Comments on: The Feminists Have Totally Lost Me on This One

By: Lesley Gillespie

Lesley Gillespie — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:57:15 +0000

Tonka truck commerical- advertising toys for boys or girls… http://tinyurl.com/ybxvjb3

By: Alicia

Alicia — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:46:49 +0000

VERY good article! I’m looking forward to reading more of your articles now! lol At least I’m not the only one who feels that this feminism thing tends to seem completely nuts at times! And, yes, I AM a female! lol I do believe women should have rights, and should receive equal pay if they’re doing the same job as a man, but that’s about as far as it goes for me.

By: Rini

Rini — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:54:28 +0000

(Not that I expect someone who commented six months ago to see this, but such is the way of internet conversation…)

“Eyes Wide Open,” the problem as I see it is not that women have a gym and men don’t, or that there is a black history month and not a white one; The problem is that the opposite CANNOT happen. Someone wishing to institute a White History Month (to celebrate, oh, say the Pilgrims’ landing) would be instantly discarded as a racist. A man wishing to open a men’s gym would be discarded as sexist.

By your argument, these things don’t exist because they aren’t needed. However, if that is the case, then why do we feel it’s necessary to pre-judge those who DO see a need?

By: Lati

Lati — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:19:20 +0000

Well said, Eyes Wide Open. You seem to be one of the few here who actually SEES the problem with this issue.

By: Eyes Wide Open

Eyes Wide Open — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:34:27 +0000

Wow. I hate to get person, but the author of this article IS missing something. You are comparing apples to oranges. Its like the racism I see when people say “Why do we have a Black History Month? We do not have a White History Month?” They just don’t get it. Women have their own gyms because they are tired of being oogles and objectified when they are working out at the gym by men. Also, men dominate the gym with the machines and free weights. I can’t tell you how many women are intimidated by it. I have even heard a man say once under his breath, while women were using the free weights, “Fu**ing women!”. As for boys not being in “girls” commercials. You tell me who on earth wants to aspire to do laundry and cleaning? Girls are socialized to want to take care of babies from a young age. Boys SHOULD be in these commercials. They don’t put up a fuss because its women who are getting the short end of the stick. No wonder boys grow up to be men who are dissinterested and irresponsible fathers. We tell them right from the get go that its not their job, not their responsibility! Wow, I could go on forever. Look outside the box.

By: cagey

cagey — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 03:02:43 +0000

Hmmm…. I am sold. This is the post that compels me to add you to my Bloglines account.

In short, I agree. For the record, I have watched my niece have access to her 2 older brothers’ toys since birth, yet still gravitates towards dolls and stuffed animals and such. And yes, the nephews were given dolls when they were young, too.

My son has had ample access to dolls and such as well. My baby daughter will have her fair share of access to trains and cars. I cannot wait to see what she prefers. (confession: I have been known to slap my son’s hand away as I rearrange his train tracks. DUDE, he totally gets in my way as I am attempting Track Perfection.)

By: Denton

Denton — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 22:39:50 +0000

I was researching this commercial for my Psychology of Sex and Gender class when I came upon your blog. I think the major issue with this commercial is not the fact that it markets a certain toy for a certain gender, but that it unabashedly points to the differences between sexes as a marketing ploy. “Because boys are just made different” is the line that is repeated. Countless research on the origins of one’s gender identity have shown us that media influences, specifically TV, play one of the largest roles in shaping a youngster’s ideas about gender appropriateness. It should not be up to our media to define what makes a boy and what makes a girl.

Further, if the numerous acts of violence committed daily by men (think school shootings, suicide bombings,etc) are anything to go one, we should be looking to change the mold to which we force men as it is obviously not working.

By: Suburban Reviews » The Daring Book for Girls

Suburban Reviews » The Daring Book for Girls — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:12:49 +0000

[...] think my only reservation about this book is the politics behind it. I wrote recently about how it seems things just for boys are being demonized, yet things just for girls go without [...]

By: Heather

Heather — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:51:30 +0000

Absolutely right on.

By: N

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:45:32 +0000

Sara,

Great post! I have three daughters and one son, and the boy will play with the baby dolls as much as the girls “borrow” his tonka collection and leave them in the sandbox.

The ad campaign really doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve never been one for political correctness, and the ad seems pretty innocuous at best. My kids know that they can decide for themselves what they like to do, or play with, irregardless of gender-specific ads.

