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Sexist Lego?

Author: jawapro
Date: Wed 29/08/2012 11:58 AM




 
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When the "Lego Friends" sets were first announced, Lego got into hot water with a lot of feminists saying they were being ‘sexist’ by making such obviously girly Lego (the feminists claimed it was condesending to say that girls didn't like normal Lego). It was slightly odd that by making toys aimed at girls, they were apparently being more sexist than if they didn’t. From Lego’s point of view, they just want to break into the girl’s toy market. Their previous attempts haven’t really worked - and to be honest, Friends is probably their best attempt to date.

From an AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego) perspective, Friends introduced a range of new colours that we can use - which is always good. The figs aren’t minifigs - but the rest is compatible with regular Lego.

But that’s all old news these days.

The thing that surprised me this week was the Australian Lego Club’s magazine.

On Monday I received 4 magazines. One for myself, one for Neptune the cat, one for Oscar the Pajero, and one for Rothgar the G60 ute. When  Myer has sales you can get free club memberships if you spend over a certain amount - and I didn’t want to waste them, so I signed up my cat and cars.

The thing that seemed odd was that Glados (my pinkish G60) should have received a magazine too - but she didn’t. Well, hers turned up a day later. And unlike the other magazines, hers came with a small Lego Friends set included!

I can only assume it’s because Glados was registered as a girl while the rest are blokes.

In this issue of the Magazine, it appears that girls get free Lego, and boys don’t. Imagine if you have two young kids - I imagine the brother would be very jealous if his sister got free Lego when he didn’t.

It’s possible that later on the guys will get their turn - but for now it seems that the Lego club is being a little sexist. Girls get girly Lego - guys don’t get anything.




Comments: 3
 

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Comment: 1

Author: DarthOblivion
Date: Wed 29/08/2012 06:01 PM




At the age where that jealousy is an issue, if you offered the boy the pink set, he wouldn't be impressed anyway. Really though, it's all just a case of target demographics - I'm only in year 10 and I know it's only about getting your product in as many hands as possible. Lego might not want to do that for purely commercial reasons; I'm sure they genuinely care about their consumers, and they just want to get more young girls interested.
Also, you don't see teenage boys complaining about how games always involve (a) guns and (b) the Middle East, lol.


 

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Comment: 2

Author: jawapro
Date: Wed 29/08/2012 06:13 PM




I still expect it'll cause some rows between brothers and sisters if one of them gets a free gift and the other doesnt.

I always thought it was amusing that Lego caught so much flak simply for making a girls toy :)



 

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Comment: 3

Author: DarthOblivion
Date: Fri 31/08/2012 10:47 PM




I'm not sure how many brothers and sisters would both have a subscription - which is the whole point of the line I suppose. Anyway, you're right on both counts - that was just my 2 cents' worth.