Thank you, Val.
I very strongly believe that children should be given the opportunity to find role models etc from both genders, toys that are gender neutral and experiences that can break stereotypes HOWEVER I get really mad about the whole "my girl can't play with anything that is pink etc" because, in my opinion at least what you are saying is that to be strong, smart and capable you need to not be a traditional girl, you need to be more like a boy - that sends a powerful message to little girls that their is something inherently wrong with them.
While I don't think I believe that girls inherently like pink more (that would be weird--why?), I agree with much of this. It's very messy, because girly stuff is highly valued by culture and pushed by marketers, etc. So there is a tendency for many of us to want to reject it all. However, it's more complicated--we don't want to OVERvalue "boyish" things because "girly" things are associated with the "lesser" sex. This tendency can be clearly seen when we consider how society treats "tomboy" girls vs. "sissy" boys...
I was ranting when I wrote that - don't get me wrong I DO mean every word but I didn't stop and think. Basically, yes pink is probably the wrong example. I do believe gender stereotyping isn't an either or of innateness vs marketing/societal expectations. I'm getting at things like wanting to be pretty, wanting the bike that has a basket and streamers etc.
The funny thing is by trusting and listening to my daughter we have a good balance of stuff, she's allowed to have her own opinion on what she likes and she has a good mix of toys and role models. She does love Disney princess (I love Disney princess - I don't care what that says about me!) But her hero is Mulan, she has 2 dress ups, a princess dress and doctors scrubs and so on. I think she's got a good mix.
