Comment Re:Sexist Stereotyping? (Score 1) 139
As a 20-year old female who would have wanted the Hot Wheels computer (or better yet . . . Transformers!), I find those two computers quite sexist. (Go back and read the descriptions of the computers -- each is targeting a specific stereotype, with both the computer itself and its description.) There's not even a neutral middle ground for say, a family with a few children.
Instead of two separate computers for boys and girls, why not one design, with rockets and spaceships on it? That would be something that boys AND girls would find cool, and it could have space-related games, and educational packages about space flight, the solar system, the universe, etc. That would be a great way to get youngsters (boys AND girls) interested in science and technology, rather than some crappy dress-up Barbie software. What's the point of trying to encourage a young girl to use a computer if she'll just be making decals? Couldn't the darn thing at least have some math and science packages? (I once asked my mom why Barbies didn't have red hair, as I do, and she snorted, "Because Barbies can't do math.")
Of the toys listed above (Lego, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Plastic Tool Chest), only one is inherently sexist -- the Barbies. None of the others are specifically aimed at one gender, or only played with by one gender. None try to promote an unattainable ideal, or any kind of conformity -- except for the Barbies.
Or maybe I'm just lucky in that my parents encouraged me to be active, and learn about the world around me (thus sparking my interest in science), instead of sending me off with my mother's old dresses to play dress-up.
Instead of two separate computers for boys and girls, why not one design, with rockets and spaceships on it? That would be something that boys AND girls would find cool, and it could have space-related games, and educational packages about space flight, the solar system, the universe, etc. That would be a great way to get youngsters (boys AND girls) interested in science and technology, rather than some crappy dress-up Barbie software. What's the point of trying to encourage a young girl to use a computer if she'll just be making decals? Couldn't the darn thing at least have some math and science packages? (I once asked my mom why Barbies didn't have red hair, as I do, and she snorted, "Because Barbies can't do math.")
Of the toys listed above (Lego, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Plastic Tool Chest), only one is inherently sexist -- the Barbies. None of the others are specifically aimed at one gender, or only played with by one gender. None try to promote an unattainable ideal, or any kind of conformity -- except for the Barbies.
Or maybe I'm just lucky in that my parents encouraged me to be active, and learn about the world around me (thus sparking my interest in science), instead of sending me off with my mother's old dresses to play dress-up.
