Lego Friends: Friend, Not Foe

There's been a lot of talk about the new Lego Friends collection recently.  I've heard several interviews on NPR with angry commentators and bloggers who argue that these new Legos, designed for girls, are perpetuating gender stereotypes and negatively impacting the girls who choose to build and play with them.  For a few days it felt like whenever I turned on the radio I heard another angry woman bemoaning this new Lego line.

Why?  Because some of the blocks are pink and purple.  Because the people are not boxy--they have curvy figures and more human-like features.  Because one of the sets is a beauty shop. 

I think these arguments are silly.  There are plenty of blocks that are white, brown, black, and blue.  And Lego people have come a long way since the early robot-esque figures.  Most of the sets are interesting with lots to play with--a vet clinic, a tree house, a cafe, and a dog show, to name a few.  These Lego sets are not harming my daughters; they are inviting them to play with a toy that was otherwise not very interesting to them.  And best of all, they build these sets with Daddy.

I'm glad that my girls have the choice to play with Legos that appeal to them, especially since these sets do not involve weapons, tanks, or other forms of devastation as so many of their other collections do.  Where are the angry bloggers complaining about the violent Lego toys?

Media Literacy Matters

Yesterday I saw a commercial for General Mills cereals that made me want to jump through the television and run through the set shouting,"Are you kidding me?  We are not idiots!"  Why was I so upset by the commercial?  Because here's what it says about cereals such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, and Honey Nut Cheerios:  More WHOLE GRAIN! 

More whole grain than what?  Than any other ingredient.  Really.  See the pitch for yourself on Whole Grain Nation.  How can you make cereal without grain???  I felt insulted by this pitch, that the mere mention of whole grain and more in the same statement would be enough to convince me that these cereals are healthy.  Of course the grain is the primary ingredient, whether it's whole or not.  That's like advertising that cola has More WATER than any other ingredient.  It's still soda, and these cereals are still loaded with corn syrup, sugar, and "artificial ingredients."  One serving of a General Mills cereal can have up to 14 grams of sugar, the second ingredient on the list.  

I was alone when I saw this commercial, but I wish that I had been surrounded by susceptible children so I could bank on this "teachable moment."  Our kids need to know how advertising is designed to manipulate them.  They need to know it even more now because of internet ads that offer free trips, miracle drugs, and duplicitous empty promises.  Many years ago I used to teach a persuasive writing unit based on analyzing print ads.  If I were to resurrect that unit now, I would use a whole new set of advertisements, mostly from television and the internet.