Oh, Lego Friends…

I agree there is a problem here.  I just don’t think the problem is Lego. The problem is society, and the toy marketing industry.

Go ahead and complain about Lego. Should they should be better than this? Sure. But that is tremendously unlikely to happen in a profit-driven world that features major opportunities like this. I’ve worked in marketing. This is a huge opportunity for Lego.

To be honest, my kids are immune to the Lego Friends advertising because they don’t watch television.  Occasionally they watch PBS when in the care of their grandparents, but there are no toy advertisements on that channel.  So perhaps my outrage is less than it would be if I saw those ads frequently.

Maybe the solution is to stop letting your kids watch television, which is far more responsible for negative gender stereotypes than the toy industry.  After that, give your kids the toys that you think they should play with, and then play with them in the way you think they should play.  And whenever your kids repeat or mimic stereotypes from the world around them, take the time to discuss why the stereotypes are wrong. This is hard work, frankly, but it’s the only proactive option I see before us.

(Reblogged from sparkamovement. Video transcript available here.)

(via sparkamovement-blog-blog)