I saw this “Girls Only” Cleaning Trolley floating around the internet last week and it was understandably the topic of many discussions. I think a lot of the backlash for this picture was associated with the societal belief that women are traditionally responsible for cleaning chores and that this toy “starts ‘em young”. That’s just ridiculous to me. Children love to mimic the activities of adults in their play, and pretend cleaning products are just as popular as pretend kitchens, doctor sets, and tools.
My only problem with this toy is the label “Girls Only”. I don’t think that there is such thing as a gender-exclusive toy. Girls pick up and play with action figures on occasion, and I’m sure more than one Barbie has been played with by a boy (if even for malicious purposes). In my opinion, children should be allowed to play with whatever toys they want (as long as they are safe, of course) without a gender-related stigma.
Now, here is the same toy (with a vacuum cleaner) in a traditional children’s color motif. The image also shows a little boy playing with the toy. The package for this one does not say “Boys Only!” nor does the color scheme seem to target either gender. While I understand some children have a color preference, the label on the pink version still seems unjustified to me. What are your thoughts?
