The word "toy" implies something frivolous, fun — not to be taken too seriously. But as Peggy Orenstein, a journalist whose primary focus is gender issues, tells me: "toys are not just toys." Rather, they are imbued with deep meaning that rubs off on our children — and can warp, or affirm, their sense of self.
"From the earliest ages, [girls] are trained into consumerism and how that defines femininity," Orenstein tells me. "They learn to see themselves from the outside in. And what they play with when they are little does matter. Toys have always been used to communicate to children what our expectations are of them for their adult roles." Orenstein says girls were encouraged to play with baby dolls in response to Teddy Roosevelt's fear that "old-stock" white women weren't having enough babies, while Erector Sets were pushed on boys in a bid to win the Space Race.
