Star Wars for girls? Why not?

It’s been a long week, pals. A major shift in priorities took place as soon as my 3-year-old got hit with Type A flu. My week has rightfully revolved around dishing out unlimited top-shelf mom cuddles while pushing rest and fluids. Everything else had to be put on my “To-Do But Later” list including updating my blog. Yes, that is really the name of one of my many lists (I’m a realist).

So as I sit beside my little one, she asks if she can play with her brother’s Star Wars toys in between awful fits of a hacking cough. I love how she enjoys super-girly pretend play but can shift gears and go ninja using Elsa’s icy magic as her brother yields a lightsaber. She will just as easily sit in front of her dollhouse and create an intense rescue involving her Disney princess dolls who are all under attack by Darth Vader and his gang of Dark Side figures.

I am thankful that my son can be seen playing with her princess toys and she can be found playing intensely with his Star Wars toys. While her room is pink, her favorite color is pink, and she really loves pink, it is really okay that she plays with primary-colored toys rather than all pink and complimentary pastel-colored toys. I’m not sure why toy manufacturers seem to think that kids need an immediate distinction by color of what they should be playing with.

I luckily found this awesome Hanna Andersson pajama set on sale! I have never come across any clothing for girls with Darth Vader and appreciate that Hanna Andersson “gets” that Star Wars can appeal to girls too AND it doesn’t have to be Princess Leia.

Love me some Hanna Andersson

I’m sure marketing geniuses have done tons of research and test groups on what appeals to little girls vs boys, but what if we tossed that all aside and just let kids learn through play without worrying about what gender the toy is geared towards? Maybe this is a stretch, but my optimistic side wonders if we let little humans explore more freely through play, perhaps it would trickle down into their tiny developing brains and influence the way they view the world. Maybe our little humans could grow and see beyond color, beyond gender, and feel comfortable with the boundless possibilities in life.