Dear Lego, we want building bricks not beauty tips
In my home and in my libraries I am a huge champion of Lego. They are, to me, a great STEM/STEAM tool that make for a solid foundation for my Mobile Makerspace. I was, personally, a little dismayed when they introduced Lego Friends “for girls”, because Lego was the perfect gender neutral toy. But honestly, we do have some Lego Friends (they were gifts) in my home and if you mix them up with all the other Lego blocks it really isn’t a big deal, just a wider variety of colors. But I was dismayed to learn that Lego was including “beauty advice” for girls in its Lego magazine, which is targeted towards 6 to 12 year olds. Rather than writing up a post about how disappointed I am with more traditional gender messaging creeping into the Lego brand I thought I would share several tweets shared yesterday on Twitter that highlight how off brand this messaging is.
I did get a response from Lego on Twitter:
@TLT16 (1/3) Thank you for reaching out with valuable feedback. We gather insights from the LEGO Club Magazine audience and they
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) March 18, 2015
@TLT16 (2/3) asked for content similar to an "advice column," which we attempted to deliver by elaborating on a LEGO Friends story.
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) March 18, 2015
@TLT16 (3/3) We're sorry for any disappointment and the LEGO Club team will use this feedback to positively impact future stories.
— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) March 18, 2015
Filed under: Body Image, Lego, Lego Makerspace, Legos
About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
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Agreed. Too many companies now have political agendas and want to enter into arenas where they shouldn’t be. A company’s message should be a good product and overall human decency. We need to have forums on big ticket, important issues, but I’m not sure that company statements are the best way to have those forums.
When I was little, I played with Barbie dolls, Legos, Lincoln Logs, Hot Wheels, kitchen sets, and more. My toys never defined me, and as a result, I’ve always had an independent mindset that isn’t limited to the fact that I’m female. That should never dictate who I am and what I’m allowed to do. It’s just common sense.
Agreed, we need to be talking about many issues, but we need those dialogues to happen in the right forums, with the right people, and in the right ways. I think it’s important to understand both your brand and your limitations. My brother and I always used to play He-Man and Barbie together, those are fond memories for me.