Seven-Year-Old Girl Accuses LEGO of Sexism

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I think "sexism" is a bit of a strong term and I'm sure that's not what the little girl had in mind. I have an 8 year old girl who plays with Lego and I'm sure she'd not consider the Lego corp as being "sexist". While I agree that they do need more diversity in female characters, i don't think it's a stumbling block for most. My daughter puts the female characters in race cars and has them save the boy characters, etc. She improvises and creates things as she wants them and isn't that the whole point of Lego? I've seen Lego making a more concerted effort to address the gender balance in their figures over the last couple of years so they're already making a change.

I'm not dismissing the girl's genuine concerns, but really sometimes adults need to put their socio-political hobby horses aside and see things from the kid's perspective; rather than looking upon things with jaded, cynical adult eyes. Some people say that Lego Friends is sexist but my girls love it. I've never told them that Lego Friends is for girls and the other is for boys, that's just their preference. I'm sure Lego did it's market research before launching that line, so I think that's something that certain adults flipped their wig over without even thinking if it's a problem for the kids.

 

[Icehearted]

I wasn't aware that Legos had vaginas, or for that matter genitals. This looks like she's projecting her gender values on them unfairly, and should probably just let these Legos decide for themselves what gender they feel they are according to their spectrum and not the spectrum of gender norms society has deemed acceptable.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

This girl speaks the truth. What Lego girl figures exist are mostly sold in sets that resemble hideous pastiches of Barbie and Bratz, where you get to enjoy such exciting things as brushing their hair or riding ponies.

Outside of that, the only time you see them are as housewives in the city sets, or as licensed characters in the various trademarks Lego is milking. Chances of finding a female cop, pirate or astronaut are practically zero.

Or, you know, you put a female looking head on a gender-less body.
You also sound like a person that doesn't know her(bitchy)/his(spineless) LEGOs.

Besides, I distinctly remember playing with a female astronaut when I was a kid. Then again, that was the 90's, and the actual figure may have been from either a megablocks set or a lego set that could have been as old as the 80's, but still. Heck, I'm not even sure if the original figure was an astronaut or if a female head just wound up on a genderless astronaut body, but that's kind of the point. If lego has really made the female figures hard to get in the intervening years, that's sad, because it's such a gender neutral toy.

 

[Baresark]

On one hand: It would be simply better if they made more female figures. She didn't ask for more "female toned" play sets, she asked for more female figures(read: heads). She wants girls to be part of the normal "adventure" sets. I can't blame her for that.

On the other hand: I sometimes feel that not all toys are catered to everyone, and it's not the companies responsibility to make sure everything they produce is completely unisex and appeals to everyone. They sell to whomever they wish to sell to. They aren't responsible for making anyone feel included. If you do not feel included, you should probably move on to something else.

As you can see, I am of two minds on this. I mean, this is implicit egotism at work. She isn't calling it sexist (contrary to the article title), she is saying she wants more females figures that do the things she likes to do. She isn't a "foofy" little girl who is only interested in preparing for prom and motherhood (not that there is anything wrong with liking or wanting those things, it's just not her). She is a young Lara Croft who is looking for adventure. Lego does hurt itself by making the two "categories" of Lego toys so different from each other. They could literally make a third set that would be cheaper for them to produce because they could simply make it more neutral. It's also a much smaller risk for them rather than making sets that appeal specifically to some sort of of gender stereotype.

In the end, it's probably not worth anyone's time to pursue this. They will only make what they want to make.

 

[BloodRed Pixel]

Girl, you know that LEGO genders only exists in their exchangeable hairstyle-part, do you?

 

[WeepingAngels]

Damn! Not even blocky toys are safe from accusations of sexism. Is it really healthy to have a 7 year old child finding sexism in Legos?

 

[Epicspoon]

Girl, you know that LEGO genders only exists in their exchangeable hairstyle-part, do you?

