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August 22, 2008
Major Rant on Gender Stereotypes
OK, I've really had it. I know my child is going to be subjected to some people's concepts of gender and ability, gender and color, gender and appropriate playthings (she even came home the other day declaring that boys play Nascars, girls don't; until I pointed out that her beloved "Cheerios" matchbox car is, in fact, a Nascar car.) There's not a whole lot I can do about some of that, other than counter it at home with less gender-biased notions.
But, I was just browsing Amazon for "kids cameras" as I'd love to get a child-proof one for the Bug for Christmas. Why, oh why, are they all color coded and gendered? There are pink cameras "for girls" and blue cameras or cameras festooned with Pixar Cars or Pirates of the Carribean "for boys." IT'S A FUCKING CAMERA. If there is ANY gender-neutral pastime on the planet, it ought to be taking pictures. It's bad enough that it's nearly impossible to buy your child a bicycle that doesn't loudly and colorfully announce their gender (and therefore appropriate color scheme and level of decorative adornment) but I'd love to buy one goddamn thing that comes in colors other than blue and pink. I thought we'd moved beyond this. I thought girls could be anything they wanted, not just ballerinas or fairy princesses. I thought that, being a responsible parent and encouraging imaginative, creative, and open-ended play was enough. Well, apparently that has to be gendered too.
I really, really, really hate it. Obviously we all know that boys and girls are different, but do we really have to accentuate it to such an absurd degree at such a young age?
/rant.
Posted by mwashburn at August 22, 2008 01:45 PMPosted to mommyhood
Comments
I agree. My 3 boys have great cameras from vtech (I think) which are orange. They take crap photos, but they appear to be indestructible and a very generic color.
Posted by: Erika Jurney at August 26, 2008 08:13 PM