That stuff drives me crazy. The latest madness was finding a pink shirt for my pink obsessed 14 month old son that wasn't also covered in ribbons and bows (didn't want the additional hassle from outsiders). The woman at Gymboree declared he would be "an adventurous dresser" as she assured me they didn't have one. Baby Gap did though... a boy's polo. Guess he's not such a groundbreaker.

I never liked pink when I was young and able to choose for myself. I now have a daughter and I'm just grossed out by the princess/pink/little diva/sparkly B.S. I buy boys clothes for her just to get a decent color choices. I dread the day when she sees the marketing and wants a princess costume- is that inevitable? I hope not.

When my nephew was two he became obsessed with everything purple and princess. He has purple princess everything. He would love to play purple princess tea party with the kids in the target flyer.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I set out to buy our daughter a new bike for her 7th birthday.  Since we knew she wasn't going to stop growing any time soon, we didn't want to spend a fortune on a really good one from a bike shop.  So, we scoured the chain stores top to bottom...we found either Spiderman bikes or bright purple on top of pink with 8 feet of shiny streamers coming from the handle bars.  Where is the middle road here?  Ya know, like the yellow onesies???

There's nothing stopping parents from buying the powertools for their girls and a tea set for the their boys. I've bought my daughter trucks and hot wheels cars and she still went right for the pinkest bike they had at REI. This girl watches no TV and has nothing from Disney yet she likes what she likes. But no I'm going to buy her the ugly black bike with skulls so I can use my two year old daughter to break down gender stereotypes. Give me a break, it's a target toy catalog.

I agree there is nothing stopping us from buying our sons tea sets and our daughters drills or throwing all of it out the window and just getting them both a trampoline.  But it is discouraging for a mainstream/very popular and reputable store like Target to perpetuate toy segregation.  I think things have gotten worse in the past thirty years.  I seem to recall seeing boys and girls in ads for just about any toy in the 70s.  My girls' bike was solid blue with a white "wicker" basket on the front - I added a couple of plastic daisies myself.  Maybe we need a little more Free to Be You and Me!  Bratz?  Those are in another league - they are obscene.  I've heard them called Prosti-Tots, which I find quite funny and accurate.

"perpetuate toy segregation" is really putting too much energy & emotion to this.

no offense i understand being a passionate person, but with all things it's up to the parents to decide want your child will play with. ( insuring that you are respectful of their likes and dislikes) they will be bombarded by media and such

"perpetuating" female & male roles. That is what we are for to guide them through these messages... what to take from it, if any, and what ignore. Target

has a wider market that do believe in gender roles, i'm sure they do not want

to offend anyone. I'm sure showing boys in princess costumes, though would make the few enlightened parents (like all of you) tickled "pink", it would piss

off far more people.

by the way kids like what they like. no matter how much my parents bombarded me with girl toys i wanted to be down the street under a hood

of someone's car, seeing what makes it work. I gave my daughter drills, cars

teasets and dolls. she likes the the girl stuff!

cheers!

Wrote this piece on similar issues a few weeks ago:

www.antiracistparent.com/.../seeing-pink

Interesting comments...

I get equally frustrated about "sexist" clothing.  I have to look much harder to find nice dressy/church clothes for my son, whereas if I had a girl, I could be in and out of the store in 5 min.  My son has no interest in trucks, construction sites or bugs right now, yet all of the clothing I see implies that these are his favorite things.  

But don't you see that it's more than just Target--or just "kids want what kids want"--at play here?

Kids want what kids want because it's blasted at them from every angle, everywhere they go, whether it's in Target, on TV, in music, in movies, in books ("Fancy Nancy," anyone?), in clothing stores, etc. It'd be hard for a kid to live in this culture and even know what he or she really wanted.

It's a bit of a "chicken or egg" situation:  Does Target market what girls want, or do girls want what Target markets to them? My vote is the latter, but then again, I've always been a nurture over nature kinda gal.

Sure, a few pink and sparkly things sound innocuous enough, but when our daughters are reading trashy girl lit or watching mass-marketed teen movies and every girl is only interested in boys, shopping, looking cute, and hating math,  do you really think that doesn't have a long-term effect about what our girls will value as they head into higher education and beyond?

And yes, good parenting should trump all. I certainly hope so, in our case. But damn, does it have to be such an uphill battle? Is this really the best we can do for our girls--or our boys, for that matter?

And I almost forgot the worst offenders:  Grandparents. Thank you, Nana, for convincing my daughter that she is Cinderella.

