As a long-time LEGO fan, I have read with great interest the backlash against the toy company for “gendering” and “pinkifying” my favorite toy. What I am failing to see in all of this ruckus is how do real-life girls actually play with LEGO bricks?
Why are we just sitting around complaining about this subject and not providing any real-time data? In the era of camera phones, this should be a no-brainer.
Allow me to begin.
Dear LEGO, this is how girls play…
My office desk, where I spend roughly 6+ hours a day almost always has at least one model in progress and there are 3 Minifigures taking up permanent residence on the shelf above my iMac. Yes, the one in the middle is 70’s vintage LEGO – and it’s a girl!
Behind me on my office shelves, there are about 2 dozen sets of given sizes, mostly from the 80’s. Recently, I dug them all out of a big tub under my daughter’s bed and assembled each and every one of them. Because I’m a girl that likes to build stuff.
Oh and I decorate with them, too. Because that’s what girls do, right?
Now following instructions is easy. What I find even more fun about building with LEGO is creating MOCs. MOC stands for “My Own Creation”. Here are a few animal MOCs I built recently. I have a life-size version of my Boston Terrier in progress. I am working my way up the scale in terms of sculpture size.
And just for fun last month, I created this 1900+ piece mosaic from one of my daughter’s Facebook profile pics. I think it turned out pretty good. For a girl.
But enough about me. Here are how some other girls play with LEGO…
Last week my daughter came home with an assignment to build a DNA model out of any materials they wanted. She immediately thought of using LEGO.
Alice Finch used over 400,000 LEGO bricks to build this massive replica of Hogwarts. Click here to see all the spectacular details of her creation. She also has a pretty sweet looking Rivendell.
There’s also the woman who built a prosthetic leg out of LEGO bricks. Christina Stevens built this functional version after a friend suggested it as a joke. It worked so well she has plans for a second version with a flexible foot and other features. Not bad for a girl.
How do you play?
Now it’s your turn. I want to see what you can build. Let’s show LEGO how girls play. We need to represent. Post your photos in the comments below or send them to me on Facebook or Instagram (@girlscantwhat). I want to see them!
2 comments
Captian Obvious
Society keeps telling girls that they are “strong and independent” yet society and feminist groups constantly need to pat them on the back for nonsense and lift them up on pedestals because they think their fragile little egos will shatter. We have to constantly be pushed “Girl power” and “Girls rule” or else you think girls will simply be unable to manage in life.
Who is the real evil towards girls here, the ones treating them like everyone else, or the groups who want them to be treated like special snowflakes while telling them they are strong and independent?
Yeah girls play with lego, no shit! No one says they can’t. (regardless of what you make yourself believe). The reason companies make some girl shit pink is because IT SELLS!
gretchen
You’re a guy, aren’t you?