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Set Review: 3183 Stephanie's Cool Convertible


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How is the controversy "stupid?" It's a perfectly relevant argument, and your dismissal of its significance is extremely "stupid." And for your information, I (and the rest of us in the campaign to bring it down) never said it was simplified or pre-assembled or whatever; We thought it stereotyped enormously, which, in our opinion (which is looked down upon very rudely around here), it does.

The controversy is stupid because the arguments behind it are stupid. There is nothing wrong with girls and boys liking pink, "stereotypically girly" things. This line is NOT aimed at ALL girls, or even just girls. It is also not the only line for girls. They are LEGO sets for the girls and boys who would usually buy Barbies, Princesses, and other things, of which there is nothing wrong. TLG has said outright that they welcome parents to buy any set from any line for children, boys or girls. You are the one who is making gender claims, not me, not TLG. You are the one claiming that girls can't like engineering, fashion design, veterinary medicine, etc. That's pretty insulting of you to say. These girls are all successful business women. There is nothing insulting about that at all.And yeah, your opinion is looked down on. Because it's wrong! Period. Exclamation mark.
You know what? I've been real nice and polite to you for the past months as you've dismissed my arguments, made false claims of their irrelevance, and even insulted me. And I'm sick of it. I'm going to say this really straightforwardly, and if anyone gets upset, you've insulted me first. Your complete disregard for someone else's perfectly relevant argument, to the point of being personally insulting, is what's wrong, and stupid, here. Your complete lack of knowledge to this entire is extremely stupid . You claim that I'm the only one making this claim, but as you stupidly were too lazy to do any research beforehand, you missed the extremely obvious fact that a widespread campaign exists on the web to take Lego Friends down. You stupidly think this is because I don't want women to be successful. I'll have you know that I'm against this because of the enormous stereotype of women's fashion/beauty obsession, and a very sexist association of the color pink with girls. If they mixed some "masculine" colors in with these and maybe mixed some "feminine" colors in with the "boy" sets, I'd be fine with it. Finally, you extremely stupidly dismiss this entire claim as being wrong, solely based on your personal views. So on a Lego Discussion Forum, I can no longer even state my own opinion? No wonder everybody (save the few hundred active members) hates this site. I think your entire post was stupid, and wrong....I think I was pretty polite, all things considered.
No, I have been real nice and polite to you as you have called both me and my friends and co-workers variants of "controlling", "over-bearing", "brainwashers", "rude", "hostile", "overly-strict", "mean-spirited", etc. And then you were almost entirely told, by both actions, and the expressions of your BZPower peers, that you were wrong.I am dismissing your arguments because they are factually wrong and irrelevant. And because I'm tired of hearing you repeat the same boring tripe over and over.But first:I am well aware of the campaign on the Internet to cease TLG's production of the Friends line. This campaign is also factually wrong. I have done extensive research on the subject, not just on TLG's line (which you would see if you -read- the review), but also on gender theory and identity, as well as through gender stereotypes and the like. I'm studying to be a counselor who specializes in children's psychological development. I'm going to guess that you aren't. So you probably haven't seen the studies I have. Which is fair. A lot of people haven't. But hey, guess what, these are facts:- Boys and girls tend to play and associate their play differently- Boys and girls are not interchangeable- Some aspects of gender and sexual identity are ingrained- Most gender stereotypes are not- The biggest impact on children and their development of gender roles in their society is based off of their parents.- Not the media.- Not the culture.- Not the toys they play with- But based almost an absurdly large amount on their parents, and the roles they play in the household- That means even the views the parents say don't affect the adolescent perception so much as what the parents actually do- There is nothing wrong with fashion- There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a fashion designer (and my friend Nikki who just graduated with a degree in fashion design and works for a large clothing designer in Dallas now is making a lot more money than I am, doing something she loves)- Saying that it is wrong for TLG to create sets that appeal to that demographic is insulting to those that actively pursue and enjoy that demographic- LEGO Friends has a multitude of roles for women in their line-up, and they are all empowering.There is nothing sexist about saying that these sets will sell, because the demand is very high for them. Why? Because people want strong building sets that can be enjoyed by a different demographic than the one that LEGO usually markets to. There is nothing sexist about saying that some girls like pink, that some girls like fashion, that some girls like princesses and magic and all of those things put together. What is insulting, and this is what TLG has explicitly condemned, is the idea that these sets are only for girls, or that these are the only sets for girls. You are the one saying that it is wrong for TLG to tap into a new market. You are the one saying that these are going to ruin girls. You are the one saying that these are the only sets for girls. You are the one saying that these rolemodels are bad for women (because professional women who own their own businesses and do what they love and focus on relationships with their friends are bad? Seriously?). You are the one blatantly insulting women. You seem to think that the girls out there who actually like pink, who actually like engineering robots, who actually like fashion, who actually like animals, who actually like their friends, etc, that these girls are not real women.And that's bull. Complete and utter bull.And it's repugnant. And it's insulting.If girls or boys out there don't think the Friends sets appeal to them, then they can look at one of the numerous other lines TLG produces. Most of them are geared towards young boys. But that doesn't mean that young girls can't enjoy them too, and TLG has stated that they are hoping to expand their product base to be more inclusive (though it's easy for us to forget that if TLG hadn't shifted it's focus to "mostly boys" that it wouldn't have survived as a company). This is the first step. The more people, girls or boys, we have building with LEGO, the better. It's a joyful toy. It's a fun toy. It's a constructive toy. It's a great toy for learning. These are all good things.