Really No Va Mommy, kids want what Target markets to them. That's rich. The only way Target can market to your kids is if you expose them to marketing. How many kids sit down and look at Target catalogs? The only way kids get blasted by media is when their parents are too lazy to police what they are exposed to. There are plenty of gender neutral toys out there, Legos, Playmobil, yellow bicycles, and the only way to change things is to vote with your dollars instead of blaming those big bad corporations. The only reason they make those products are because people are buying them.

who said parenting should be easy... this is nothing new... we didn't just wake

up this morning and target started marketing pink to girls and blue to boys.

my little girl loves pink and is rocking in math thank you very much... sounds

like you buy the propaganda yourself. the world isn't that black and white.

or pink and blue for that matter.

I think there's some disingenuousness about the power of marketing going on here. Didn't a recent study show that kids are more likely to eat food in McDonald's wrappers, even if they'd never been to McDonalds before? Marketing is pervasive in our kids' lives, and impossible to shield them from. Marketing is also a barometer of our culture. So the issue isn't that Target is perpetuating the same old gender stereotyped crap, it's that we live in a society that says girls who don't want to play house are tomboys, and boys who do are gay. What people are complaining about are the lack of options for kids who don't fit rigid gender stereotypes, not making kids embrace things they don't want to to "subvert gender" (buy your kid whatever color bike they want), not making kids do whatever. Supporting our kids when they don't fit their "traditional" roles, and not making them feel like freaks.  

"how many kids sit down and look at target catalogs?"  

Are you kidding?  I don't know, maybe me and my brothers were really abnormal kids, but we eagerly awaited the sears and JCPenny catalogs for the pages and pages of toys to look at and dream over.  We'd plot what we were going to ask for for Christmas, birthday, what we were going to save our money up for to buy ourselves.  I can't imagine we were the only ones, or that things have changed that much... and if they have, are TV commercials any less gendered?

Even now, my 2.5 year old daughter watches us get the mail so that she can snatch anything with bright pictures; she gets a children's magazine and so she expects that something with pictures of kids on it is going to go to her.  Those catalogs are designed to appeal to children to get those children to ask for those toys.  And what toy do you think looks more appealing, the toy just sitting there on a page, or the toys that are being shown in action, with happy children playing?  

It seems that the big point the author of this piece is trying to make is that yes, gendered toys are out there and there's nothing inherently wrong with them, but why do they have to be given so much space and attention to the exclusion of gender neutral or gender inclusive toys?  Why can't they show girls and boys playing sports together?

And yes, a boy in a princess dress might be pushing things too far for some people (not me) but what's so revolutionary about having a girl work the mechanical spider or a boy sweeping in a toy kitchen?

I think the most frustrating part is the lack of accessible options for most families.  If you have the time/resources/insight/forethought, you could probably order a more neutral toy item from an online retailer but if you need something quickly, don't have the money to pay shipping, aren't as educated or able to take the time to research a simple toy purchase, you are left with the toy manufacturers gender stereotyped options.  

example - my now 6.5 yo wanted a scooter for her 3rd birthday.  I had seen some acceptable scooters around our neighborhood park but when I went to local toy depots the only options were a pink & flowery scooter or a spider man scooter.  Turns out, the navy blue & yellow scooters w/o branding & gender stereotypes had been ordered by my neighbors online - 4 to 6 weeks before needed.  Since I also had a tiny baby at the time and birthdays had sort of snuck up on me, we ended up with a flowery pink scooter (that my son also ended up loving, so I got a happy ending eventually).

Now because I have the resources and education and time, I've learned from this event and now purchase toys & gifts with more forethought & planning.  However, I am writing to you from a place of incredible class & economic privledge.  Many parents who want to avoid exposing their sons & daughters to restricting & harmful gender stereotypes do not have the time, energy & resrouces that I have.  

By continuing to perpetuate gender stereotypes in toys, manufacturers and retailers are not hurting my children hardly at all.  However, the situation is more complex then simple parental accountability - parents must have real and accessible options in order to make choices for their kids.  Just because a parent may be working more hours than I, making less money, not have internet access or live in a town with no place to buy toys other than a big box retailer, doesn't mean that they value gender equality for their children any less than I do.  It just means that they have to live in a world where there are "girls toys" and "boys toys" because that is what big box retailers & marketing professionals think will get them more money.  

