TOY MANUFACTURER LEGO has come under fire for featuring beauty tips in the latest issue of its children’s magazine Lego Club.
This month’s issue features a section entitled Emma’s Beauty Tips, in which the magazine doles out advice to readers on what haircuts suit certain face shapes.
“If you’re ready to change up your look, read on for some tips and tricks,” the magazine says.
The feature has not been greeted warmly by parents, many of whom have deemed it unsuitable for children aged between 5 and 12, the magazine’s target demographic.
It was first highlighted by New York Times columnist Sharon Holbrook, who penned a critical blog post on the matter earlier this week.
Perhaps naïvely, I had placed a certain amount of trust in Lego and its apparently good intentions, but I draw the line when even a construction toy company feeds my daughter that tired, toxic script of “start fixing your appearance, and now.”
The story was quickly picked up on Twitter with many describing it as inappropriate and harmful to young girls.
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For its part, Lego has acknowledged the furore and apologised for any disappointment the feature may have caused.
This is not the first time that Lego has been criticised for perpetuating gender stereotypes — Lego Friends, its attempt at aiming Lego toys for girls, was called “sexist” and thousands signed a petition urging the toy manufacturer to “stop selling out girls”.
The whole thing stands in stark contrast to the company’s 1970s ethos, eh?
