Why I'm Broken Up About LEGO

LEGO  has been in the news a lot since they unveiled LEGO FREINDS at the beginning of 2012. LEGO FRIENDS are made specifically with girls in mind. Many people are saying ‘what’s the big deal? They’re toys.” or “I don’t see anything wrong with them?” I find many things wrong with LEGO FRIENDS, but many of these same things we can find in so many other toys – subtle messages that tell our girls who they are, what they are capable of and what opportunities are available. That’s why some people feel like ‘so what?’ We are so conditioned to accept programming in our lives, that the action of speaking out about something is increasingly foreign to us.

In an opinion piece by David Horsey in the LA Times entitled “Are Lego Friends the Enemy of American Girls?” he basically says – 'hey they aren’t so bad, I’ve even checked with my feminist daughter who doesn’t seem to mind them.’ (I paraphrase) He goes on to say in his opinion, this isn’t one of the things we should be focused on.  I whole-heartedly disagree with him and here's why.


In all of the discussions about the pros and cons of LEGO FREIDNS, what is missing is one core element, making it both important and necessary to speak out about LEGO’s choices. LEGO has not only failed parents, but is failing girls. LEGO’s own corporate philosophy has been "Only the best is good enough." With the unveiling of LEGO FRIENDS they have consciously chosen to dumb down the world of girls; giving them a product that requires less creativity, less mental stimulation, less opportunity for the exploration of manual dexterity - things that have been
synonymous with LEGO since the launch of their company.

There are many other problems with LEGO FRIENDS; subtle messages about who girls can be, how they can look, what they can and can't do, but at the root of this heated debate is a company that has made a choice of profit over retaining corporate philosophy.

Had another company come out with these, there would have been a degree of discussion, I'm sure, but the fact that LEGO has watered down their product specifically for girls and claims that 'it's what girls want' is both offensive and disappointing. As parents, as educators as anyone who has a hand in shaping who our children become, we need to be aware of the messages being given to our children – overtly and subtlety.  It's our job to teach our children to question the messages that bombard them each and every day.

LEGO Friends may not be the worst toy on the market for girls to play with, but with the creation of this product line, LEGO has lost what made it such a relevant and revered toy for all kids. Worse, LEGO has relinquished its own philosophy of ‘only the best is good enough’.

Christine Agro is the founder of  FEMTalk Series, FEMGlobal and hosts the live radio show Fully Empowered on A2Zen every Wednesday at 12 Noon ET. Christine offers talks, workshops and classes designed to empower women and girls.



Check out these two LEGO commercials - one for LEGO FRIENDS and one for LEGO Star Wars.