Activities for blokes only
Dec. 8th, 2010 05:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dzurladyI subscribe to a daily advertising e-newsletter from B&T. Sometimes it is quite interesting; sometimes it’s a bit sad. One of today’s articles would be sad if it weren’t so ridiculous.
There is a paint company, Berger Jet Dry, who are running a promotion at Chadstone this Christmas. I quote:
“Men who have been dragged out Christmas shopping will have one of their wishes come true this year if they visit the Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne between December 9 to 12.
Paint brand Berger Jet Dry will be providing an area known as the ‘ManSpace’ within Chadstone shopping centre in which they can hang out and do blokes’ things such as have a barbecue, play mini golf, watch TV and relax.”
Barbecuing, ok – that is traditionally a men’s activity (when I was young I decided that barbecuing was great fun. I didn’t see why only men should get to do it so I tried to get involved wherever possible; I didn’t consciously identify as a feminist then, but the sentiment was certainly there.) But mini golf? That’s quite a stretch. And I had no idea watching tv and even more ludicrously relaxing were activities only associated with men…
In more annoying gendering of activities, our work is participating in the Smith Family toy drive, which is a nice concept. But the list of toy suggestions they gave to us is infuriating!
The first set of suggestions is for babies at 0-1, and right from the start it is split into boys and girl’s toys. Yes, even at 0-1 gender is a very important predictor of what your kid will want.
Girls: Building blocks, soft toy dolls and soft material bath books.
Boys: Toy trucks, baby lego and soft material bath books.
(Just so you don’t get your hopes up, according to this list girls will never like lego. Don’t bother keeping an eye out for it.)
The list continues in a very gendered way. For girls, it’s dominated by dolls and tea sets; boys get trucks and cars and sporting equipment.
I found it very interesting that sporting equipment is first suggested for boys at age 2-3, with toy golf sets. Over the next decade they get soccer balls, rugby balls, footballs and basketballs. Girls have to wait until they are 11-12, when they get basketballs, netballs and tennis racquets and balls.
Here is the full list. This was originally only split into two sections: girls (coloured red and pink) and boys (coloured blue and lighter blue). I have split the toys that were suggested for both girls and boys out of the list, so it’s easier to compare them.
0-1:
Girls: Building blocks and soft toy dolls
Boys: Toy trucks and baby lego
Both: Soft material bath books
2-3
Girls: Dolls, doll prams and strollers, plastic tea sets, soft material books
Boys: Plastic golf sets, baby lego, toy trucks
Both: Golden books
4-5
Girls: Baby doll sets with bottles, dummies etc, barbie dolls or copies, my little pony sets, doll prams and strollers, shopping trolleys, plastic tea sets
Boys: Matchbox car sets, toy trucks, soccer and rugby balls, easy jigsaw puzzles
Both: Board games (eg snakes and laddes, connect 4, guess who), Golden books, picture books with a few words
6-8
Girls: Barbie dolls or copies, bratz dolls, craft sets, bead sets, jigsaw puzzles, cabbage patch dolls
Boys: Remote control cars, lego sets, toy trucks, matchbox car sets, action figures
Both: Board games (Hungry Hippos, Trouble), young reader books
9-10
Girls: Bratz dolls, craft sets, board sets, art sets
Boys: Soccer balls, footballs, basketballs, remote control cars, electronic hand-held games, action figures, ball games, lego sets, super soakers, puzzles
Both: Board games, jigsaw puzzles, children’s novels
11-12:
Girls: Art sets, tennis racquets and balls, netballs, scrabble, watches, book or cd vouchers from large store chains (eg Myer, Kmart, Big W, Target)
Boys: Soccer balls, footballs, remote control cars, electronic hand held games, action figures, meccano sets, super soakers, ball games
Both: Basketballs, jigsaw puzzles, board games, children’s novels
There is a paint company, Berger Jet Dry, who are running a promotion at Chadstone this Christmas. I quote:
“Men who have been dragged out Christmas shopping will have one of their wishes come true this year if they visit the Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne between December 9 to 12.
Paint brand Berger Jet Dry will be providing an area known as the ‘ManSpace’ within Chadstone shopping centre in which they can hang out and do blokes’ things such as have a barbecue, play mini golf, watch TV and relax.”
Barbecuing, ok – that is traditionally a men’s activity (when I was young I decided that barbecuing was great fun. I didn’t see why only men should get to do it so I tried to get involved wherever possible; I didn’t consciously identify as a feminist then, but the sentiment was certainly there.) But mini golf? That’s quite a stretch. And I had no idea watching tv and even more ludicrously relaxing were activities only associated with men…
In more annoying gendering of activities, our work is participating in the Smith Family toy drive, which is a nice concept. But the list of toy suggestions they gave to us is infuriating!
