Portrait of an Adoption

Posts in category "gender-based toy marketing"

The Challenges of Raising a Well-Rounded Boy - Guest Post by Melissa Alexander Flanagan

The Challenges of Raising a Well-Founded Boy, guest post by Melissa Alexander Flanagan As a woman and a mother of a 3.5 year-old-boy, sometimes the prospect of raising him to be well-rounded feels…well, daunting. Gender stereotypes and even bullying start to emerge at such an early age, and I’m left wondering, how will I do... Read more »

By Carrie Goldman,
April 19, 2012 at 11:54 am

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Response to intriguing NYT blog on toys and gender

Today’s New York Times features an article in the Motherlode blog that refers to my work, along with that of esteemed colleagues Peggy Orenstein and Cheryl Kilodavis. Intelligent feminist Emily Rosenbaum wrote a thoughtful, honest piece called Loving Pink for Boys, Hating it for Girls , and I wanted to share my brief comments on... Read more »

By Carrie Goldman,
February 29, 2012 at 10:02 am

• 2 comments

Dear Lego, I Have A Girl

Dear Lego, I hear you have created some new Ladyfigs for girls. The slimmed down, “attractive” Ladyfigs can play in pre-created scenes such as at a café or beach. There is an awesome one called “Olivia’s Inventor’s Workshop,” where Olivia does chemistry, robotics and complex math, but the truth is that the vast majority of... Read more »

By Carrie Goldman,
December 22, 2011 at 1:07 pm

• 7 comments

Do you use either of these phrases? Think before you speak.

October is Bullying Prevention Month, and it can’t happen soon enough, given the recent bullying-related suicides in our country. Most people are not bullies, but even the kindest among us can inadvertently hurt others. Bullying is directly tied to cultural attitudes about what is acceptable and what is not. There are a number of words... Read more »

By Carrie Goldman,
October 13, 2011 at 2:50 pm

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Pink Is Not the Enemy. Stereotypes Are.

There is a growing faction within the girl-empowerment movement that expresses disdain and scorn for all things pink and princess. Supporters of young girls are increasingly pitting rough and tumble tomboys against tutu-wearing, glitz-loving girly girls. Why can’t girls be both? Pink is not the enemy. Labels are. To understand how pink has evolved into... Read more »

By Carrie Goldman,
October 3, 2011 at 4:23 pm

• 4 comments

It's Not Funny to Call Your Daughter Stupid

If anyone has missed the Great T-shirt event of 2011, here is the ten-second background: J.C. Penney was selling a shirt for girls that said, “I’m too pretty to do my homework so my brother has to do it for me.” My full-of-awesome friend and colleague, Melissa Wardy of Pigtail Pals, was furious about the... Read more »

By Carrie Goldman,
September 13, 2011 at 10:46 am

• 8 comments

Hey, is this one of those ad things?

About four months ago, Katie was eating breakfast, when she told me with delight, “I am losing weight!” I turned away from the eggs on the stove, alarmed to hear this proclamation from a then-first grader. She showed me the back of the Special K cereal box she was reading. Sure enough, in big letters... Read more »

By Carrie Goldman,
August 22, 2011 at 9:47 am

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Good hygiene for young girls does not mean waxing and facials

This winter, Walmart announced that it is introducing a new line of cosmetics, specifically designed for girls 8- to 12-years-old. The mass retailer wants a piece of the tween make-up market, which earns more than $24 million per year. And we aren’t talking about Chapstick. The top sellers to kids are lip gloss, eye shadow... Read more »

By Carrie Goldman,
May 27, 2011 at 3:38 pm

• 5 comments

Gender-Based Toy Marketing at Target and Wal-Mart

Target’s “boy” toy aisle Today, we were at Target buying milk, eggs, baby food — all the regular supplies. We also needed to pick up a birthday gift for a friend of Annie Rose’s. Usually, I avoid the toy aisles like the plague when the girls are with me, or else I am besieged with... Read more »

By Carrie Goldman,
March 13, 2011 at 9:45 pm

• 8 comments