Mattel is looking to redefine stereotypes by releasing a new gender-neutral doll for all children. Thoughts?

[Physics-Man]

[Isaacwn]

The only thing different about the dolls is the title. When I watch my niece and nephew, my niece only has girl dolls. But to even it out, we will call some of her girl dolls boys, depending on what crazy plot she has for that day. She’s also called her dolls weird alien genders as well. It’s adorable actually.

What I’m saying is, I feel like kids imaginations will take over, and they will be able to give identity while preserving the original identity, so that they can distinguish between whatever identity the doll originally was and what identity they are giving it. Now, these dolls, to me, aren’t going to change much. Yes, kids should know about the binary genders (male and female) to avoid running into things kids shouldn’t run into when they are so little and have a wild imagination ( I. e. anything sexual.) actually I feel that is EXTREMELY important. I stand by that notion. It’s instinctive for someone to identify the other based on gender. But overall, these dolls will just heighten their imagination more, if they have the basis on “there are two genders” because it can then teach them no bias, really. But also keep them well informed. Touchy subject.

[SirRexington]

I'm honestly really fucking tired of constantly hearing about gender deconstructionist nonsense all the time. The human brain is complex snd difficult to understand, we get it. But stop rubbing it in our faces. Why can't men just be men and women be women? Not everything has to be a lesson on gender roles/expression.

[lornakrys]

I find this utterly necessary. Children don't know what gender is. We teach them. I don't think kids at doll playing age could care less. Might actually be more confusing than helpful. If I want to play family, which one's the man and which the woman. Even if the child knew you could have two men or two women, they still can't tell WHICH is the man. This doesn't teach anything about LGBTQ, or being straight. I really don't see the point. Unless there is a completely gender less group this is representing maybe? Also why are we teaching doll playing children about sexuality? WHY? I think it's creepy to talk to a 3 year old about sex. Regardless of what kind of sex

[lornakrys]

oops meant utterly unnecessary

[AlienParasite]

Please, don't treat kid as stupid. If they want to play family, the would take a doll, a plush, a rock or whatever and would say "this is the father" and then they would take a doll, a plush, a rock or whatever and would say "this is the mother". Kids has a special superpower to decide objects and toys gender by themselves. This toy is just another toy, it doesn't really have any capacity to confuse at all.

[lornakrys]

@AlienParasite Yes they can pretend a rock is a male doll or a female doll or whatever but in this case, you're giving them an actual doll and asking them to pretend. Why not just buy actual gender toys? Then not dictate how they use them? I'm not saying this is good or bad just that it's useless in it's target demographic. Like I said, if I had a three year and someone was talking to them about sex or sexuality, I would hella mad. That's way creepy

[lornakrys]

I just watched the video. I would have liked one of these as a child. Not because they're gender neutral which I really couldn't give two shits about but because they are so customisable. They are like a build your own Barbie. Which is exactly what I would have done... built multiple Barbie's and kens. Also they don't look gender neutral, they look like children. Which once dressed up, become a gender. The skirts, dresses and wigs obviously work for girls and the other stuff for boys. As a sexuality statement I say it's a fail but as a toy, it might not be half bad.

[Screenwriter]

Well, I gotta say my three or four year old, who I still took baths with at the time started asking me where my penis was and grabbing at my breasts. I explained I was a girl and didn't have a penis. That answer satisfied him and I decided it was time to stop taking baths with him because I didn't want to be grabbed at and I didn't want to confuse him. So kids learn about differences and sexuality early. They play doctor, don't they?

[SuperSWC]

Get woke, go broke. have fun selling it to the 0.0001% gender neutral people that make up earth's population.

[Nobody-gives-a-finch]

As a wise man once said, "Don't go changing anything from previous generations without a VERY good reason."
Many good reasons have been presented. Certain feminist movements made much progress, as well as all anti-racism. Medicines have been developed, theories established, and utility worldwide has improved dramatically.
That being said, it can be taken too far. Throughout history, patterns have been established, sometimes considered "old-fashioned." Only a few are dismissed with good reason.
The majority of our culture is based around a trial-and-error program tested and proven over the course of thousands of years. Whatever your thoughts on God and religion, it cannot be dismissed that the Bible has had a profound cultural impact for centuries, even millennia. It would be dismissed easily and quickly from society if the teachings in it were completely flawed, worthless, or dismiss-able.
Gender stereotypes, while not wholly comprehensive, are both voluntary and beneficial. Toxic stereotypes result when someone who can very clearly see and define benefits with little or no cost to the things that are important to them, and ignore it in favor of hatred or apathy.
The recent movement to remove stereotypes is (along with many other things) associated with rising levels of mental illness. It would be foolish to assume a causal relationship, but it would also be idiotic to presume that more illness is merely being reported.
They have descended beneath the social expectations in spite of recent scientific findings, as well as many forms of empirical and Platonic reasoning, for the purpose of attention, advertisement, and capitalistic benefit. They are not immoral, but we as consumers should investigate our beliefs and what messages we intend to send to future generations.
The destruction of the fundamental unit of the family? Devastating, with nothing like it seen before, and not it a good way.

