But probably not. I'll be quiet now.
Ah, the most insightful thing you've posted here.
Ladies, are there "guy" things that you like/enjoy?
- Thread starter Tora Ziyal
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Ah, the most insightful thing you've posted here.
I'm surprised that we've gotten this far down in the thread without the obvious answer:
Star Trek.
While obviously lots of women enjoy it, the fandom is still male-dominated, in fact, I'd say most of scifi fandom in general is male-oriented--but it is quickly becoming more of a balanced audience. I'm seeing more and more young women and girls at conventions, brought in by anime, cosplay and Doctor Who,etc.
I was definitely a freak for being a GIRL (gasp) at scifi conventions when I was teen--back in the Stone Age-- and the only predominately female conventions were fanfic-cons (don't get me started).
Other "boy" things I liked when I was young: trains and Matchbox cars. I LOVED them. I wanted an electric train set soooo badly when I was a kid but all I got was a plastic, figure-eight set. I had a collection of Barbies, of course, but I was less interested in making clothes for them than involving them in high-speed crashes. I would strap them into my sister's roller-skates and send them down our San Francisco area hills. Barbie carnage! Great fun.
I also loved Legos--back when there was just a huge, basic set--and I would sit and build things for HOURS. Neither of my sisters understood my fascination with building things, but it kept me occupied.
Just as an aside: I happened to marry a guy who HATES sports and likes to bake. While we were dating, I was watching a football game (I only like the 49ers) and he was in the kitchen baking cookies. I leaned back and yelled, "Honey, get me a soda." We both looked at each other and had that "moment" when we realized the role reversal and had a good laugh.
Star Trek.
While obviously lots of women enjoy it, the fandom is still male-dominated, in fact, I'd say most of scifi fandom in general is male-oriented--but it is quickly becoming more of a balanced audience. I'm seeing more and more young women and girls at conventions, brought in by anime, cosplay and Doctor Who,etc.
I was definitely a freak for being a GIRL (gasp) at scifi conventions when I was teen--back in the Stone Age-- and the only predominately female conventions were fanfic-cons (don't get me started).
Other "boy" things I liked when I was young: trains and Matchbox cars. I LOVED them. I wanted an electric train set soooo badly when I was a kid but all I got was a plastic, figure-eight set. I had a collection of Barbies, of course, but I was less interested in making clothes for them than involving them in high-speed crashes. I would strap them into my sister's roller-skates and send them down our San Francisco area hills. Barbie carnage! Great fun.
I also loved Legos--back when there was just a huge, basic set--and I would sit and build things for HOURS. Neither of my sisters understood my fascination with building things, but it kept me occupied.
Just as an aside: I happened to marry a guy who HATES sports and likes to bake. While we were dating, I was watching a football game (I only like the 49ers) and he was in the kitchen baking cookies. I leaned back and yelled, "Honey, get me a soda." We both looked at each other and had that "moment" when we realized the role reversal and had a good laugh.
I'll personally scratch and bite any guy who comes here to give you a hard time, I promise!
Tell us about the stuff you love!
I grew up playing with legos, lincoln logs and with my brother's giant bucket o' little green plastic army men. We dug a hundred holes in the back yard looking for critter skeletons and treasure.
My parents kept buying me dolls and couldn't figure out where my barbies disappeared to. I buried them in hopes of excavating 11" skeletons in the future but all I got were moldy barbies.
I was the only Star Trek fan I knew until I met my husband at Jr. College.
I love to fix things and discuss cars with our son more than my husb who never has cared a whit about them as long as they run well.
I am crafty and love to knit and bake and consider that a creative outlet as much as writing; I consider kitchen pursuits and writing as gender neutral, I hope my son does too, my husb does and always has done all the cooking in our home.
My parents kept buying me dolls and couldn't figure out where my barbies disappeared to. I buried them in hopes of excavating 11" skeletons in the future but all I got were moldy barbies.
I was the only Star Trek fan I knew until I met my husband at Jr. College.
I love to fix things and discuss cars with our son more than my husb who never has cared a whit about them as long as they run well.
I am crafty and love to knit and bake and consider that a creative outlet as much as writing; I consider kitchen pursuits and writing as gender neutral, I hope my son does too, my husb does and always has done all the cooking in our home.
Another Lego baby here.
I have three older brothers, so Lego, cars, and the sandbox were my favourite toys. Damn, I wish I'd been that creative with my Barbies. I did play with Barbie dolls in what I guess is the traditional way, but I never played with baby dolls when I was younger than when I had Barbies. My mother bought me dolls, but I honestly didn't know what to do with them. Until I was 20 I didn't have a maternal bone in my body, so the dolls never interested me.When I was about three my mother bought me a beautiful white wicker dolls' pram with royal blue lining. She says that when she gave it to me I grabbed the handle and pushed it down the sidewalk making "Brrrrrmmm! Brrrrmmm!" noises. Bless her, after three boys she finally had a girl, but I don't think I quite met her expectations. One of my favourite childhood photos is of me playing baseball with my dad and brother while wearing my Sunday church dress.
I didn't become interested in Star Trek until TNG started in my latter years in high school. Mostly my male classmates watched it, but a female friend was also a big fan. While I loved the characterisations and story lines, she was heavily into the physics (or lack thereof!). She's always been mad about planes, and went on to study aeronautical engineering. This was in the late 80s and early 90s, and the misogyny she had to endured is almost indescribable.
