Pink Stinks?

[IDrinkaRum]

2 mothers, sisters, one a mother of twin girls and one a mother of twin boys, wants to ban pink toys for girls

They specifically want to boycott the Early Learning Centre because they market their toys in colors specific to boy and girls. (For example, pink dresses and pink play kitchen toys).

So ... does this bother anyone else?

[Boozy]

The campaign is called "Pinkstinks" because it's catchy, but colour is not really their issue.

They do not want to "ban" pink toys. They are calling for a boycott of one particular chain of stores in the UK because they are clearly marketing things like kitchen toys and dollhouses to girls, and cars and playtools to boys.

I think that's a valid reason to organize a boycott.

[blas87]

I personally don't see the issue with girls playing with dolls and pretend houses, and boys playing with trucks and cars.

Forcing a little girl to be a tomboy, like what members of my family tried with me, only made me go the other way. I'm proud of being an indoor prissy girl, but one big beef I have with my family is that there is always so much pressure on the girls to be redneck and tomboyish.......

I know how I was raised was pretty extreme, but I just don't see the problem. Everyone kicks and screams that we're all assigning genders to toys and it's just ridiculous.

I mean, if a little girl enjoyed getting dirty and playing with trucks, fine....but to try to abolish everything that would be "girly" seems just foolish, and will most likely backfire and that little girl will end up just like me one day

[jackfaire]

At age five when my teachers tried to tell me girls wouldn't wanna play with "boys" toys I told the teachers they were idiots and let the girls share my toys anyway.

[kiwi]

My mother gave me a toy ironing board, washing line and toy iron as a kid. I loved playing with them. I also played with barbies and played getting married.
I also loved watching transformers with my brothers and making mud pies.
I think most people would agree I am a fairly strong female, I don't kowtow to any man (or any women for that matter).

I honestly don't believe toys make that much of a difference, I was raised in one of the most gender specific lifestyles and religions you can find and it made naught difference. If anything I am even more independant because it made me realise how idiotic it was. Especially as I saw my non-domestic mother try to play a role that clearly did not fit with her personality.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I have three brothers. I never played with girly toys. I hated pink, dressed in my older brother's handmedowns, played with toy cars and Transformers, and loved getting muddy. However, someone in my class at school had five brothers and ended up girly, loving pink and playing with dolls.

As an adult, I love wearing makeup, I do on occasion wear pink (hot pink XD) and I nearly always wear a dress or skirt when I go out, with heels. I really don't see what the problem is. If your boy wants to play with Barbie, and your girl with Action Man, then let them.

[blas87]

Me thinks personally that a lot of people are worried that if their little boy plays with dolls, he may grow up to be *OH NO* gay!!!

Crazy people.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I don't see the problem with that. At least you won't have to worry about him bringing some unsuitable girlf home.

[jackfaire]

My only issue is if a person is stopped from playing with something they want to play with because "that's a (the other gender) toy"

[blas87]

If more little boys played dress up, I have a feeling we'd have a lot more fashionable guys out there, and they all wouldn't be dressed up as gangsta wannabe douchebags and Larry the Cable Guy wannabes.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Exactly. XD

I remember at primary school, at first, everyone played together. It was only later on that the girls in general stayed together out of fear of getting "boy germs". I, of course, still played with the boys. XD Those boys I played with in primary school are still my friends now.

[jackfaire]

If more little boys played dress up, I have a feeling we'd have a lot more fashionable guys out there, and they all wouldn't be dressed up as gangsta wannabe douchebags and Larry the Cable Guy wannabes.

I played dress up. I am still a jeans and a tshirt kind of guy.

[AdminAssistant]

I think the issue here is that this company is saying, through the colors of certain toys, that these toys are for girls and that these other toys are for boys. Maybe I've been reading too much feminist theory the past few weeks, but I agree that color codification reinforces outdated gender roles.

[DesignFox]

I think the issue here is that this company is saying, through the colors of certain toys, that these toys are for girls and that these other toys are for boys. Maybe I've been reading too much feminist theory the past few weeks, but I agree that color codification reinforces outdated gender roles.

I studied similar theory in my college psychology and women's studies classes.

It's not so much the color pink itself. It's the idea of marketing certain types of toys to girls and certain types of toys to boys. My psych professor brought up lots of good points about how we prepare are children, from birth, for their very specific gender role.

You see a baby in the store. Babies in general are fairly androgenous. If the parent doesn't dress the kid in gender specific colors or clothes, it tends to make people uncomfortable. But you'll often notice, if it's clearly a baby girl, people googoo and gaga and call it pretty and treat her as if she's made of glass. If it's clearly a boy, people tend to call it "big guy" and treat them like they are less fragile.

Toys such as vaccuums, ironing boards, kitchen sets are almost always exclusively photographed with little girl children playing with them. Same with dolls. They are also almost always "color coded" in pinks, purples and pastels. Lego used to have a line designed for girls that was all pink, purple and pastel bricks, that made houses, kitchens and gardens.

Tool sets, toy cars and other traditionally "manly" toys are always in bold primary colors. Almost always the kids pictured playing with them are boys.

You don't generally see "boy" colored tea pots or "girl" colored toy drills, and rarely do the advertisements picture both genders playing with such toys.

It starts early and sends a clear message.

There are clearly exceptions to these rules. I think it is becoming much more common for kids to step outside of the conventional "rules" of society, and I don't think it's a bad thing that parents want toy companies to mix it up a bit.

No kid should ever be FORCED one way or the other, though. I know I wasn't My parents got me my He-Man figures right along with my Barbie dolls, my "boy" legos (never was interested in the pink frilly things) right alongside my kitchen set. And my Creepy Crawlers right along with my Easy-Bake Oven.

It's all about balance.

[Lace Neil Singer]

That's up to the parents, tho. Yes, it would be nice if toy companies could mix it up a little, but boycotting a company is silly. The parents should be encouraging their kids to mix their toys up, rather than expecting all the companies to suddenly change their minds when the vast majority of people are buying their toys regardless.