The first set of suggestions is for babies at 0-1, and right from the start it is split into boys and girl’s toys. Yes, even at 0-1 gender is a very important predictor of what your kid will want.
Girls: Building blocks, soft toy dolls and soft material bath books.
Boys: Toy trucks, baby lego and soft material bath books.
(Just so you don’t get your hopes up, according to this list girls will never like lego. Don’t bother keeping an eye out for it.)
The list continues in a very gendered way. For girls, it’s dominated by dolls and tea sets; boys get trucks and cars and sporting equipment.
I found it very interesting that sporting equipment is first suggested for boys at age 2-3, with toy golf sets. Over the next decade they get soccer balls, rugby balls, footballs and basketballs. Girls have to wait until they are 11-12, when they get basketballs, netballs and tennis racquets and balls.
Here is the full list. This was originally only split into two sections: girls (coloured red and pink) and boys (coloured blue and lighter blue). I have split the toys that were suggested for both girls and boys out of the list, so it’s easier to compare them.
0-1:
Girls: Building blocks and soft toy dolls
Boys: Toy trucks and baby lego
Both: Soft material bath books
2-3
Girls: Dolls, doll prams and strollers, plastic tea sets, soft material books
Boys: Plastic golf sets, baby lego, toy trucks
Both: Golden books
4-5
Girls: Baby doll sets with bottles, dummies etc, barbie dolls or copies, my little pony sets, doll prams and strollers, shopping trolleys, plastic tea sets
Boys: Matchbox car sets, toy trucks, soccer and rugby balls, easy jigsaw puzzles
Both: Board games (eg snakes and laddes, connect 4, guess who), Golden books, picture books with a few words
6-8
Girls: Barbie dolls or copies, bratz dolls, craft sets, bead sets, jigsaw puzzles, cabbage patch dolls
Boys: Remote control cars, lego sets, toy trucks, matchbox car sets, action figures
Both: Board games (Hungry Hippos, Trouble), young reader books
9-10
Girls: Bratz dolls, craft sets, board sets, art sets
Boys: Soccer balls, footballs, basketballs, remote control cars, electronic hand-held games, action figures, ball games, lego sets, super soakers, puzzles
Both: Board games, jigsaw puzzles, children’s novels
11-12:
Girls: Art sets, tennis racquets and balls, netballs, scrabble, watches, book or cd vouchers from large store chains (eg Myer, Kmart, Big W, Target)
Boys: Soccer balls, footballs, remote control cars, electronic hand held games, action figures, meccano sets, super soakers, ball games
Both: Basketballs, jigsaw puzzles, board games, children’s novels
no subject
on 2010-12-08 07:36 am (UTC)no subject
on 2010-12-08 11:51 am (UTC)no subject
on 2010-12-08 01:07 pm (UTC)I did like my puzzle sets and art supplies, but baby dolls creep the fuck outta me. Still do. In fact, I'm just generally creep out by dolls and action figures.
I remember having an electric toy train set where you have to build the track and connect the batteries properly for it to work and those racing cars where you have to build the tracks and attempting to combine the car tracks and train tracks (it didn't work). I have a feeling it was those train and car sets that James May was playing around with on his toy program. Those tracks looked really familiar to me!
Oh, and LEGO!! And I had electric handheld game when I was about 10 with a cowboy shooting beer mugs in a bar and then with a shoot-out/face-off with the town baddie as a finale, and this Nintendo. And this.
When I was about 14, we got this which I then tried to hook up various stuff to and crashed it at least a couple of times.
Oh, and I've ALWAYS wanted a proper water pistol. Never did got a good one. Had a few crappy ones though. Oh, and a X-Wing! I should totally bring that back from Malaysia! LOL!
Soooo... based on the toys that I actually played with, I'm a boy? Yet, I wore skirts most of the time when I was a child. Didn't even own a pair of jeans until I was about 14 or 15. I like my skirts and dresses even though I hardly wear them now, I still have a closet full of skirts and dresses. :P
This is a really long winded, roundabout and self-centered way of saying: "fuck you, gender roles".
no subject
on 2010-12-08 09:52 pm (UTC)I was reasonably girly growing up but both me and my brother had a mix of toys. There were dolls -- Rainbow Brite dolls and about eight Barbies, which were inherited by my 5 yrs younger brother, who played with both when he was 2-4y.o. -- but there was also lego and mechano (which I loved for years). I enjoyed crafty things and TV games, and, heck, I even had a She-Ra action figure as a kid.
Pretty much the only thing I didn't have was sporting equipment, but I've never been a sporty/active kid either.