According to the youngsters, the Toys"R"Us Christmas catalogue featured “outdated gender roles because boys and girls were shown playing with different types of toys, whereby the boys were portrayed as active and the girls as passive”, according to a statement from Ro.Ro is Reklamombudsmannen, a "self-regulatory agency that polices marketing and advertising communications...to ensure they are in line with guidelines set out by the International Chamber of Commerce...". The children had been studying gender roles in school and were bothered by the depictions of boys and girls in the catalogue. 13-year-old Hannes Psajd pointed out girls in princess outfits and boys dressed as super heroes and said, "It's obvious that you get affected by this". His classmate, Moa Averin, showed concern about children feeling like they couldn't be who they wanted to be, including "guys [who want] to be princesses sometimes".
The advisory committee from Ro reviewed the case and agreed with the children and their teacher, stating the catalogue did evince gender discrimination and referred to the catalogue as "narrow-minded" and "degrading". They also issued a public reprimand of Toys R Us.
Now, the reprimand is only that and nothing more, and Ro doesn't have any authority to actually punish a company. But I still found this article to be awesome for two big reasons: 1) The regulatory agency didn't just listen to the children but agreed with them and acted on it in a public, albeit largely symbolic, way; and 2) Sixth-graders - kids apparently 12 and 13 years old - recognized and were bothered and offended by stereotypical, heteronormative images. I mean...wow. There are many people twice, three times, four times their ages who wouldn't think twice about that catalogue (and indeed, many of them seem to be leaving comments on the article at The Local...I stopped reading after about 15 because I was going hoarse yelling at my monitor). But these kids are socially aware enough to not just realize that it's bad, but to perceptively understand why it's bad. They know that it's not just dumb or silly but potentially damaging to young people who are growing and learning who they are and who they'll be.
These are children who will grow up to be compassionate, accepting, and open-minded adults. These are children who will treat others with respect and dignity irrespective of their differences, and in turn, those of them who choose to become parents will raise children with similar kind-hearted and welcoming attitudes. They can drown out the prejudiced roar from people like some of those in the comments, and that can do nought but good for their society overall.
Living in the U.S., where heteronormativity and a strict gender binary are still very much the norm, I look at stories and societies like that with hope that we'll see reflections of it here. But so many people hold so fast to "traditions" of gender roles and are so afraid of what it means to want to change those traditions, that wide-spread, systematic change seems so unreachable. Which is why teaching young children progressive sociology and respect for all is so important - just like it is easier for a child to learn a second language because their brains are in receptive developmental stages, it is similarly easier for a child to learn tolerance and understanding because their emotional selves are also developing and not yet closed down by negative messages and learned behaviors. It is not natural to be hateful or bigoted - it is natural to be loving and empathetic.
Hey kids - want to come explain a thing or two to some sixth grade classes in the States? And while you're at it, invite the parents, too.
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