Gender-neutrality @ Harrod's

[partypony566]

It's absolutely an adult concept.

Also whilst in TRU today I had a good look around.

I found NO signs/evidence of 'boy' section or 'girl' section. It was set up like so, with signs saying:

Action Toys
Educational
Baby
Barbie
Disney ( no mention of HEY GIRLS THIS IS YOUR SECTION)
Lego
Creative.

Also for the record, Lego was directly next to LPS and MLP. And hello kitty and moshI monsters skateboards were in the same section as a football table game and a pink air hockey table. There was also a giant basket of footballs right next to a giant basket of big pink fluffy teddy bears.

So sorry, but no, there is no 'gender divide' in TRU....and seeing as they are a chain, I imagine the WHOLE of the UK TRU stores are set out the same.

[Heliodor]

Uhh then why are all the barbies and dolls and MLP in blindingly pink aisles and the robots, actions figures and cars in blue ones?

[tulagirl]

Yea I don't see signs in the toy stores I shop in at all.  When they rearrange everything from how I am use to it being set up its madness for me trying to find stuff.  Nothing is in that girl logical place. I have to shop for my Hello Kitty stuff in a completely different area of the store.  Also at the store I shop at LPS is not around Barbie at all but closer to hello kitty and its not pink over there at all as LPS is in blue packaging and HK is usually in Red and White.  Oh and when I was in Walmart a few days ago, MLP was on the end of an isle all by itself, and right across from MLP to where all I had to do was turn around and take two steps was the Marvel Comic set up and I bought my husband two blind bags.  Both were right next to each other..no pink other than MLP packaging...

[Stuntmang]

Uhh then why are all the barbies and dolls and MLP in blindingly pink aisles and the robots, actions figures and cars in blue ones?

Yeah, basically this. If you think sexism and gender roles are dead you need to step back and take a good look at modern society.

[partypony566]

But we surely can't eliminate pink and blue? So if we take out the pink, what do we replace it with? Also by making sections neutral coloured, will that make little boys more likely to buy a Barbie? Will that little boy get  no stick at school anymore because his Barbie is in a green aisle and the packaging is grey?!

Also the LPS and mlp are not in a pink aisle in any stores I've seen. Only Barbie and baby dollies seem to be overflowing with pink.

Barbie has always been about the pink.

[KarentheUnicorn]

Usually the only thing I think when I'm in a Toy Store is...Yay, I'm in a toy store.

If it's this hard to actually shop in a toy store then I'm sorry some people are finding it's so stressful or feel the need to go on a ranting fit about the downfall of modern society as we know it.

Heck Find a friend to shop with you or find a friend of the opposite sex if you feel that wigged out going on the invisibly designated boy/girl section. Heck, ask to borrow a friend or family members kid to make your shopping experience in a toy store easier.

Borrowing a kid is the best way to have fun at disney world to, I highly recommend finding a friend that has kids to make 'kid' stuff fun again.

If you already have kids then congrats, you get to get all the kids stuff and none of the weird looks as to why you are in a toy store.

Make it less stressful and stop worrying about what the other shoppers are thinking about you cause they're probably not thinking about you.

And on the bright side if you are like me and have to travel about an hour to get to any good stores, you'll probably never see those shoppers again that are 'apparently' judging you for being on the wrong isle.

[hyenacub]

It might not make a boy more likely to buy a Barbie...  BUt I think that it will do less to enforce the divide in kids' minds as they grow up.  They might remember "toys" more than "all that pink stuff, and then the boy stuff".  Kids get their gender stuff from their parents.  And gender neutral toy stores i think is a good step to get parents to stop enforcing gender stuff too.

And also, if a boy DID want to play with a Barbie, I think he would be more likely to do so if it wasn't in the "girls'" section.

I hope that all made sense.  lol

At our TRU the aisles are pink for all the girl stuff, yeah, and dark...something or other for the boy stuff.  Alo the customers refer to the toys a the girls' and boys' section too.  And all the girl toys are in the same section, and separate from the boys.

