Breaking the Génoise Ceiling
I don’t normally go in for gender politics, but the recent announcement by Hasbro that they’ll be making a gender-neutral Easy Bake Oven has me fist-pumping over my keyboard. Way to go, gang! Speaking from my own experience teaching after-school baking classes to grade schoolers, there’s definitely a market. A little first grade fellow I met this term is the best student I have! Too bad we have to wait until February!
I was watching Antique Roadshow (I know, don’t give me a hard time) the other night, and some woman had a child’s tea set given to her by her parents, and after hearing the value, of course said she was giving it to the little girl she hoped to have one day. The appraiser replied that if she had a boy instead she could give it to him too. HA! Both my parents cooked. I thought all dads cooked.
Rather begs the question of why pink is seen as girl-specific. It wasn’t always so. I knew it was recent, but not how recent until looking in Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink
Yay Hasbro! Many years ago they offered a “monster” version and my son had that one because he doesn’t do pink or purple ha! But it was more about making gooky stuff so it didn’t hold his interest… instead he used the real oven and the fake oven was a good hiding place for his gameboy. H
Fist pumping for an Easy Bake Oven…definitely a visual. 🙂 I agree it is long overdue. Sadly I can’t say all the machismo that got pumped into The Food Channel was necessary–Bobby Flay and a few others were male enough for my taste. But anything that helps kids feel there are no limitations or gender issues with cooking or shop class (I always wanted to take shop) is a good thing. Should I send you the book I found on a closeout table for your use when you get one? I’ve never decided if it was time with my great-niece. Maybe she will get one for Christmas. Up until now hers has been more imagination with a play kitchen which is cool too. Thanks for the heads-up…and that great image. 🙂
I wanted one when I was a boy but my mom said no. Instead she taught me how to bake in a real oven, from scratch. I think it may have been that the whole package was just too expensive for our limited budget. But I never felt bad about not having it as mom had me making cakes and cookies from scratch. I saw & tasted the results of easy bake at friends houses and actually was glad I didn’t get one.
Still, if it lights the joy of baking to some young boy good on it and him.
Strange… I had one in the 80s/90s (born in 85) And I can say for certain that it was NOT pink. I ended up just eating the “unbaked” mixes in the end though.