oicing her concerns about wanting an Easy Bake Oven in a less feminine color. Her request gained much popularity, quickly. More than 30,000 people online agreed with McKenna and signed an online petition urging that the Easy Bake Oven be made in a wider variety of colors. Famous, high class chefs also agreed with McKenna and made a YouTube video to show their support. This battle with gender roles is not new; modernity has been fighting it severely the past few decades. Concerns with the effects that highly stratified gender made toys can have on children’s perception of gender have recently become a larger ordeal that in the past.
However, this can become a ‘chicken or the egg’ kind of predicament; is it the parents fault for instilling these kinds of gender roles into our children’s minds or is it the fault of the marketers “pinking up toys” and is the toy industry’s responsibility to help remedy this situation by altering the toys they make?
It should be stated that, despite what some may believe, the toy industry is not under some kind of conspiracy to keep girls in the kitchen and men outside working; the toy industry is in the business to make money just like any other business. If selling stratified gender roles is what makes money, they will do so. Besides, the toy industry is just one of many avenues that youth can get information about gender roles.
Hasbro is taking these thoughts into heavy consideration for future production. They walk a narrow line, however; trying to please everybody usually ends up please no body.
Sources: Advertising Age