[The_White_Queen]

Why not but who will buy it? Seems silly though if the same social justice warriors & feminists are saying the reason fewer girls choose Stems as a career is because they grow up playing with toys for girls like dolls. I'm sure gender neutral Barbie will sell as well as body positive (fat) barbie lol

https://youtu.be/1Se8PVZdfPghttps://youtu.be/b3NiAMJqeoMhttps://youtu.be/59tAqTtVpXg

[leahzrc]

I mean its just a doll, people don't look into it. I'm sure if it's seen on a toy shelf, it will be bought...

[The_White_Queen]

@leahzrc remember your selling a product. When body positive barbie was released sales dropped 15%. Little girls didn't like fat barbie.
www.google.com/.../why-young-girls-reject-the-new-curvy-barbie%3famp

[leahzrc]

well it's because the design is wonky. i think the more aesthetic the doll, the more likely it will be bought

[The_White_Queen]

@leahzrc nah it's because little girls don't want a fat barbie, they don't want a gender neutral barbie. They want s fashionable slim pretty barbie.

[leahzrc]

she isn't fat though. it is just weird looking and the clothes are the same clothes fashionwise

[The_White_Queen]

@leahzrc despite fat acceptance and fat models little girls don't went to grow up to be Ashley Graham.

[leahzrc]

i didn't even mention those things... like the dolls aren't even fat

[The_White_Queen]

@leahzrc fat enough

[leahzrc]

they are fatter than original barbie but they aren't fat hahaha

[The_White_Queen]

@leahzrc and little girls don't want them.

[leahzrc]

I have 3 girl cousins of different ages on both sides of the family and they play with them...

[The_White_Queen]

@leahzrc I'm sure it's not fat barbie lol and I'm sure if you have them gender neutral barbie or transexual barbie for Christmas they'd cry.

[leahzrc]

they all look the same. its not like kids assume that their doll is a transgender

[The_White_Queen]

@leahzrc the Adams Apple give it away.

[leahzrc]

i didn't even notice, also i didn't know what an adams apple was until i was 12

[The_FallenOne]

😤🙏 No.
Why can't kid toys just be toys? Why do liberals have to force LGBTQ behavior down everyone's throat? Why do they have to force everyone to accept and like the LGBTQ community? Why can't they just accept the fact that they can't force everyone on this planet to like them, agree to their way of life, or not discriminate against them? Men, women, every religion, and every race on the face of earth has been discriminated against in some shape or form. So what makes the LGBTQ entitled to shoving their way of down people's esophagus?🤔
How difficult is it to understand that you cannot force acceptance? Just like racism, religious prejudice and so on it takes time. Back in the day people didn't need to announce that they were gay or trans. They just lived their lives in silence just like everyone else. Why can't it still be like that?

[TheMadAsshatter85]

How about giving poor Ken a dick?

BTW- Representation of minority groups is cool. Fine. Awesome. Dandy... Demanding equal screen time is silly... 10% of the population wanting 25% of screen time doesn't make sense. Even further- in many situations that thought process skews shows/movies from reality... In theory yeah cool it's great... but... is it realistic? ... Funny to see how many female cops/lawyers/nameanyprofessionwhereit'soverwhelminglylopsided there are in TV shows/Movies... Not saying it's bad or wrong... Just saying, that's not realistic and people notice when asses are being kissed to be PC.

[yoshi_wanna_ask]

I hate it. A persons gender is a unique special part of them, something they're born with. If they want to provide people (who, lets face it, are already adults) with the ability to custom order these dolls, sure, great, fine, they're adults. But for kids who are still figuring out who they are and how the world works? No thanks. It's bad enough that the guy dolls are so massively misrepresented and under-represented in their line as it is and now to pull more money and market points out of the parents they want to appropriate an issue like this? That's like McDonald's releasing a diet menu.

[stardust101]

I think it’s great, who says that only girls can play with dolls? Gender neutrality means that “roles” for men and women aren’t just for men or women. It’s not about physically changing your gender as a person. For example, women can be car mechanics and men can be nurses. It’s expanding the mind to be more accepting of role reversals, not gender reversals. Teaching small kids about transgenders is irrelevant to what the gender neutral doll is advertising. It’s saying that boys can play with dolls too if they want to instead of secretly wanting to and being shamed for it if they do. That’s probably men aren’t equipped like women are to take care of their own children. Because society and people like you are not accepting of it.

