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While deodorants are found in one aisle, there is a point on the shelves where women's deodorants end and men's begin. And Sure hasn't been gender neutral for a while now.
Right but there's no signage that says, "Women's Deodorant" and "Men's Deodorant."
I can just about promise you that Barbies will all be displayed together at Target. Same with action figures, toy cars, building sets, games, etc. They're just not going to say "Boys" or "Girls" on the particular aisles. I can't for the life of me figure out why that makes so many people irate.
I'll tell you what's more irritating, and that's that someone would classify Matchbox cars as "for boys" and doll houses as "for girls" when kids of both genders tend to like both.
And I think people can relax - even with the signage removed, I have a feeling that boys will gravitate more often to the action figures and girls will gravitate more often to the baby dolls - and that's fine too.
i didn't originally read an article about this until now. i had just heard something on the news earlier. but i read they are not only taking down "girl" signs and "boy" signs and colors pink and blue.they are also taking down yellow and green. and it's not only in the toy section. they are changing things over in the bedding and entertain departments too. so i guess instead of saying "girls bedding" (which honestly, i have never even noticed such a sign because you can clearly see just walking along which is for the girls and which is for the boys. but shoot...that's not ok of me to say anymore. it is just "bedding" now. there is no "girl bedding" or "boy bedding" anymore.) it will just say "kids bedding" or "teen bedding" or for those college kids "dorm bedding" or whatever it is they call it for them. it just seems so ridiculous. the kids bedding sections takes up two or three aisles, or so. what will be the difference to take down the signs? i don't get it. are teen boys now going to suddenly say "hey mom! now i can finally buy that pink butterfly comforter because it isn't in the aisle that says 'girls bedding' anymore". ? really? he's still going to have to take that pink flowery sheet set and comforter through the store all the way to the register to pay for it. what is the difference in taking down the sign?
and i know someone will say, yes! what is the difference? who cares? well, the point is the intention is not just taking down a sign or taking down some colors. it is more than that. there is more behind it than just taking down a sign. and i can't help but think what is next. what will change next and why. for what. it starts with seemingly insignificant stuff like this and soon it goes way too far. taking down the signs really doesn't bother me at all. i couldn't care less. it just feels like...i can't explain it. something else is going on.
i think having a sign such as "building toys" and then also having a separate sign that said "girls building toys" on their part, yes, i think that went too far. they could just easily have all of the legos in one aisle. however, i think they are now going overboard in the other direction. i still think certain toys are geared towards girls, whether everyone likes that or not, i believe there are toys, such as barbies as an example, where the majority of kids playing with them are girls, always has been and i imagine always will be. and mostly they like pink and flowery and all of that. there are still barbie things that are not all pink and frilly for the kids that don't prefer all that fluff. what.is.the.big.deal???
i don't see what purpose it really serves to start doing things likemoving toys like barbies and hot wheels all together with no colors at all. that is what the article i read said. they are not only taking down signs and colors, they are planning to move things. how boring the toy stores are going to be now. no more pink, blue, yellow or green? i really have a hard time believing there are so many boys out there who have been feeling traumatized because the "girl aisle" is all pink and girly and he feels so uncomfortable there that he may need counseling at some point in time because the barbies were not next to the hot wheels when he was growing up. those dam barbies were over there in that...that pink aisle.
as far as the entertainment section? i guess i never noticed any kind of separation or color coding there before. i've always just seen all the games all displayed and locked up in one or two aisles. definitely games that look more like "boy games" or "girl games" but that is the packaging, not how they are displayed in the store. if this is fine in the entertainment section why not for the toy section?
the times they are a-changin'
What? Please post a link or cite where Target is "getting rid" of signs and colors (including yellow and green?) and putting Barbies and Hot Wheels in the same aisle all mixed together. The only signs being 86'd are the ones indicating "boys" and "girls" for some items (toys and bedding, not clothing). Rest assured most signage will remain. Colors will remain in the store and on packaging, just not on the back of shelving in order to identify items as being gender specific.
Whatever did we do "back in the day" when shelving was all beige?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Further
May I suggest you do some reading on the first years of a child's development. The socialization as to the way he or she will grow into a productive member of society is formed at this early age. Like it or not, children at this age require strong guidance. Think I'm wrong? Just look around you see the wonderful decline of this country since the "all is accepted" philosophy that is being infused into our society.
Again..what are YOU talking about? Most of us are discussing signage in Target. Kids will still play with whatever they play with or whatever their parent allows them to play with.
Last edited by maciesmom; 08-13-2015 at 06:39 AM..
May I suggest you do some reading on the first years of a child's development. The socialization as to the way he or she will grow into a productive member of society is formed at this early age. Like it or not, children at this age require strong guidance. Think I'm wrong? Just look around you see the wonderful decline of this country since the "all is accepted" philosophy that is being infused into our society.
If children have to be guided to play with certain toys according to their gender, then that would be considered manipulation, not guidance.
Little girl: "Look, mommy! There's a tool set. Can I get it?"
Mommy: "Oh, Sally, wouldn't you really like a new doll, instead?"
Little girl: "I already have lots of dolls; I really want those tools."
Mommy: "But look how pretty that doll is, and if you chose her, we'll go get ice cream!"
Is that guidance or manipulation?
I'm not making that conversation up. I have actually heard stuff like that at toy stores.
This might work if your kid is homeschooled or being raised in a Bohemian Utopia, but you REALLY don't want to send a 2nd grade boy to public school wearing makeup, if you don't like bullying.
Second grade girls don't go to school wearing makeup.
Right but there's no signage that says, "Women's Deodorant" and "Men's Deodorant."
I can just about promise you that Barbies will all be displayed together at Target. Same with action figures, toy cars, building sets, games, etc. They're just not going to say "Boys" or "Girls" on the particular aisles. I can't for the life of me figure out why that makes so many people irate.