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Oh, my god... the widespread campaign is because other people think LEGO FRIENDS IS SEXIST! I knew nothing of any (major) controversy surrounding the sets' complexity. Obviously I can't say what I will anymore without someone completely dismissing the possible relevance of my opinion whatsoever, so, yes, I can't state my opinion. And, in case you haven't noticed, the number of active BZPower members has dropped from several thousand to several hundred.

Thank you, BZPower staff. In the past, I wish I showed more appreciation for all that you do. From one Bionicle fan to another, thank you.

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Oh, my god... the widespread campaign is because other people think LEGO FRIENDS IS SEXIST! I knew nothing of any (major) controversy surrounding the sets' complexity. Obviously I can't say what I will anymore without someone completely dismissing the possible relevance of my opinion whatsoever, so, yes, I can't state my opinion. And, in case you haven't noticed, the number of active BZPower members has dropped from several thousand to several hundred.

Then you haven't actually researched the campaign, because they stated that "LEGO Friends sets are composed of pre-assembled sets from larger parts. Does LEGO not even think girls can build like boys"? They said it on the Today Show.

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Oh, my god... the widespread campaign is because other people think LEGO FRIENDS IS SEXIST! I knew nothing of any (major) controversy surrounding the sets' complexity. Obviously I can't say what I will anymore without someone completely dismissing the possible relevance of my opinion whatsoever, so, yes, I can't state my opinion. And, in case you haven't noticed, the number of active BZPower members has dropped from several thousand to several hundred.

