended to promote gender stereotypes then doesn't need the labels or the color coding. A microscope "for girls" doesn't have to be PINK. I mean, unless she plans to grow up to be Dr. Paris Hilton, so few real microscopes a young female scientist will ever use will be PINK. lol

Its actually better for businesses in the end. They can stop making so many gender-duplicates of items not requiring gender differentials. And all the toys have the opportunity to be bought suddenly by twice the number of potential shoppers.