And none of that will change if we don't talk about it, act on our beliefs and support better choices for children & parents.  Chalking it all up to parental responsibility ignores many real barriers & harms.

If you go looking for Gender Stereotyping in children's toy marketing guess what you're going to find. I'd be willing to argue that anyone who uses the term gender stereotyping is only goiing to see the world through that lense. Because when I go looking for children's toys I find plenty of non-branded, gender neutral toys and clothing. The secret is to support the companies you want and stop expecting corporations that focus on making money to raise our children.

Here are a couple of images that popped up when I googled Kitchen Sets:

www.toys4tots.co.nz/.../61328kitchen-bbq.jpg

www.step2kitchens.net/.../lifestyle_designer_kitchen_1.jpg

Larissa,

You imagine that everyone shares your views and only your education and means allows you to purchase gender neutral toys. Maybe other parents don't see anything harmful in a pink bicycle and if that's the case they should be able to purchase it and Target has every right to sell it.

Target also sells the most gender neutral bikes and scooters from Radio Flyer. How blind are you people?

ahem, treespeed!!

Respectfully, Treespeed, I imagine no such thing.  I am merely pointing out the fact that there are social and economic barriers that impact parents ability to make individualized choices about the gender influcences their children are exposed to.  I was remiss in neglecting to state the obvious, that of course there are people who either have no problem with or outright endorse stereotypical gender roles.

And having excellent vision, I'm happy to report that none of the stores in my area - 2 targets and a toys r us - had radio flyer scooter options - FWIW, it was 3 and a half years ago.  Maybe things have gotten better.  I wouldn't know, I don't shop for toys in those places anymore.

And not accurate at all to say that acknowledging the existence of gender stereotypes means that I'm looking for them.  That's like saying global warming has only gotten worse because I'm noticing it.  Ignoring gender stereotypes doesn't make them go away but by acknowledging them we can mitigate their impact on our & our children's lives.

It always cracks me up when people insist that gender stereotyping no longer exists. "We got rid of that! In the '70s! With that cool poster campaign! Remember?"

What! Target has a catalog! We are so out of it.

Younger boy has started informing me that I like pink, because I am a girl. He's not so sure about this, just telling me to see what happens. And I always tell him that I don't like most pinks and I am still a girl and it is OK. He's happy with that.

I think kids get very rigid about what they like and don't like while they are figuring out who they are. In our house, swords must be gray. Capes must be black. The sandwich must be cut just so. However, the legos & playmobil & blocks may now be played with together.

Now, what I would like to see is catalogs that show what really goes on in our house. Both genders sword fighting in the basement. Both genders playing with Lego. Both genders constructing markets & homes outside in the garden. Both genders playing video games. These are kids that are exposed to all kinds of advertising. They all know what is a girl or boy toy. But I don't really see it showing up in live play. Especially with the older kids.

I remember when I was a kid, my brother and I fought over the Sears Christmas Wish Book (catalogue). We didn't know the term "gender stereotyping", but we knew that the pages were divided into "girl toys" and "boy toys", and we didn't figure out for ourselves that we could both look at any page we wanted to. At least I got my little bro to play "My Little Pony" with me. :)

My little guy can play with any (age-appropriate) thing he wants to- dolls, cars, trains, whatever. He adores cars, but he has a toy vacuum cleaner that he loves. I just wish I could find things like play kitchens or that nice Rose Petal Cottage that aren't pink and purple- I don't care if he plays with those colours, but I hate them!

BTW- I enjoyed "Packaging Girlhood". Even though I didn't agree with everything the author said, I found it thought-provoking and interesting.

I'm with the author on this one.

I've been bitching about the ever more narrow gender stratification of children's toys and clothing for a long time. It pisses me off to no end. When I was a kid, there were girly clothes, boyish clothes and plain old clothes for both genders. Now, there are ultra-girly clothes and ultra boy clothes and nothing in between.

When I have bitched about this to my sisters, who have daughters, I get labeled a radical. It's just that I can see more clearly that manufacturers are reducing choices to maximize sales.

They say to themselves: pink sells, and it sells even more when there are embroidered flowers and ribbons on it, so let's get rid of the 12 shirts we manufacture and replace them with 3 pink shirts. Lets make one with ribbons, one with flowers and one with both!

Kids, being kids, are naturally attracted to shiny things, so the more icky pinky glitzy anything is the more a girl wants to buy it. Not because she is naturally attracted to pink glitzy things, but because in the limited array of choices she has, she wants the shiniest item. So, her choice isn't her own choice at all, it is the choice of the manufacturer who is playing a headgame with her to increase their own bottom lines.