I'll tell you what's more irritating, and that's that someone would classify Matchbox cars as "for boys" and doll houses as "for girls" when kids of both genders tend to like both.
And I think people can relax - even with the signage removed, I have a feeling that boys will gravitate more often to the action figures and girls will gravitate more often to the baby dolls - and that's fine too.
I recall playing with my cousin and her friend and I would provide the male toys[tonka stuff and soldiers] and they would provide the female toys[doll houses] and we had loads of fun. The little green army men inside a doll house is quite a sight. Same with Barbie riding a bulldozer.
Of course I would never own a barbie or dollhouse but we had the male equivalents in our family- GI Joes and Guns of Navarone playset. Instead of tea time it was blowing up Nazis.
I do not see a problem with this so long as there is clear signage as to what is in each aisle to reduce wasted time in the store when on expedition.
What does that have to do with playing with Barbies versus Tonka Trucks? My brother played with my Barbies, dollhouse, and Backstreet Boys CDs more than I did and he's about to get married (to a woman), owns a house, and has a career. Seems like playing with stereotypically feminine toys haven't hurt him. I, on the other hand, played with building toys (blocks, Lincoln logs, Kinnex, Legos, etc) and some of the sciency toys that at the time were typically found in the "boy's" section of a toy store.
Strong guidance involves teaching your child to be confident in who they are and what they believe, respectful of others, honest, responsible, generous, and to have good work ethic. Not really sure where the color of the shelves in a toy store have to do with guidance.
I really don't understand this argument. I was bullied MERCILESSLY for over a decade of public school because my family is Jewish. We were the only ones in our community. Should my parents have not sent me to school? Converted?
Did you seriously just reduce the sacrifices made by the Jewish people in trying to live their lives without being demonized, to be equal to the struggle of little boys wearing makeup?
Right but there's no signage that says, "Women's Deodorant" and "Men's Deodorant."
I can just about promise you that Barbies will all be displayed together at Target. Same with action figures, toy cars, building sets, games, etc. They're just not going to say "Boys" or "Girls" on the particular aisles. I can't for the life of me figure out why that makes so many people irate.
I'll tell you what's more irritating, and that's that someone would classify Matchbox cars as "for boys" and doll houses as "for girls" when kids of both genders tend to like both.
And I think people can relax - even with the signage removed, I have a feeling that boys will gravitate more often to the action figures and girls will gravitate more often to the baby dolls - and that's fine too.
It was a better time when Matchbox cars and 'Doll' houses actually LOOKED like cars and houses, and not some marketer's overload of color and gender.
Did you seriously just reduce the sacrifices made by the Jewish people in trying to live their lives without being demonized, to be equal to the struggle of little boys wearing makeup?
I pointed out that it's absolutely absurd to expect people to live their lives in such a way that they make choices to avoid being bullied. Instead, maybe we should deal with the bullies?
It is equally absurd to expect someone to hide or change their faith as it is to expect someone to conform to artificial gender norms. What is MORE absurd is that being bullied on the basis of my faith is considered heinous, but a little boy being bullied for wearing a dress is a-OK.
Toy tools of all kinds are universal up until a certain age, then, poof, not so much. You don't see 10 year old boys playing with toy vacuum cleaners, but they ALSO aren't playing with toy mowers or drills at that age either.
Are there REALLY people who think of vacuum cleaners as being feminine and lawn mowers as being masculine? I see women mowing the grass nearly as often as men, and I've never seen a "feminine" vacuum cleaner.
It's gotten better in recent years, but look at the toy versions. There are a lot that are pink and geared towards girls. The neutral colors seem to dominate now, at least, if you look on Amazon. But in store, this is a different story. You often have to go out of your way to get non-gendered basic toys like this.
For example, this is Target's toys that are available in store in the gardening and housekeeping section:Target : Expect More. Pay Less. categories_7
Search for play kitchens on Amazon. Many of them are pink or pastel girly colors (not all, as the choices have greatly expanded) but a lot of the marketing also features girls.
This issue obviously extends far beyond Target, although they seem to choose to stock the more gendered items in store. The bigger issue is how toys are marketed towards children in the first place.
Also interesting: the boy and girl genders they list on the website.
I agree that none of these things are feminine or masculine, but the subtle cues are there.
May I suggest you do some reading on the first years of a child's development. The socialization as to the way he or she will grow into a productive member of society is formed at this early age. Like it or not, children at this age require strong guidance. Think I'm wrong? Just look around you see the wonderful decline of this country since the "all is accepted" philosophy that is being infused into our society.
A child does not need to be guided to play with a specific toy. If a boy wants to play with a doll or a toy oven, let him. If a girl wants to play with Legos, matchbox cars, or Tonka trucks, let her. I GUARANTEE allowing children to play with certain toys will not "turn" them gay, transgender, or anything else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rugrats2001
Toy tools of all kinds are universal up until a certain age, then, poof, not so much. You don't see 10 year old boys playing with toy vacuum cleaners, but they ALSO aren't playing with toy mowers or drills at that age either.
Are there REALLY people who think of vacuum cleaners as being feminine and lawn mowers as being masculine? I see women mowing the grass nearly as often as men, and I've never seen a "feminine" vacuum cleaner.
Well, that's because by age 10, boys AND girls are using REAL vacuum cleaners to clean and using REAL mowers to mow the lawn (at least mine were). My kids were also using real power tools from an early age (under my supervision, of course).
As far as lawn mowers being for specific genders, yes, unfortunately, some people think women cannot mow. I cannot tell you how many people have asked me in the years since my husband died "who mows your lawn now?" I also snow blow, use power drills, power saws, power washers, power sanders, and several other power tools!!
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