This post has nothing to do with the copyright case regarding Goldie Blox’s parody of Beastie Boys’ “Girls” in their most recent ad campaign. This new toy line called Goldie Blox has become increasingly popular due to its marketing as a smart toy for girls. However, it fails to see that they are the very problem that they are seemingly trying to fix.
The company’s aim is to “disrupt the pink isle and inspire the future generation of female engineers”. However, if you look at their product line, everything remains in the stereotypical girlish colours of pink and purple, continuing the notion that these are the only toys for our little girls. I am by no means a self-identified feminist (or even a parent) but I do believe in the fact that little girls (and boys) should be exposed to different toys as a child.
I never was the one to play with dolls, I thought they were boring. As a child, I loved to play with what was considered boys toys: Lego, K’nex, video games. I was made fun of in school at an early age for having the “wrong” toys (like a Thomas the Tank Engine train set) . The girls didn’t want to be my friends because I owned few Barbies and didn’t want to play Mystery Date. I hung out with the boys and discovered things like NES and Pokemon cards. For Christmas one year I asked for that machine where you could make your own edible gummy creatures, except I received the one that made dolls.
Though everyone may have their own style of parenting and beliefs, I will show my future child that they don’t have to follow the conventions of society. They don’t have to choose the pink or the blue toys. I believe that if we want our children to grow up to be engineers, scientists and creative people than it starts from the parents, not the toys we buy them.
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I originally published this post on Medium
Tiana Feng 