[tulagirl]

Usually the only thing I think when I'm in a Toy Store is...Yay, I'm in a toy store.

If it's this hard to actually shop in a toy store then I'm sorry some people are finding it's so stressful or feel the need to go on a ranting fit about the downfall of modern society as we know it.

Heck Find a friend to shop with you or find a friend of the opposite sex if you feel that wigged out going on the invisibly designated boy/girl section. Heck, ask to borrow a friend or family members kid to make your shopping experience in a toy store easier.

Borrowing a kid is the best way to have fun at disney world to, I highly recommend finding a friend that has kids to make 'kid' stuff fun again.

If you already have kids then congrats, you get to get all the kids stuff and none of the weird looks as to why you are in a toy store.

Make it less stressful and stop worrying about what the other shoppers are thinking about you cause they're probably not thinking about you.

And on the bright side if you are like me and have to travel about an hour to get to any good stores, you'll probably never see those shoppers again that are 'apparently' judging you for being on the wrong isle.

ROFLOL seriously yes..this...I go into stores hoping I don't see anyone I know because most likely I don't have my make up on and look horrible.  I am hoping to get out there sight unseen.   Besides how does anyone not know you aren't buying a gift for a boy?  Or if you are a boy on the girl isle..buying a gift for a girl you know?  I can't honestly say I remember anyone that was shopping on the Barbie isle the other day and if anyone looked out of place at all.  I didn't even hear anyone making rude comments in the toy section.  People were pretty nice actually..except for the one lady with the huge basket oblivious to the fact we were all trying to go by her.

[Shenanigans]

I know when I was younger I was embarrassed about liking "boy things" 95% of the stuff I liked was girly, but I remember liking Ninja Turtles and my cousin making fun of me because it was a "boy show" And I also remember being embarrassed to tell anyone my favorite color was green because it was a "boy color". You were considered weird if you were a girl and your favorite color wasn't purple

That being said, I like the toy aisles as they are because stuff is easier to find. If I want a pony, I go to the girls aisle. If I want an X-Men figurine, I go to the boys aisle. It's easier to shop that way.

As for being bombarded with pink, I am a bit sick of that. Pink is my favorite color now (green became second after a while, lol) but I don't like pink on EVERYTHING. I do like lots of other colors and I would love to see more green and blue ponies! We have waaay too many pink ones.

And actually, pink used to be considered a boy color and blue a girl color back in the early 1900's. Pinks and reds were harsher and blues were softer and more feminine. I just think it's funny that society has changed it and now little boys don't dare get anything that's pink At least my nephew doesn't

[partypony566]

Ok: mlp is predominantly pink. So is Barbie. However it sounds like there's a problem with the 'pink '

Just to clarify: you want everything to be gender neutral in the toy stores....so does that include 'pretty pink princess sparklepants Barbie' or pinkie pie .....do the actual toys need to change, or you just want a neutral section to be able to buy your pink toys from?

Good luck with telling Hasbro and Mattel to make their colours neutral.

[tulagirl]

Yea because they will lose massive amounts of profits and go out of business quickly.

[starlightcomet]

MLP in TRU around here tends to be an end display to the aisle dominated with pink. It's all pretty varied up until that area though. Which is why I think the video posted further back with the 4 year old girl noticing a distinction is apt, as they say "different colours" for boys, rather than blue.

Mattel actually make the Monster High range, the packaging is all different colours (including pink and blue) and so are the dolls, they seem very popular right now so it doesn't seem to of hurt sales. But in America, the photos I've seen have the walls behind them painted pink.

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Noone on this thread has said pink should not be an option or that pink is bad. But looking at Sylvanian Families, there isn't a dominance of pink but pink is a nice choice amongst many, they do well in sales. When you look at the way cereal packaging works, they want to stand out from others on the shelf, so colour variety is not such a bad thing in marketing either. I don't think there is a need for "gender neutral colour schemes", since pink or blue is fine as an option and need not be excluded. 