Knitting and other needlecrafts are also becoming more gender neutral, thankfully. Creativity is creativity. Why should the medium matter?
My mom asked me if I wanted to be a man when I started helping out with yard work. No, Mom, I'm just making sure Dad has help.
I don't remember this, but my mother told me that when I was 8 I asked her if it was okay for me to have a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles birthday party. I didn't know if it would be alright, because TMNT were for boys. So add TMNT to the list!
Another Lego baby here.
I had three borhters too. If I wanted playmates it was going to be in the dirt or dirt-related!
I did draw the line at burying the baby dolls. Probably becase they were so big! Spindly barbies don't take so long to bury! All the chipmunk and snake bones we found really spurred me on.
When I was about three my mother bought me a beautiful white wicker dolls' pram with royal blue lining. She says that when she gave it to me I grabbed the handle and pushed it down the sidewalk making "Brrrrrmmm! Brrrrmmm!" noises. Bless her, after three boys she finally had a girl, but I don't think I quite met her expectations. One of my favourite childhood photos is of me playing baseball with my dad and brother while wearing my Sunday church dress.
My mom was disappointed to get a girl who wasn't girly, but she was the one who could always be found in trees and up on the roof with her dad or in his workshp!
I didn't become interested in Star Trek until TNG started in my latter years in high school. Mostly my male classmates watched it, but a female friend was also a big fan. While I loved the characterisations and story lines, she was heavily into the physics (or lack thereof!). She's always been mad about planes, and went on to study aeronautical engineering. This was in the late 80s and early 90s, and the misogyny she had to endured is almost indescribable.
I can't even imagine. She's still probably horribly outnumbered at work.
Knitting and other needlecrafts are also becoming more gender neutral, thankfully. Creativity is creativity. Why should the medium matter?
Amen and pass the dpns!
(*Sorry abt the clumsy cutting*)
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Maybe my parents were ahead of their time.
Though I grew up in the 1960s/1970s my parents didn't seem to care that I was a tomboy. When I asked for a chemistry set for Christmas my mother didn't hesitate to buy it, the same when I asked for a Zorro outfit. Mum bought me 'boyish' books if i asked for them. My dad took me to football matches (with my brother) and the three of us also liked watching wrestling. My parents didn't mind the fact that most of my friends as a child were boys.
Watching Star Trek was not seen as unusual, even my girly sisters watched it. We also watched Dr Who, Superman, Robin Hood, Sir Francis Drake, Batman, Cheyenne, the Tales of Will Sonnet etc, in fact I can't really remember watching much 'girly' TV at all.
I did have a nice collection of Barbie and Sindy dolls. I looked after the Barbie dolls well but my brother and I ended up using my Sindy dolls as test dummies.
Though I grew up in the 1960s/1970s my parents didn't seem to care that I was a tomboy. When I asked for a chemistry set for Christmas my mother didn't hesitate to buy it, the same when I asked for a Zorro outfit. Mum bought me 'boyish' books if i asked for them. My dad took me to football matches (with my brother) and the three of us also liked watching wrestling. My parents didn't mind the fact that most of my friends as a child were boys.
Watching Star Trek was not seen as unusual, even my girly sisters watched it. We also watched Dr Who, Superman, Robin Hood, Sir Francis Drake, Batman, Cheyenne, the Tales of Will Sonnet etc, in fact I can't really remember watching much 'girly' TV at all.
I did have a nice collection of Barbie and Sindy dolls. I looked after the Barbie dolls well but my brother and I ended up using my Sindy dolls as test dummies.
I really loved Lego, too. I wasn't aware of the fact that Lego is for boys?
We, three girls and a boy, all played with Lego in our household. It wasn't considered to be a boys toy.
I also had a small and rather cheap train set.
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I never liked lego. In my mind I was building enormous castles on far away planets but all lego gave me was some little coloured bricks.
It wasn't until they came out with pink and purple lego for girls.
I'm sure many here have seen this, but there was this wonderful gender neutral Toys 'R' Us catalog in Sweden this past Christmas. I kinda want the dragon and castle set.
When I was a kid, Lego was definitely marketed as a "boys" toy. I remember some sets even had boys pictures on the box.
I really hate that they have "girls" Legos now. How lame.
I really hate that they have "girls" Legos now. How lame.
Before they came out with pink Lego (I nearly threw up the first time I saw my nieces play with pink and purple Lego) there were Lego dolls. They were much bigger than today's Lego people, and had jointed arms.
My youngest brother, who's four years older than me, never played with these, but I loved them. I had the whole family and possibly every room that was sold as a kit. What I didn't know until my photo search just now is that despite basically being doll houses and dolls Lego did not specifically target girls for these products. Look at the child on the box:
Lego was breaking gender barriers in the early 1970s. What happened?
Here's a pic of a Lego box which must date from the 1960s showing both genders:
Curse you, Lego, for getting sucked into gender stereotypes!
^^ That's what frustrates me so much about gender-specific toys -- we started getting away from them, and then we went right back.
I don't remember Legos when I was a kid, though they apparently were around, but I had and loved Tinker Toys.
I don't remember Legos when I was a kid, though they apparently were around, but I had and loved Tinker Toys.
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