Ick! Thank goodness I don't have girls because I could never deal with that side of this issue. With the boys, there are still a few plain, non-ultra-masculine options and by shopping at resale I can get the higher end clothes where those options still sometimes exist.

I will see if my library has Packaging Girlhood. I bet it's just what I need to articulate my own vents on this subject.

Allison, you *can* find non-pink kitchens, but pretty much only if you look online. Most stores only stock the pink ones, for some stupid reason. We have a cool wooden one from Haba Toys, but I had to order it. If you go to Amazon and do a search for play kitchens, you'll see a ton of choices.

I'm with you. I'm not a fan of pink at all, and never have been. Funny story, though: I was out shopping with my three-year-old son today. We were buying a few last-minute things for the new baby I'm expecting in a couple of weeks. Sam INSISTED that the baby -- whom we already know is a boy -- would love pink sheets. I really didn't want to get them, for no reason other than my dislike of the colour, but Sam actually got quite tearful about it and kept insisting that the new baby wants pink sheets. So I bought a damn pink sheet. Go figger.

One of the best toy stores I have found - high quality/wood not plastic/"neutral" wares - is one called Wonderment (in Minneapolis), which is supposedly based on the Waldorf School model.  I don't know if it's just here in Mpls, but I suspect most metro areas have a toy store or two that market to Waldorf or similar philosophies.  (For the record my kids go to conventional public school and I really don't know much about Waldorf other than they seem to promote cool toys.)  In this store one will find lots of puzzles, kits for making candles and other crafts, imaginative play supplies (wooden fruits and vegs), dress up for everyone (knights, royalty, dancers, etc), fair trade made dolls, dreamy art supplies... very cool store.  Much more expensive than toys at Target in general, but if one can afford it, I think it's worth it.  What bugs me is that there are plenty of families who can't spend a hundred dollars on a small sack of high quality toys and instead are "forced" to go to Target/WalMart on sale for the pink and blue plastic stuff, or they are in a rush/not savvy about online options.  How about a post on parents who eschew toys altogether?  I have a "friend of a friend" who has done this - refused to buy toys for her kid or accept them as gifts!!  

Have not read responses so sorry if i repeat something already stated.

While I find those fliers/catalogs annoying as well it only matters what you portray to your children. My 2 year old daughter loves the movie Cars and cars in general. We have a bunch of sets of those soft rubber Tonka cars. I would never restrict the tings I buy her to typical girl items. I get her what i know she likes, which also happens to include princess crowns, dress-up items, and play kitchen stuff. As long as she is happy it doesn't matter. I would never push her to like typical girl stuff nor would I push her the other way. Just because i may not be a big fan of pink doesnt mean my daughter can't love it. Not buying pink because i don't like it wouldn't be fair to her. I just try to keep the pink decor and clothes as tasteful as possible.

Hey, I use to LOVE purple so much everything had to be purple. I grew out of it.

Personally, I'd love it if someone could prove to me why we need to "break down" gender roles.

I've never taken issue with being a girl, and although I prefer the company of male friends rather than female, I have no trouble being feminine.

What exactly is so detrimental to a child that wills parents to go on a tirade against gender marketing? Is it that your blessed angel with a hipper-than-thou moniker can’t stand to be categorized? Really, I believe that parents have forgotten the simplicity of childhood and are instead lobbying for their own agendas. It's trendy at the moment for parents to stand behind their fetuses, infants, toddlers, etc and rally on their behalf. As if anyone would truly believe that your toddler is developing anxiety over whether to go vegetarian or full-blown vegan. Children have practically turned into advertisements for their parents latest opinion.  

At 4 years old I didn’t have any political ties to what kind of clothing I wore. 'Feminism' and 'gender stereotypes' weren’t brought up to me. Wearing pink didn’t classify me as a submissive, sheep of a female with confidence issues just as much as wearing blue didn’t classify me as being a ball-busting femi-Nazi.

Maybe if parents felt less obligated to impart these concepts of 'gender stereotyping' and 'evil-corporate marketing schemes' then we could rest assured knowing that Sarah will grow up normally whether she decides to play with Barbies or dump trucks.

To level the playing field so-to-speak, isn’t it just as much of an 'injustice' to limit what you allow your child to wear, play with, etc based on your personal beliefs as it is for these companies to market items based on theirs?