Don't forget out can also swap out bodies and heads. It's not that there are more male minifigs. Most of them are actually gender neutral leaving their gender up to the imagination. In fact if you look at it that way there are probably more minifigs designed to deliberately be female than male. You also can't really count minifigs from franchises like Star Wars. It's not like they can just make up new characters exclusively for the legos to not be sexist. On top of that if somebody can't imagine a girl having short hair then there is something wrong with the way they were raised.

 

[Eamar]

This should read : Kids don't see these distinctions unless their parents put those thoughts into their heads.

Not true. I was 7 when I first encountered Eowyn from LOTR and I still remember that being such a watershed moment for me, how I'd finally found a female character who did "boy" stuff, the stuff I wanted to do. My parents didn't put those ideas in my head. In fact, they got pretty exasperated with my rants about how things were categorised as "boy" and "girl" stuff and how I wanted them to buy me clothes that they wouldn't because they were "for boys."

If anything, kids don't see things as gendered unless the people around them put the ideas into their heads.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Over the last few days, Charlotte's letter has become a minor phenomenon on Twitter and other social networks.

Ugh... of course it did. I could have told you that just from the headline. It's two things that people on the internet go apeshit over, regardless of actual merit; hot controversy (sexism) and something that a kid did. Now I don't know, I don't pay a lot of attention to Lego. Maybe she's right, maybe she isn't, but she's a 7-year-old who made a stink about a controversial subject that's popular to back, so of COURSE everyone is going to trip over their own feet in their haste to back her up, regardless of whether or not she actually has a point.

 

[The Material Sheep]

This is so weird to me... Back when I was a kid I plenty of lego girl heads. I had more boy heads but that's because I inherited both my sister's, and brothers' years of lego sets. COMPLETELY anecdotal but I just never found this to be an issue. I'm thinking the parents just haven't bought her the right sets.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Eh, not sure if "make more girl lego" is accusing them of sexism, but wev.

And, yeah, they do have distinct female pieces, and they are much fewer than male.

I miss the old days when they were all just gender neutral smiley faces in a colour that represented no skin tone that exists. When they made female heads as distinct from the normal ones, it meant the default was male. When they made brown heads as distinct from normal ones, it meant the default wasn't brown, and we can guess which one it was.

Same as that "why do anime characters look European?" question that gets tossed around. When black smiley face on yellow looks like you, "default" anime characters will look like you, even if you aren't the intended default.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

This girl speaks the truth. What Lego girl figures exist are mostly sold in sets that resemble hideous pastiches of Barbie and Bratz, where you get to enjoy such exciting things as brushing their hair or riding ponies.

Outside of that, the only time you see them are as housewives in the city sets, or as licensed characters in the various trademarks Lego is milking. Chances of finding a female cop, pirate or astronaut are practically zero.

Or, you know, you put a female looking head on a gender-less body.

You need to have enough heads to do that in the first place. Also those Barbie Lego sets aren't compatible, they all have massive heads for some random reason. Either way, it seems a little perverse that the solution to the problem involves collecting more female heads...

You also sound like a person that doesn't know her(bitchy)/his(spineless) LEGOs.

Que? I've been playing with Lego since before I could crawl.

 

[Something Amyss]

Damn! Not even blocky toys are safe from accusations of sexism. Is it really healthy to have a 7 year old child finding sexism in Legos?

I think it's perfectly healthy identifying a disparity between your gender and its portrayal. I think the opposite would be less healthy.

Don't forget out can also swap out bodies and heads.

Except if you're talking the ones that are aimed at girls, which are most of the female minifigs. Minidolls, actually. There is some compatiblity with 'normal' Legos, but the heads are not part of that.

If anything, kids don't see things as gendered unless the people around them put the ideas into their heads.

As is evidenced by the way the reaction to pink has changed since it became a "girl" colour. It's almost like this stuff is socially enforced, since it matches whatever society dictates is the "right" colour/activity/status for someone.

Developmentally/psychologically, kids start to become inquisitive about gender differences very young, so it doesn't seem unreasonable to ask "why do the boys get all the cool stuff?" You know, assuming that's what you're into.

