Yes, it's about toys again. We went to McDonald's today. Yes, again. I think I must have said it before on this blog, but I will say it again: why isn't there any other restaurant smart enough to dedicate a room to a play place, where children can play and parents can sip a coffee in relative relaxation, on rainy days when the park is not a choice and the library is too stifling for explosive energies? Another restaurant, I mean, where the food would be healthier and where you wouldn't feel so guilty feeding it to your kids?
Anyway, we got a happy-meal thing and asked for a toy for girls. They are giving smurf toys these days, to coincide with the release of the movie in theaters. All right. That's fine. Although my daughter never plays with those toys again once we step out of McDonalds. But I am digressing. What I wanted to complain about today was the fact the the toy for girls was the Baker smurf. The boys got Papa smurf. And the girls get the baker? Why not the smart smurf? Why not the fearless one? The baker? Are they even serious?
And it's not only McDonald's, although seriously people, stop stereotyping and just give everyone the same thing. The whole smurf world concept is completely out of line anyway. It is a misogynist's heaven. There is only one smurf girl, and she is not even real anyway, being created by the bad wizard? What kind of world is that? (It kind of reminds me of some Christian theological debates, about women being people and having a soul, but I don't want to go there now.) Why would anyone (Pierre Culliford -- yes, I was sooo surprised to find out the creator was a man!) create a world for a children's story in which there are no girls? What message does that send? And why would I give my money away to expose my daughter to yet another image of a skewed and horribly unfair world? I am surely going to boycott the Smurfs from now on. This is not acceptable. Not right. In no world that I can wrap my mind around.
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10 comments:
Go Lori! The thing is - now you're looking, you'll see myriad examples of gender stereotyping and incidents of our kids being force-fed gender rubbish.
It's reassuring to see that you, at least, notice this and want to do something about it!
I am afraid of that, Rachel. I don't want to start decoding everything in terms of gender inequity and all that because it upsets me too much. But then, the things that don't upset us, we don't change, right?
smurfs are toys that can be used by boys or girls no matter if its the baker or what ever it was. employees at McDonald's put the toys in the boxes and have them ready so when their orders go out they don't take much time taking out their orders. so most likely she just got what was was next to get. you could of asked for it to be changed for a different one if you wanted.
Lori, I wanted to say how much I love your piece over at Story Bought Dress. Wow - you made me feel proud to be a woman.
Anonymous - "smurfs are toys that can be used by boys or girls" - for what?
Thank you, Rachel. That makes me so happy.
Anonymous, thank you for your thoughts. I know I could have asked for another toy, but that is not the point. The point is that the McDonald's corporation had decided that Baker smurf is a girl toy. I know that they have the toys separated for boys and girls, because they ask me every time I order. And what do you think my daughter got this week (rains again)? Vanity smurf. I clearly need to stop going to McDonald's.
Who invented vanity smurf? For crying out loud.
Sorry, Lori - can't keep my comments to myself today!
I know, Rachel. Isn't that weird? And oh, I like it very much when you cannot keep the comments for yourself :)
LOL I like this discussion about Smurfdom. It IS a mysogonist's paradise! WTH? :o)
I've boycotted McDonalds ever since they gave me a frozen chicken patty instead of a grilled one.
You could look for some indoor playgrounds. We have a few here that also serve coffee, pastries, pizza and sandwiches.
Glad daughter and I haven't been to the Smurfs movie now! Though to be honest the Katy Perry connection was enough to put me off...
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