Celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay have joined on to 13-year old McKenna Pope's petition asking Hasbro to stop gender stereotyping in marketing for the Easy Bake Oven. Is it enough to get Hasbro's attention?
After Bobby Flay caught wind of McKenna's protest, his PR Firm released a support video featuring other celebrity chefs who've signed on to the cause.
And it just might have worked! McKenna's mother says that Hasbro has agreed to meet with the young activist on Monday. Stay tuned to Instinct for updates on this story.
Oh, and the petition and video that got the whole thing started:
[B]oys are not featured in packaging or promotional materials for Easy Bake Ovens — this toy my brother’s always dreamed about. And the oven comes in gender-specific hues: purple and pink.
I feel that this sends a clear message: women cook, men work. [...]
I want my brother to know that it’s not “wrong” for him to want to be a chef, that it’s okay to go against what society believes to be appropriate. There are, as a matter of fact, a multitude of very talented and successful male culinary geniuses, i.e. Emeril, Gordon Ramsey, etc. Unfortunately, Hasbro has made going against the societal norm that girls are the ones in the kitchen even more difficult.
Along with the above video, McKenna has started a petition for others hoping Hasbro ends decades of gender role stereotyping so that boys can have some fun in the kitchen, too. Sign it here.
Comments (1)
... written by Jake J,
December 14, 2012
The packaging could be a good reason why some boys like the Easy Bake oven. People have to get used to it. If you make it more typical of male tastes then they might not like it, think it's boring.