By: Leo

Leo — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 02:20:09 +0000

Hey Sara- So you already know how I feel about the labeling piece from my post. I worry about writing off feminism as a whole on account of disagreement about the macro pieces of it. But on another line, I wanted to stop over here and try to articulate my thoughts on the truck ads, though I’m still not sure it makes sense…
As a mother of both genders, I think I fear the marketing directed at girls more. At this point, my daughter already knows she can play sports, drive her Barbies through the mud in her dump truck, be a doctor, all while wearing sequins and telling me her every emotion. But if we don’t teach our boys that they can wear pink, and cry, and clean, and cook and most importantly – play babies – then we haven’t really advanced the cause of women, we’ve just given our daughters a longer to-do list. I think our boys are the key to equality. And I don’t think marketing a Tonka truck to them is going to matter much one way or the other on that.

Anyway, people are keeping it real and positive over here. That’s the sign of a good conversation. Well done.

By: Write From Karen

Write From Karen — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:33:04 +0000

And people wonder why men aren’t MEN anymore? Because we’re not allowing them to simply BE men.

I agree 110%.

By: Missy

Missy — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:03:26 +0000

I totaly agree with Sara and want to comment to the FEMINISTS out there that keep bring up the fact of equality and how the Commercial makes them FEEL.

Each individual is in control of their own feelings/emotions and if the commercial only has boys in it, it shouldnt make anyone FEEL one way or another. The intent of the commercial is not to make Tomboys Feel bad. and if it did, you can only tell that it must be GIRL. If you haven’t noticed already women & girls put their feelings and emotions in front if almost everything – which is again one of those big differences between boys & girls (men & women)

Stay in control of yor feelings and then you can be a feminist.

Yes I am woman – who was a tomboy unitl age 12 – played with Tonka trucks – and my emotions drive me crazy – but even when they are there I try to use logic when contemplating difficult situations – and if I were a Tonka Mktg Exec I’d have just boys in my commercial too!

By: Mommy Tracks » Blog Archive » Feminism Freshens Up, Gets Glamorous.

Mommy Tracks » Blog Archive » Feminism Freshens Up, Gets Glamorous. — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:01:41 +0000

[...] Halliwell’s not alone, it appears, as the blogosphere is full of intelligent, articulate women still proclaiming that they are certainly not feminists, or that they don’t “identify with modern feminism”. [...]

By: Serina

Serina — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 04:25:23 +0000

I think your point is very valid. I do consider myself a feminist. But I think the essence of that is equality. I think my son and daughter should each be allowed to be who they are and play what they want.
I think the idea that a commercial would stop Princess H from playing with Super Z’s trucks or Super Z from playing with H’s My Little Ponies is ridiculous.
People should relax. There are more siimilarities than differences, but it is not wrong to celebrate our differences.

By: Mama Luxe

Mama Luxe — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 01:23:41 +0000

I think the key here is girls will play with things marketed to boys but boys (generally) will be less likely to play with things marketed to girls.

It is okay in our society to be a tomboy but less okay to be an effeminate boy (by society’s standards…I’m not saying this is coming from me).

So by making it look rough and tumble, they market to parents of boys who are saying, “hey, what is there for my boys in this world of girlie-girl stuff?” and yet moms of girls will still buy the toys…unless of course they royally piss off a vocal group of people who then boycott their stuff and the whole thing backfires.

I do agree with you though, it is okay to market to a niche group, including based on gender…but you are shooting yourself if you accidentally alienate a segment of potential buyers. So, misogynist, no. Marketing mistake…possibly…time will tell.

By: Sweating Through Fog

Sweating Through Fog — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:08:59 +0000

“Last I checked, toy companies were not regularly featuring little boys in their commercials for toys like baby dolls, My Little Ponies, Disney Princesses, Polly Pockets, Littlest Petshop, or any other toys typically found in the ‘girls’ toy section of any given store.”

The toy companies are in business for one reason – to make money. And you generally don’t make money in business fighting against the grain of human nature. At a certain age most boys prefer trucks, and most girls prefer dolls. If toy companies could make even one dollar marketing a separate line of pink trucks, they’d do it. It is just amazing to me that marketing of children’s toys becomes a political issue.

By: Krista

Krista — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 04:10:14 +0000

Amen!

that’s all.

By: JamieE

JamieE — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 03:31:45 +0000

I have a boy that smashes and a boy that begs for me to paint his nails(he’s 2 people). Gender is genetic. Gender roles are taught at home. A commercial should not undo the progress women have made. The last 30 years have shown over and over that the more the experts study the brain, the more they see that men and women have different brains. Women have more connections between the two halves, this makes *most* (not me btw) women able to multi-task and *most* men to be challenged by many things happening at once. TV in general is just a bad substitute for real life teaching moments. Take it into your hands and teach your children the values to which you adhere and they are not likely to depart from them.

By: Leann I Am

Leann I Am — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 02:26:27 +0000

So true! I have three girls and am more than happy to buy them a truck if they ask for one…and they have! I have never once wondered why toy truck commercials aren’t geared toward boys. Because more boys will want them than girls. Same with dolls.

I don’t get it either.