So what's sexist about it? The fact that it has pink and other "softer" colors compared to the bolder colors of most other LEGO themes? I fail to see how that's any more sexist than the use of the bolder "Metru" colors in the 2004-2006 BIONICLE sets. TLG could have colored the Friends sets puke-brown if they wanted to avoid sexism entirely, but that would also be avoiding sales entirely. As it is, a lot of girls TLG is targeting with the Friends theme happen to like pink, and there's no reason they shouldn't.Is it sexist that the characters are mostly girls? Again, this is to ensure that girls will actually buy the product, just like the overwhelming majority of male characters in most boy-oriented themes including BIONICLE. Kids tend to buy sets with characters they can identify with.Is it sexist that there happen to be some sets concerned with fashion/beauty? To say there shoudn't be any sets with this type of theme is to say that girls should not have this as an interest, which is quite insulting to the many girls who happen to legitimately enjoy these sorts of things.I can't claim to have remotely as much expertise in this field as DeeVee can, and I appreciate his input. TLG has obviously made some concessions by including so-called "stereotypes" in some of the sets. But they didn't just include these things because "conventional wisdom" dictates that these things are appropriate for girls. They included these things because the girls they observed in their anthropological research, and in the market research that surely followed, actually tended to value many of these features.Moreover, not one of the "stereotypes" TLG has supposedly included in their Friends sets is an especially harmful one. Pink and other "softer" colors? Harmless. Set designs that value fashion? Harmless. Figures with more realistic appearances than the traditional minifigure? Harmless. If you can come up with any legitimate problems with the theme I'd love to hear them. But just repeating buzzwords like "sexism" without trying to validate them doesn't help your argument. It just makes it seem like yet another thoughtless criticism based on hearsay and assumptions about what is or isn't appropriate for girls. Assumptions, I might add, that have no more substance than the assumptions that caused gender stereotypes to exist in the first place.There are plenty of potential issues with the Friends theme. No theme is flawless, and any radical change in the status quo has "cons" to go with its "pros". But you've done a remarkably poor job actually naming them.
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Uh...Um...I think BZPower's soul is tainted. Tainted in pink, that is.No offence to anyone, but could we please, please, not just have friend reviews from now on? Perhaps some Star wars, some more Ninjago (I tremendously enjoyed the last two reviews), and other lines as well. I don't want to be greeted by pink. (I have nothing against that color, it's just that i'm tired enough of pinks in members' sigs)I really, really don't want this to become MLP/Friend Zone Power.If you'll excuse me, i'll go hide in RPG, where it's slightly safer. XD

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Uh...Um...I think BZPower's soul is tainted. Tainted in pink, that is.No offence to anyone, but could we please, please, not just have friend reviews from now on? Perhaps some Star wars, some more Ninjago (I tremendously enjoyed the last two reviews), and other lines as well. I don't want to be greeted by pink. (I have nothing against that color, it's just that i'm tired enough of pinks in members' sigs)I really, really don't want this to become MLP/Friend Zone Power.If you'll excuse me, i'll go hide in RPG, where it's slightly safer. XD

I think it's fine for them to review a Friends set every now and then. A little pink won't kill you.

Formerly Lyichir: Rachira of Influence

Aanchir's and Meiko's brother

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Uh...Um...I think BZPower's soul is tainted. Tainted in pink, that is.No offence to anyone, but could we please, please, not just have friend reviews from now on? Perhaps some Star wars, some more Ninjago (I tremendously enjoyed the last two reviews), and other lines as well. I don't want to be greeted by pink. (I have nothing against that color, it's just that i'm tired enough of pinks in members' sigs)I really, really don't want this to become MLP/Friend Zone Power.If you'll excuse me, i'll go hide in RPG, where it's slightly safer. XD

If you don't like the reviews of the Friends sets, you are more than welcome to ignore them. :)There will indeed be more of them.

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Okay, I'm totally sold now. At first I was annoyed at how stereotypical the careers seemed, then I actually saw the sets and felt really tempted (and embarrassed), now I want all of them. Also from this review I have learned that however LEGO chooses to sell to the Little Girl market, they will always win me over in the end. I just can't resist the pink and the purple and the tiny paintbrushes and kittens and cute clothes and pretty hair and miniature bathrooms. Thank you, Pat.- Forever a princess

