Pressure from Sweden’s advertising watchdog to become more “gender neutral”, the nation’s top toy chain is picturing boys playing with dolls and girls touting guns in this year’s Christmas catalogue.
The Daily Mail is reporting that Top Toy, which holds the franchise for Toys R Us in Sweden, began producing the more politically correct catalog after being reprimanded by the country’s self-regulating advertising watchdog, Reklamombudsmannen. The agency claimed the company committed “gender discrimination” in a previous catalogue because it featured boys dressed as superheroes and girls playing princess.
Top Toy said it made the changes after receiving “training and guidance” from the agency.
“For several years, we have found that the gender debate has grown so strong in the Swedish market that we have had to adjust,” said sales director Jan Nyberg.
“With the new gender thinking, there is nothing that is right or wrong. It’s not a boy or a girl thing, it’s a toy for children.”
The quest for gender neutrality, which is promoted by radical feminists and other liberal ideologues, is based on the notion that language and social institutions should not be permitted to distinguish people by their gender because this fosters discrimination.
Sweden is getting top grades for its advances toward a more genderless society. In 2010, the country was recognized by the World Economic Forum as the most gender-equal country in the world. One of the most striking changes it made occurred earlier this year when it decided to rid itself of gender related pronouns. It now refers to both sexes as “hen” rather than “han” which means “he” in Swedish, or “hon” which means “she”. Other changes are occuring in some Swedish clothing stores where owners have removed the “boys” and “girls” sections in their stores. Toy ads routinely show girls riding yellow tractors while boys in Spiderman costumes play with Barbie dolls.
Not everyone in Sweden approves, however. Some experts, such as Elise Claeson, a columnist and a former equality expert at the Swedish Confederation of Professions, say the move toward a more genderless society could be damaging to children, especially youngsters when they are developing physically and mentally.
“Adults should not interrupt children’s discovery of their gender and sexuality,” Claeson insists.
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