'Sexist' Lego toys?

[DarkToph]

We haven't had a new debate topic here in a while and I just saw this on Yahoo! news so I wanted to get some feedback from my favorite Aisenfielders.

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/sexist-lego-range-targets-girls-184205804.html

If you don't care to read the article, Lego is starting a new line of toys aimed at girls. The designs seem drastically different than regular Legos and are called 'Lego Friends.'



(Seriously, I thought this was a Bratz toy picture for a minute)

Though Lego's aim was to hook in a bigger girl audience, many are calling the new toy set sexist.

"Dubbed "Lego Friends" (the logo comes with both a heart and a butterfly, in case you were in any doubt about its intended audience), the new set launched in the U.S. on January 1 and should be showing up in retailers soon. You'll find it in the aisle with the Barbies and hairbows, not in the no-girls-allowed Lego section -- or that's the plan."

"With the Lego 'Friends' collection, my daughter is being firmly taught her place in our culture," says one sarcasm-oozing Amazon review. "Her place is pink and pastel, and it is focused on her appearance, leisure activity, homemaking, baking, or the care of animals. Thank God! Thank Lego!"

My opinion? I'm kind of on the fence about whether or not this is truly sexist. Yeah, yeah, they hardly look like Legos, yes the new logo has been 'girlified' (Even though, I think they could've put a pony on it and maybe a rainbow), but still.

I mean, I get it, the people against this are saying that the Legos used before had such a wide range of uses and creations that it was great for both genders and making a super-sweet girly set for girls is like saying the previous Legos were purely for boys and there's no way girls could ever enjoy them. But the way I see it, Lego was probably beating itself in the head looking for a way to hook in a girl audience (They must have SOME sort of statistic that said they had much less girls than boys buying their toys) so they probably went through tons of girl products trying to make their product girlier. Barbie, Bratz etc.

And, let's face it, even girl toys can be sexist towards girls a lot. I mean, I went into a Big Lots a couple weeks ago and in the girls toy section they had pink toy brooms. Not like witches brooms, actual sweeping brooms. And, hell, I had a freakin' toy vacuum and a kitchen playset as a kid.

So, debate amongst yourselves, is Lego sexist, were they just mirroring sexism already shown in previous girls toys or are they not sexist at all?

[EHW]

-snorts- So what the argument is - is that it's sexist to market their products towards the average taste of a little girl?

Okay, here's just an example. I have two female cousins, and both of them for years have enjoyed playing with cuddly toys, dolls, playing house and princesses and all other sorts of games. Not to say they don't play Lego, but it's what appeals to their tastes. This is a ridiculous product, in my opinion, but only because I don't see why Lego need to market to the girly-girl children - Barbie and co. have already practically been given the souls of those girls anyway. It's for the competitive edge.

People are acting stupidly and pissed off because they never got to about Barbie and stuff. But Barbie tells little girls that you need to have millions of clothes, shoes and pets, among other things, to be cool, and if you don't have these, you are an outcast. Toys have been "saying" these things for decades, the fact Lego finally jumped on the bandwagon now is more because all these things are losing to video games than anything else. Hell - this is extremely tame, even by the standards of the 70s/ 80s.

Still, there are certain Lego sets designed for boys in mind - Technics is the forerunner of those, and in fact at Legoland Windsor, about 10 years ago, girls weren't allowed in to the special area for Technics on the basis that, at the time, it was thought that they'd get really bored. Not saying it was the right move, but it definitely was the case for about six months to a year. -shrugs-

It just seems like some people want to whine for the sake of whining, rather than any REAL reason.

[Picard]

I wish people wouldn't think so much sometimes. It's just business. Nevertheless, I've found a Reddit thread containing many good points that I'd have made myself about this:

http://www.reddit.com/r/femmit/comments/o2dja/lego_launches_toy_line_for_girls_smart_or_sexist/

[CM]

jesus **** christ if you don't like it just buy your daughter pirate legos it's not that hard

[Picard]

Indeed. Turn all daughters into pirates. Problem solved!

[DarkToph]

That's what my parents did and I turned out fine. Now, *unsheathes sword* walk tha plank ye landlubbers or I'll make ye toil away for years trying t' design a toy that no one thinks is controversial, arrr.

[Weirdo]

jesus ****ing christ if you don't like it just buy your daughter pirate legos it's not that hard

This.

Parents be crazy.