When you think of areas in our society that need special attention with respect to addressing sexism, the toy-making industry would probably be the last thing you would think of. At least, it was for me until I gave into the pop-culture trend of POP figurines and ordered one of my favorite fictional characters, Agent Carter. For anyone who’s been living in a ditch for the past 5 years or so who has no idea who Agent Carter is, she is a character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) who founded S.H.I.E.L.D and who plays an integral part in Captain America’s success in fighting off Hydra. She’s one of the few current female characters in the thematic MCU, and her character became so popular that she received her own TV show on ABC.
The TV show was unbelievably empowering and relevant, delving deeper into Peggy’s character and addressing the frustratingly common misconception that “feminism” is equivalent to “man-hating”. Some of my favorite quotes from the series include, “I know my value. Anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter." and when someone asks her “What’s your name darling?” and she replies, “Agent.” Furthermore, Agent Carter doesn’t give up when she is symbolically demoted from agent to secretary after the end of WW2. Instead, she listens to her gut and does what she knows to be right, and works her way back to being respected and treated as an agent.
Considering all of this, it is ridiculous and outrageous that her POP figurine can’t stand on its own. The day it came in the mail, I was so excited to have this powerful reminder of strength and resilience in my room, only to take out of its box and out of the plastic mold and watch it fall over as soon as I took my hand off. To take such a feminist and non-sexualized icon and role model for women in a male-dominated, over-sexualized superhero industry, and make it so that she can’t even stand on her own, is to take away the very thing that empowers her and sets her apart. Even more so, it sends the wrong message about what even the strongest of female action characters are and aren't capable of.
The sad (and slightly horrifying) part of this phenomenon is that it isn’t just occurring with “adult” toys, it’s happening with the toys our children play with. Toys like Micky and Donald stand in wider positions, have big feet, and have “tough” and “masculine” facial expressions, whereas Minnie and Daisy are in more closed off and narrow positions, have small feet and can barely stand, and have more petite and gentle facial expressions. This is even more dangerous because the brain is rapidly developing and forming conscious and subconscious opinions at this time, and the environment and things children interact with having a profound influence on their development. Therefore, no matter how much we try and fight sexism, there’s only so much we can do once it becomes ingrained in a child's mind that their idols at the time (i.e Micky or Minnie Mouse) stand and physically act and look a certain way that they will want to match, thus subconsciously perpetuating gender stereotypes. I have yet to purchase another POP figurine, and it shouldn't be hard to see why. Any company that perpetuates sexism through unnecessarily gendered and stereotyped methods is not a company I want to support, especially when it happens to a fictional character that means so much to me and countless other people (women and men alike).
