Sweden forces girls n' guns, boys n' dolls ads

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Aaron Blumer's picture


Upper left corner...  Call me a neanderthal, but it makes me want to rescue the poor lad, put him in camo, strap some weapons on him and turn him loose in the woods.

Chip Van Emmerik's picture

I wonder what Sweden will be called after the neighbor boys, who grew up playing with guns, invade and take over the country.


Jim's picture







Charlie's picture

I find it interesting that there is a definite asymmetry when it comes to gender expectations. If a girl does traditionally boyish things, like play sports or ride a tractor (per the advertisement above) or shoot guns, people don't mind, as long as it doesn't go way over the top, say, steroid-enhanced bodybuilder women. In fact, having a little tomboy (a fairly neutral term) in a girl can actually be an attractive quality. 

On the other hand, there is no fairly neutral term for a boy who embraces traditionally female gender stereotypes. There is no tomgirl, only sissy, or wuss, or some far more biting terms. A boy who wears lipstick or plays with dolls is going to get a lot more flak than a girl in overalls shooting guns.

This seems to indicate to me that in our culture, female is still identified as inferior. There may be something desirable about a boyish girl, but there is nothing but scorn for a girlish boy. 

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Rob Fall's picture

why can't a boy have a nice "stainless steel" stove and Easy Bake just like Mario Battali, Bobby Flay, and (my current fav) Robert Irvine.

Hoping to shed more light than heat..