Boys, Girls and “Other”
What? Read this, reported Wednesday by the AP –
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California could soon force large department stores to display some child products in gender neutral ways after the state Legislature passed a bill on Wednesday aimed at getting rid of traditional pink and blue marketing schemes for items like toys and toothbrushes. The bill would not outlaw traditional boys and girls sections in department stores, but it would require retailers to have a gender neutral section to display “a reasonable selection” of items “regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys.”
Beam, A. (2021, September 1). California seeks gender neutral displays in large stores. AP. https://apnews.com/article/business-california-3270657e85f4b7c4bee79138ba056a28.
What? Yes, certainly not all little boys love the color blue and many little girls do not fawn over pink. It’s a fact of life that all children have different tastes, and so it should be. We do not live in a one-size-fits-all world.
Parents get to know their children; children get to know their likes and dislikes; and stores know just how to market to each.
So, why, oh why, would the State of California decide to impose a requirement that department stores create gender neutral displays in addition to and alongside their traditional displays? Does the state legislature know better than company MBAs and marketing execs how to sell goods and products?
No! The state does not know better and it should stay out of commerce.
If the consumer market demands gender neutral products, displays and sections, retailers will respond accordingly. It is the simple law of supply and demand. Short of illegal or deceptive practices, no government should mandate or legislate how a business can or should market its own wares inside its own walls.
This is insane! California continues to seek and exercise control over its residents and businesses.
The world is going crazy and California is leading the way!
Wake up; rise up; open your mouths; share your opinions; demand that your government represents you and not special interests. Let’s require our elected representatives to actually represent, not resent us.
Now is the time. Stop the madness!
