Gender-neutral Easy Bake Oven due in 2013

[Madame Adequate]

Who has the first name "McKenna"? That's just... that ain't right.

[Miriel]

It seems like absolutely everything has to be extremely gender-neutral these days.
It's getting kind of ridiculous, tbqh.

I know right?! How dare society try and neutralize harmful gender stereotypes. Why should boys be encouraged to cook? That's what girls are for.

[blackmage_nuke]

I disagree, we shouldnt alter objects to reflect gender neutrality, that only reinforces the thought that certain colours/things belong to certain genders. Humanity should try to change it's thought process such that we view the objects as gender neutral no matter how pink and flowery they are. That is the path to true gender neutrality. Though some people dont like flowers or the colour pink but if studies show there is a correlation between young cookery entusiasts and fans of flowers and pink or whatever, no one should stop them making thier stuff in those designs.

[Jiro]

I find it funny that when LEGO goes out of their way to do something it's like "oh wow good guy LEGO" but when Hasbro does the same it's like "I think this actually reinforces gender stereotypes rather than breaking them down as it purports to do."

Look at it this way. Some girl asked Hasbro to help her brother out. They're doing it, because it means good publicity. smurf gender roles and whatever. LEGO didn't cop flak for failing to show that boy the harsh truth that life is not static and sometimes you will miss out.

[Miriel]

Ok here's the deal.

1) It is a good thing that Hasbro should widen their marketing/branding so that boys can feel more comfortable asking for things like the Easy Bake Oven which are traditionally heavily targeted to girls ONLY.
2) The fact that both children and adults are uncomfortable with boys playing with what are considered feminine toys is the real problem here. Somehow that little boy knew that being associated with girly things was wrong and shied away from it. THAT is the big underlying issue. Girls play with boy toys and it's totally fine. Some girls even brag about being tomboys. Characters like Arya Stark in Game of Thrones mocks other girls and how she's not like THEM, and people love her for it. Boy stuff = good for everybody! Yay! Girl stuff = ONLY for girls. If you are not girl and you engage with girly stuff, that is bad.
3) Offering "gender neutral" Easy Bakes that are blue, black and silver is not being gender neutral. It's reinforcing gender roles in color. Purple and Pink should not be reserved for girls only. Just like Blue and black shouldn't just be for boys. Real progress would be if there were a pink Easy Bake with a boy on the box and people didn't give a trout about it because why should colors have exclusivity?

I wish the complaint had focused less on the colors and more on the fact that it's ALWAYS girls on the boxes and in the commercials. Because I think that's the bigger issue.

In the end, everyone should know how to make cookies. Everyone. Then there will be more cookies for all.

[blackmage_nuke]

I find it funny that when LEGO goes out of their way to do something it's like "oh wow good guy LEGO" but when Hasbro does the same it's like "I think this actually reinforces gender stereotypes rather than breaking them down as it purports to do."

Look at it this way. Some girl asked Hasbro to help her brother out. They're doing it, because it means good publicity. smurf gender roles and whatever. LEGO didn't cop flak for failing to show that boy the harsh truth that life is not static and sometimes you will miss out.

Theyre going through a lot of trouble for a problem which can be solved by the sister sticking some pokemon stickers on a normal easy bake oven.

[Jiro]

And yet the rationale behind it would be that it is an investment in their image, except apparently we're just ignoring the gesture in favour of a debate of gender roles. If Hasbro had said "smurf you he can play with pink things" then we probably would've been more angry at the fact they are disrespecting customers and less proud of their breaking down of gender stereotypes. It's a lose-lose situation for them apparently.

[blackmage_nuke]

What they shouldve said was "we will soon be releasing easy bake ovens in a variety of colours to make them feel more personal for the customers, the fact that our products have recently recieved intrest from males is purely coincidental"

[Pike]

Pink is a terrible color anyway, they should just never make anything in pink.

[Mirage]

No it is not!

[The Summoner of Leviathan]

When Did Girls Start Wearing Pink? - The Smithsonian Mag

It would seem that the whole gendered colors thing is a more recent invention of the human fancy.

I find it funny how the stereotype of "women-in-the-kitchen" is so prevalent when the restaurant industry is traditionally and predominantly male. It is like this schism between the domestic and the industry.

[fire_of_avalon]

It is exactly a schism between domestic, homemaking behavior and industrial, professional behavior. Women aren't traditionally chefs because being a chef is hard and it's a profession and women can't have that because they have to make babies.

[Raistlin]

I disagree, we shouldnt alter objects to reflect gender neutrality, that only reinforces the thought that certain colours/things belong to certain genders. Humanity should try to change it's thought process such that we view the objects as gender neutral no matter how pink and flowery they are.

I agree with this and Miriel's comments; having to change something to make it "gender-neutral" is in itself a reinforcement of gender roles. But at least they've stopped marketing it exclusively for girls, which is a step in the right direction. Baby steps, I guess.

Boy stuff = good for everybody! Yay! Girl stuff = ONLY for girls. If you are not girl and you engage with girly stuff, that is bad.

Obviously girls have cooties and are icky.