Although in a more gallows humour sense, I'm wondering where my parents went wrong if this specious line of "it must have been the parents' doing" is to hold weight. I've identified as a girl since first memory, and my brother (the "normal" one) was the one who played with dolls. Man, they really went wrong somewhere. It gets worse, too. My brother knits and cooks to this day! And I write bad action and fantasy novels.

I'm thinking the parents just haven't bought her the right sets.

Or your experience is not typical. Going and looking at the Lego aisles, I'm inclined to believe that.

Twenty years ago, when *I* wasn't satisfied with the kind blocks I got, there was a wide variety of single blocks, plates, heads, bodies and so on, that you could mix and match and have them send to you. As far as I know, this is not only still an option, but now has a much larger variety of shapes and colors.

I can't speak for everyone, but I've looked and I'm not seeing it. Others have said more or less the same. I'm seeing more broad claims (The ones I inherited had a lot, or this "as far as I know" stuff), but nobody who's actually got any present, specific knowledge.

I'd also say that you're kind of demonstrating the underlying problem by saying you have the choice to not buy pink. The options are default or girls.

Also, I remember you complaining about how Bravely Default was censored (voluntarily, by the people who made it). If it's okay for you to complain about how a company runs its business, why is it wrong when girls do it?

Eh, not sure if "make more girl lego" is accusing them of sexism, but wev.

She's pointing out a disparity in treatment based on perceived identity and role of one gender in respect to another. Even if she's not saying the word sexism, she's talking about it.

Not every sexist is out there saying women are asking to be raped, after all[footnote]Not that I'm saying you're saying that, but I've been dealing with this recurring theme of late where something is okay because it's not like the worst form of discrimination/ism ever. It seems like if it's not "make me a sammich!" it's not sexism, so this I think needs to be touched upon as the elephant in the room.[/footnote]

Same as that "why do anime characters look European?" question that gets tossed around. When black smiley face on yellow looks like you, "default" anime characters will look like you, even if you aren't the intended default.

You mean normal people don't have yellow skin and black eyes? Has Lego lied to me all these years? I...I think I need to see a doctor.

 

[The_Echo]

But... You... you can use girl minifigs with the "boy" play sets.

That's the idea behind LEGO. You get to do whatever the fuck you want.

This isn't something LEGO should be put to fault for.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I know it's been a while since I've played with Legos, but isn't the only difference between a 'boy' Lego figurine and a 'girl' Lego figurine that they have slightly different facial features? Couldn't you just move the heads around and have girl Astronauts or Police or Cowboys or whatever the heck else you want?

 

[WeepingAngels]

I think it's perfectly healthy identifying a disparity between your gender and its portrayal. I think the opposite would be less healthy.

Yeah, I am sure my 7 year old self would have been much happier thinking about sexism while playing with my toys.

 

[KOMega]

I agree that LEGO is actually supposed to be about building whatever you want, rather than sets being boy or girl sets.

Perhaps the bigger issue is that children require more creativity and should be encouraged to make more of their own things and not see LEGO as a 3D puzzle to match with the box cover picture.

I would like to think of it as that rather than sexism, because sexism has become so much of a buzzword to me that the meaning feels almost lost to me now. I mean it's not like LEGO has refused to make "LEGO girl people". They just haven't or haven't made more.

Anyways, that being said, I haven't been in an actual toy store for a while now but assuming they have a boys section and girls section, so is it LEGO or the toystore that decides where the products are placed?

 

[faefrost]

Girl, you know that LEGO genders only exists in their exchangeable hairstyle-part, do you?

Not entirely true anymore. While some figures depicting bulky clothing uses the same printing for men and women, such as firefighters and astronauts. Most modern female figures have printed details on their torso and sometimes legs that rather clearly mark them as female. Printed tapering waistlines. Printed cleavage etc. They've been doing that since at least 2000.

I am an adult Lego hobbyist. (really there are 10's of thousands of us. Don't look at me like that. It's not like I'm a brony or a furry). This is the well populated city scene that hangs over my desk.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/faefrost/
There seems to be a rather deep and distinctive population of female minifigs up there, no?