Girls' Friends

There's been some controversy over a new line of toys from Lego.  "Lego Friends," which is aimed at girls.  And they aren't the only ones: Even TinkerToy, which is even more abstract than Lego, has introduced a new line for girls.

This has a lot of people angry that they're reinforcing stereotypes.  Lego seems to be a very gender-neutral toy, so the idea of femming-it-up seems gratuitous.  Personally, I don't like the idea. As a mild-mannered liberal male, I always liked Lego's abstract, androgynous, oh-so-Scandinavian style.

But, the people complaining about the new toys are off target.  Yes, there was a time when a mostly-male business might waste money on products that make little financial sense but reinforce their image of gender roles.  But in today's business climate where no belief is too sacred to be sacrificed for profit, I have no doubt they'd rather sell one product line to both genders.  Introducing a new line of toys is expensive. Aside from the cost of manufacturing new parts lines, there's the huge cost marketing a whole new brand.

If they are going to all that expense, it could only be because they know that's the only way to get at market.  So don't get angry at the company.  Get angry at the parents who won't buy toys for their girls unless they're pink, flowery, and in the same aisle as Barbie.