For those who haven't seen it yet, feast your eyes on one of the finest examples of the actual American gender war.

This war isn't fought over reproductive rights or the patriarchy, but it is instead being fought over what it means to be a boy and what it means to be a girl.

Toy companies have come under immense fire recently as the world grapples with the horrifying (to some) or logical (to others) idea that boys can play with Barbie dolls and girls can play with Hot Wheels. So let me say this explicitly:

Girls can play with Hot Wheels and G.I. Joe's, and boys can play with Barbies and Easy-Bake ovens (do they still have those?) if they so choose.

Now some argue that it will confuse children. Really? Ladies and gentlemen, there are male cheerleaders. There are female football stars. There are male ballet dancers and even female engineers. There are girls who play in the mud, and there are boys who cry. The truth is that people of both genders have been breaking gender norms for YEARS, and something tells me that it hasn't caused them to question their gender.

Others argue that it could turn children, specifically boys, "gay." First off, I'm about 99 percent sure that's not how that works. Second of all, gender and sexuality are unrelated, so let's put that one to bed.

So here I am, talking about how cool this Barbie commercial is, but that's not exactly how I feel. I'm saddened that it's a big deal, actually.

Why did it throw us for a loop when a boy popped up in the commercial? It is 2015, and that kind of thing should not be shocking to us. Now some of my friends have said they didn't even notice it when they watched the video, which is admirable. I can assume that is what progress looks like. Actual progress, not that thing that people (like Congress and the President) call progress.

I previously used the term "gender war." In the news media today, such a term is considered a buzz word that riles up conservatives and liberals alike.

As it should.

We as a country need to come to terms with the fact that the old-fashioned ideas of what it means to male and what it means to female no longer are conducive to open and compassionate society in the 21st century. Now, this doesn't mean that all old-fashioned ideas are outdated and should be tossed aside into history, but the idea of gender norms definitely should.

Now, if you follow what our society currently sets as "normal" gender roles, you aren't wrong. You aren't incorrect. That doesn't make you unsupportive of the movement to end gender norms. You should never be shamed for doing what you love and for being someone you can love, just as you should never put anyone down for the doing the same.

We've come a long way, America, but we still have a ways to go. Love more, accept all as they come, and do what you love.

Happy Holidays to all!