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I absolutely loved the review (as always), DV. My younger sister actually owns this set, and I am just as confused by the faucet and bucket as you are (and I'm glad to see that I'm not alone :P ). Oh, and I'm always going to call the dog Gilbert Scott from now on. I mean, Waterloo bridge. What could beat that?The Lego Friends line really looks great in general. Even though it's my sister, not me, that's bought some of the sets from this line, I love them too: they're complex and detailed, yet without using too many specialized parts. I may have to buy one or two myself :)And just a note to people, since this is something that seems to be ignored relatively often: Lego did do four years of research to develop the Lego Friends line. They did not just add 'stereotypes' to some building sets. Even if some 'stereotypes' seem present, it's just because that's what the target audience wants, and that's what sells. I fear the day that companies stop making what the people want.And hey, if you don't like it so much? You don't have to buy it. That's your choice.Once again, DV, many thanks for the review. I'll be looking for more Friends reviews in the future! (or any other Lego reviews, honestly)- :t: :n:

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Uh...Um...I think BZPower's soul is tainted. Tainted in pink, that is.No offence to anyone, but could we please, please, not just have friend reviews from now on? Perhaps some Star wars, some more Ninjago (I tremendously enjoyed the last two reviews), and other lines as well. I don't want to be greeted by pink. (I have nothing against that color, it's just that i'm tired enough of pinks in members' sigs)I really, really don't want this to become MLP/Friend Zone Power.If you'll excuse me, i'll go hide in RPG, where it's slightly safer. XD

No, please no Ninjago reviews. Too much red. That color is only for criminals, since red is the color of blood.
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Uh...Um...I think BZPower's soul is tainted. Tainted in pink, that is.No offence to anyone, but could we please, please, not just have friend reviews from now on? Perhaps some Star wars, some more Ninjago (I tremendously enjoyed the last two reviews), and other lines as well. I don't want to be greeted by pink. (I have nothing against that color, it's just that i'm tired enough of pinks in members' sigs)I really, really don't want this to become MLP/Friend Zone Power.If you'll excuse me, i'll go hide in RPG, where it's slightly safer. XD

No, please no Ninjago reviews. Too much red. That color is only for criminals, since red is the color of blood.
Tahu. Run!Anyway, it is not like anyone is taking a poll on which lines members would like to see reviews of sets from. Maybe that poll should be made, but I cannot make it. And nobody is putting a weapon to anyone's head and forcing them to read Ninjago or Friends reviews. I see no cause for alarm...until all we are doing is Friends reviews. Then I will have something to say about it.
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Uh...Um...I think BZPower's soul is tainted. Tainted in pink, that is.No offence to anyone, but could we please, please, not just have friend reviews from now on? Perhaps some Star wars, some more Ninjago (I tremendously enjoyed the last two reviews), and other lines as well. I don't want to be greeted by pink. (I have nothing against that color, it's just that i'm tired enough of pinks in members' sigs)I really, really don't want this to become MLP/Friend Zone Power.If you'll excuse me, i'll go hide in RPG, where it's slightly safer. XD

No, please no Ninjago reviews. Too much red. That color is only for criminals, since red is the color of blood.
But... the main Ninjago color this year is green. :/

Formerly Lyichir: Rachira of Influence

Aanchir's and Meiko's brother

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I won't be picking up this set, because I'll be getting a lot of weird looks if I do.

well, there is always lego.shop.com. my sister loves these sets therefore i get to build them. I like to because i can get my hands on those beautiful aqua and azure colors.

Uh...Um...I think BZPower's soul is tainted. Tainted in pink, that is.No offence to anyone, but could we please, please, not just have friend reviews from now on? Perhaps some Star wars, some more Ninjago (I tremendously enjoyed the last two reviews), and other lines as well. I don't want to be greeted by pink. (I have nothing against that color, it's just that i'm tired enough of pinks in members' sigs)I really, really don't want this to become MLP/Friend Zone Power.If you'll excuse me, i'll go hide in RPG, where it's slightly safer. XD

No, please no Ninjago reviews. Too much red. That color is only for criminals, since red is the color of blood.
just saying, this conversation is sorta pointless. Oh and i agree about the "pink".

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