[stardust101]

I meant society isn’t accepting of the different ways to train and prepare boys for fatherhood.

[The_White_Queen]

Boys do play with dolls ie action man and gi Joe

[doublenb14]

I think the whole gender neutral topic is retarded. People are born either a boy or a girl. Once someone becomes an adult and decides ON THEIR OWN that they want to ACT like the opposite sex then go right ahead. Doing things like this though or adding transgender characters to children's movies is just wrong. It's not making children feel more comfortable seeing transgender people, all it is doing is influencing children to question what their gender is. A man who cuts off his penis to become a woman will ALWAYS be a man who cut off his penis. It doesn't make you a woman! Doing this to children is wrong and in all honesty it is child abuse. This has to stop, it makes me sick!

[Dchrls78104]

Unfortunately there are sick freaks out there who are so desperate in their degeneracy nowadays that they've taken to harassing kids, and this incident proves it.

[holograph]

Seeing transgender people doesn't make children question their gender any more than it would make you question your own.

Nobody cares if it makes you sick.

[andreasderjuengere]

The world itself isn't gender neutral. Why should we 'teach' kids a lie?
Mattel does not give a shit about ethics or human 'values' --- they only care for maximum profit.
I stick with my teddy bears (made by some anonymous company).

[hellionthesagereborn]

God these people are stupid. Its going to fail miserablly and they will deserve all the damage they do to their brand. Their is no gender neutrality (gender is biological, we are wired for gender and we see it even in other primates) so the audience they are marketing their toys to are non children SJWs who don't care about the product. That's like when Gillette decided to release the commercial that did nothing but bash men despite the fact that their customer base is entirely male. They can do it, I just don't understand why? Some one has got to have looked at this and realized how idiotically stupid it is, done some kind of market testing or something right? So how the hell did this happen? Idiocy.

[lightbulb27]

I'd like to hear child psychologists views of all this stuff, since they study us. From my viewpoint, having substantial differences helps draw lines of differentiation, and that is helpful. Gender neutral... what the heck is that? I think it ends up in kids being confused as to what they are.

To me, that's the plan, screw up the minds of people so they don't mate... don't want to. good grief what are we doing?

[madgoat]

The millennials either don't care about this stuff (enough to actually buy it) or don't actually believe in it.
It just never seems to sell well from what I've seen, yet the companies that produce it, push it for all its worth. Odd. Maybe it'll become economic in the next decade.

[cth96190]

This is more batshit insane Marxist mind fuckery that is aimed at our children.
Add all Mattel products to your banned list.
Spend your money with a company that does not want to destroy the minds and lives of your children.
I realise that the number of corporations that are not evil is dwindling.

[AngelLily]

Kids are going to be confused wondering is the short haired one a girl with short hair and is the boy a dude with long hair.

[AlienParasite]

If kids are able to tell the gender of a plush toy like a teddy bear or a monkey that don't look too boyish or girly, or even tell the gender of rocks if they want, then they can tell the gender of any of this dolls by themselves. Kids won't be confused, they will simply have to choose the toy's gender by themselves

[MrOracle]

I predict that capitalism will solve this problem. The dolls will be on clearance in the spring and the line will be quietly discontinued. And Mattel may see a larger decline in overall sales from people choosing to buy elsewhere.

[jayden888]

Dumb idea. Truth can't bend for people, people have to bend for the truth. Your sex is based on the organs and hormones nature gave you.

A person who is gender neutral is usually because they are either 1. A guy who is castrated, 2. Developmental issues in the prenatal stage.

[Desconhecida]

They should stop dragging the kids to this idiotic trend

[PLAY77]

Agreed 🦹

[Daniela1982]

They make dolls more anatomically correct too. Soon they will be having sex and reproducing.

[leahzrc]

my dolls have been fucking since i was 5 years old

[ChiTown33]

::::::sigh::::::; remeber during the cold war when we thought the Soviet Union, communism, and Nuclear war would be the end of us. Well The evil empire fell and we won... but when i see s*** like this i'm not so sure.

[NYCstreetPhotog]

Marketing ploy. It's adaption to a new/evolving market. The whole premise of blue for boys and pink for girls is a complete marketing ploy from the 50s in order to drive sales. This is nothing more than that.

[leahzrc]

I think that they can make a doll that doesn't fit a gender stereotype but the children can decide for themselves whether it's a boy or a girl, don't tell them that it's a "gender neutral"