American stores do seem to take it further though in that the walls themselves are painted pink or blue, whether or not the products themselves actually use that colour (which most of the "boys toys" in the following spoiler picture does not as far as I can tell), not something I see in UK stores here though without painted walls stores do get a similar effect as to the 2nd picture over here.

Spoiler

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http://poshnicki.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/my-trip-to-the-toy-aisle-walmart/

Apparently some American stores have "boys toys" or "girls toys" signs as well. It seems The Entertainer in UK did this too, I don't see it in their stores around here so maybe it was removed in recent months, but as recent as January 2012 I see people saying certain branches having this so I don't know if it's still up in certain branches:

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[Moss]

In the US, I have come across a few stores that specifically label the aisles as Boys and Girls in the toy department. Just because it is a non-issue for some people doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. I think it's great that many people felt and still feel comfortable no matter which section they're shopping in. I don't have a problem with it anymore, myself. However, for every person who is okay with it, there's a person or two who isn't. And that's not okay. The point isn't that we need to make it harder to find things or go on some social crusade. The point is that it's ridiculous that some kids should feel wrong becuase of what toy aisle they're looking in. Again, not every kid feels this way, but even from looking as this thread, people have expressed that they did feel awkward, even as children. I think that's proof that this does effect kids. Whether it's stores or the parents or society in general, kids are picking up on the gender divide whether you think so or not. A boy in my preschool class was often picked on because he played with Barbies. So even if this toy store idea doesn't solve the problem, maybe it'll be a step in the right direction. And where's the harm in that?

[Heliodor]

Ok: mlp is predominantly pink. So is Barbie. However it sounds like there's a problem with the 'pink '

Just to clarify: you want everything to be gender neutral in the toy stores....so does that include 'pretty pink princess sparklepants Barbie' or pinkie pie .....do the actual toys need to change, or you just want a neutral section to be able to buy your pink toys from?

Good luck with telling Hasbro and Mattel to make their colours neutral.

Why is it such a problem to take into account other peoples' feelings on this? It's just great if some people like pink and fit in with gender stereotypes but you know a lot of people don't. "PINK AISLE" = "GIRL AISLE" and "BLUE AISLE" = "BOY AISLE." What Harrod's is doing is putting toys together by TYPE not by stupid colours. And MLP are most certainly in the blindingly pink aisle at my TRU, right along with Littlest Pet Shop, fakies and other random stuff. It's not just the colour PINK. If it was the colour GREEN it would be the same thing. Society has built up gender like it essential, BUT IT ISN'T... People need to stop being shoved into boxes and dumb categories. I'd rather not be assaulted by the ridiculous, stupid and damaging gender binary/stereotypes everywhere I go, and starting with kids' toys is a great idea. Because kids put pressure on each other from Day 1. You become a "freak" if you think 1) there is nothing essential about the colour [WHICHEVER in this case pink] and feminity; 2) you don't fit in to the stupid societal construct of what femininity even "is"/is "supposed" to mean; 2) even organising toys boy "GIRLS" and "BOYS" suggests that BOYS like those toys and GIRLS like the other ones. These put people into categories!

And why do people think that these stupid, dumb, random sets of rules are not only essential, but unchangeable? Like some sort of dumb societal jungle; you need to just 'deal with it'? 'Put your big girl panties on and go into the blue aisle if you feel like it'? Why should I even have to do that? What if I want it to be EQUAL instead of people making assumptions about others because of what sex they were assigned at birth? And why is everybody so defensive saying how BAD that is? You're sidelining a lot of people who don't fit in with that system and feel it discriminates against them and feel that it offends them. Why is it always just 'OH GROW UP AND DEAL WITH IT.' Why? Why don't we change these stupid rules so EVERYONE can feel safe and comfortable in who they are?

In conclusion, Harrod's is doing a great thing and I support this message.

[hyenacub]

So even if this toy store idea doesn't solve the problem, maybe it'll be a step in the right direction

Ha, you said it far better than I did.