I have a very, very good friend named Tali who is pregnant right now. (This is quite amazing because her friends, family and beloved fans NEVER ever, EVER thought she would have children!) Because I am not a religious person whatsoever, my daughter does not have a godmother; she has a FAIRY Godmother—Fairy Godmutha Tali. ::grin::
So, once a month since Tali announced her pregnancy, I have been sending her and her husband little baby gifts as she did to me the entire time I was pregnant 11 years ago. I have a whole “Baby Brown” wish list of things I want to send her and this baking little person in her belly, but they are not planning to find out the gender of the baby until birth. For me, this is no obstacle. Yesterday I sent her a “Fun to Fix” play set, which is all rattles and teething TOOLS. Upon sending it to her, I realized that it mentioned, right in the details list, that it is a “Boy’s gift set” that “includes charming baby boy toys”.
After reading this, I went down to read the reviews of this toy set and I must confess, I was pleased to see that someone else had written the review I was thinking to write. “E.K.” basically stated my same sentiment, so I did not bother reiterating the same thing because, like she also stated, I am not someone who expends my energy on reviews and comment sections often—instead I like to find educational articles and resources to share to educate and empower here on Gallant Girls.
Nevertheless, I also have to confess that I find this unnerving. I have spent well over half my life in jobs where I had to operate tools and heavy machinery. Tools, art supplies and accessories (like hats, shoes and sunglasses) are typically the gifts that people have always thought to give me for birthdays and holidays. When people ask me where I would like to get gift cards from, I always answer Home Depot, Lowes, Snap-on tools or Pearl Art Supply. So, for this to be advertised as a “Boy’s gift set” is somewhat insulting to me. I don’t feel slighted by it at all, but I feel sad and disappointed that this is still even a thing… What? A girl/woman can’t build her own bookcase, change her own tire or oil, or put together her own baby’s crib? According to Fisher-Price, apparently not, because girls don’t play with or operate tool sets. They are a boy’s toy. Specifically specified in the product description.
I hate to break it to Fisher-Price, but *this* girl once constructed structures that were built to withstand over 156 mph (70 m/s; 136 kn; 251 km/h) winds. That required a lot of usage of tools. I am most definitely a female.
It’s always unsettling to read such old-fashioned detail lists and descriptions of products, especially for children that are not even born yet and we know absolutely nothing about. However, it didn’t stop me from sending it to “Baby Brown”, whether boy or girl! S/he will be able to learn that on their own without Fisher-Price or toy companies’ opinions.
— Heather Angelika
Owner/Founder of Gallant Girls
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