Princess Leia Being Sold as a Plastic Slave Doll.....

[Big_Dave]

Is the issue not that Leia is the only lead female character, who when a figure gets released in this series it's the bikini costume

[locustsofdeath!]

Yeah, I don't know.

I have two daughters - ages almost-13 and almost-7 - and both of them are very comfortable doing what they please. My youngest has a TMNT-themed room full of Littlest Pet Shops, and my oldest plays Warhammer one day and goes to the mall the next. I think a lot of it has to do with parents making sure that they know early on that whatever they like is okay.

Anyway, I'm done being sort-of serious for now.

[Mikey]

Is the issue not that Leia is the only lead female character, who when a figure gets released in this series it's the bikini costume

You live and learn. My understanding, from a reading the headlines perspective, was bikini Leia was the first.

M

[sheridan]

Apologies if the quoting levels got mixed up in this post :-(

Ever since then they are very wary
However, does anyone remember when the Power of The Force stuff came out, when Luke, Vader, and Han suddenly had an unrealistic rippling set of Schwarzenegger style muscles?  No one complained then...

Because it's an entirely different thing. One is a power trip for guys, whereas the other is about defining women as sex objects. It's all done from the male gaze.

It's partially different, but still puts pressure on boys to be muscular, and if they're not then they're not considered proper boys.

Well, seeing that there's no place else that a child can see a scantily-clad woman - this is where our crusade begins and ends. Take that Leia off the shelves!

I know you're being facetious, but when you look around, it's death by near-infinite cuts. Toys. Clothes. Books. Boys are at least told they can be anything! Adventure! Noise! Do ALL THE THINGS! Girls? Shh. Gossip a bit. Await your prince. Be pretty. And this extends right into adulthood. It's crap, and it needs to change.

Boys can be anything they want to be, as long as they want to be footballers or adventurers.  If you want to be a nurse, or a secretary, or anything which involves sensitivity or creativity then prepare to be beaten up and ostracized at school...

A good example. I was recently at a gathering of old friends from school. Quite a few of us now have kids. One of the girls had painted toenails, which she liked, but she was upset, and told us it's because they were "weird". The reason: she'd painted them blue. They "should have" been pink, because that's for girls. We informed her that her toenails were totally awesome, which perked her up a bit, but what kind of society do we have when a little girl is sad because she'd painted her nails blue and thought that was wrong and weird?

When a boy puts on nail varnish, not only are they made to feel wrong and weird, but it appears in the national press and grown adults insult the child in the comments section of the 'story'.  I'd dig out a link or two for you, but I fear it would involve going to the Daily Mail or Express websites...

[TordelBack]

The old thought experiment still has much to offer:

Imagine a president.What do they look like?
Imagine a CEO.  What do they look like?
Imagine a scientist. What do they look like?
Imagine a cop. What do they look like?
Imagine a doctor. What do they look like?
Imagine an engineer. What do they look like?
Imagine a hero. What do they look like?

Until the first thing that pops into your mind's eye almost every times ISN'T a male, there's something wrong with the way we raise children. The default mental image for pretty much any well paid, powerful or exciting role is a male, and this is a culture perpetuated in the pink aisle.

Not saying it doesn't cut both ways, of course it does - when I was unemployed and looking after our two young'uns full-time I was very conscious that if I'd been female I'd have been perceived as a good mother, as opposed to a layabout scrounger. But the asymmetry of power and aspiration is very, very clear.

[Skullmo]

The old thought experiment still has much to offer:

Imagine a president.What do they look like?
Imagine a CEO.  What do they look like?
Imagine a scientist. What do they look like?
Imagine a cop. What do they look like?
Imagine a doctor. What do they look like?
Imagine an engineer. What do they look like?
Imagine a hero. What do they look like?

Maybe I don't have a great imagination but my thoughts are not gender specific.

[hippynumber1]

Because you know what the test is!

[Skullmo]

Maybe because I have a look around and see that people who do those jobs are not all one gender or the other.

[hippynumber1]

You know you're not most people, right?

[Skullmo]

I try not to think about most people

[hippynumber1]

That's probably for the best.

[Jim_Campbell]

The old thought experiment still has much to offer:

Never mind that: welcome back! You've been much-missed.

Cheers!

Jim

[CrazyFoxMachine]

The old thought experiment still has much to offer:

Never mind that: welcome back! You've been much-missed.

I'll second that

I'm literally overwhelmed with joy at your return. I didn't arf worry without knowing you outside this forum and you being one of the most reasonable and likeable chaps on here. DON'T LEAVE AGAIN. DON'T EVER LEAVE AGAIN.

[Spikes]

Because you know what the test is!

He's playing another game entirely.
He's trying to come across as being all nice and sensitive, and thoroughly modern - and therefore 'marriage material', to any passing female-forumites.

[ZenArcade]

The super Tordel has returned. Z