ACTION!!!!

Growing up as a little girl I played with Barbie and little dolls. I almost never had action figures with the exception of ones from Aladdin or mermaids that I would play with when I took a bath. Now this was not because my mother had anything against action figures, I just wasn't interested in playing with G.I. Joe. There have always been very few female action heroes or action figures. As a child(and as an adult) I loved Xena so I was certainly open to the idea of strong women, I just didn't have the option toy wise, although I certainly had all of the little kitchen stuff and all that bullshit that was supposed to help train me to be a good little housewife. I am only enraged at toy companies and the propaganda they shove down the throats of American parents and their children, a wee bit.

Anyway, I was delighted to find that a line of toys seem to be coming out of female action heroes that have a positive message about females for both girls and boys. Girls are not the only ones who need to know that women and girls are capable of saving the day just as their male counterparts can. Having toys that allow both girls and boys to see female characters in a nonsexual, powerful role exposes them to a broader sphere of thinking, allowing women and girls to occupy roles that in the past (and in some cases presently) have been taboo.

Do I think that this new toy line of female action figures is going to save us all from ourselves? No. Do I think it is the step in the right direction? Yes. Do I think this is a genius way of making money? Yes. But all toys are designed to make money so I really don't care about that. I would rather toys that broaden a child's horizons than ones that reinforce gender norms and antiquated ideas that only serve to stunt a child's imagination. The more options we give children with play the easier it will be for them to develop into who they are. With that however, it is important not to completely throw things that are considered "girly" under the bus because that reinforces the message that the feminine and things associated with the feminine aren't as good as more masculine traits/toys. Little girls can certainly play with dolls (although Bratz dolls should all be burned. There is no redeeming those things) as well as action figures, trucks or whatever else they want. And the same goes for little boys. I hate the color coding and separate isles in toy stores. THEY ARE TOYS! They shouldn't be gendered. And the gendering of toys is the clearest case of money grubbing capitalism I have seen in a while. For an example, if you have a brother and sister this could easily happen "I can't have pink bat! I need a boy bat!" No. There is no such thing as boy and girl bats. This is as stupid as those pens for women that were purple but parents buy into the pink baseball bats because they're "cute". Sexism isn't cute. Gendering toys and other items is moronic. Besides if you want a baseball bat you should buy a Hannon Bat.  Everyone knows that. *Yes, I just plugged my cousin's baseball business.*