🌈 Putting Individual Needs Before Gender Stereotypes

💛 What if a toy were simply… a toy?

In a world where gender stereotypes are still everywhere, MYUM believes in another vision of childhood: one where play is free, inclusive, and open to everyone.

Toys are not simply objects of entertainment. They play a role in a child’s development, nurturing their imagination and potentially influencing their choices, learning, and aspirations.

When toys are too systematically associated with a particular gender, they can also contribute to limiting the possibilities available to children.

At MYUM, we believe that a child should be able to choose a toy simply because they like it. 🧸

No pink reserved for girls.
No blue reserved for boys.
No predefined rules.

🎨 Pink, Blue… and All the Colors of Nature

The association of pink with girls and blue with boys, now deeply rooted in our society, has not always existed.

Historically, these colors were not so strictly associated with gender.

🌸 Pink could be worn by men. The famous portrait of Henri IV dressed in pink is one example. At the time, pink inherited the symbolism of red, a color associated with power and strength.

💙 Blue, meanwhile, was associated with the Virgin Mary, a quintessentially female figure. It later became a royal color in France before gradually becoming associated with the masculine world.

Pink for girls, blue for boys: this cultural assumption has not always been a given.

Today, reinforced by advertising and marketing, this distinction still influences the choices adults make when buying toys for children.

🥕 Nature Knows No Such Rules

At MYUM, we prefer to look to Nature.

🥕 An orange carrot
🌸 A pink radish
💜 A purple turnip
🫛 Little green peas…

Nature offers us an infinite variety of colors, shapes, and possibilities.

This is the richness we want to share through our VEGGY TOYS.

Our little crocheted fruits and vegetables invite children to explore, imagine, and play freely, without being confined by expectations linked to their gender.

🌱 Because a vegetable garden has no gender.
And neither does play.

🧸 Joy Concept Store: Another Way of Thinking About Toys

As part of our reflection on inclusion and diversity, we wanted to give the floor to Joy Concept Store, a shop that shares this vision of a freer and more inclusive world for children.

Its founder tells us why she chose to champion gender-neutral toys and how she sees their role in children’s development.

💬 Why Choose Gender-Neutral Toys?

MYUM: Could you tell us about the philosophy behind Joy Concept Store and what led you to specialize in gender-neutral toys?

JOY: The concept behind Joy Concept Store is to create a playful, colorful, and joyful world that goes beyond the gender stereotypes that are still very present in childhood.

I chose to mainly offer gender-neutral toys because I believe that gender stereotypes contribute to reproducing certain inequalities between women and men, particularly through education.

I believe it is essential to question these stereotypes from an early age in order to encourage greater equality in the long term.

Toys are not only there to entertain. They also allow children to learn, experiment, and develop.

It therefore seems essential to me not to limit children in their choices of play.

Girls are still often encouraged toward role-playing games, while boys are more likely to be encouraged toward construction toys.

Books also play an important role in shaping children’s imagination. But they too can convey highly gendered representations: the princess for girls, the superhero for boys…

💛 Every child should be free to explore what attracts them, without having to conform to a label.

🚧 Stereotypes: Still Barriers We Need to Overcome

MYUM: What are the challenges and benefits of offering gender-neutral toys?

JOY: The main benefit is allowing children to play freely, without feeling that certain activities are forbidden to them or reserved for them based on their gender.

This allows them to explore more possibilities, develop their imagination, and discover their own interests.

But there are also some forms of resistance, particularly among adults.

“They’re going to think it goes against Nature.”

These reactions are sometimes reinforced by our everyday environment.

Even the most ordinary products are still often divided into categories for men and women.

“If you want to buy shower gel, there are men’s and women’s sections!”

In perfume stores too, these codes remain very present: woody and intense scents for men, fruity or vanilla fragrances for women.

Breaking away from these habits therefore requires a shift in mindset and learning to question what we consider “normal.”

🌱 What If We Put the Child Before the Stereotypes?

MYUM: How can gender-neutral toys contribute to children’s positive development?

JOY:

💛 “We need to place children’s individual needs at the heart of our concerns.”

Rather than trying to make children fit society’s expectations, we should allow them to discover who they are, what they like, and what interests them.

Every child is unique.

They should not be considered an extension of their parents, but as individuals in their own right, with their own tastes, personalities, and desires.

This begins with listening. Asking a child what they like, what interests them, and what they would like to play with helps build a relationship based on trust and respect.

🌈 There’s More to Life Than Pink and Blue!

“There’s more to life than pink and blue!”

There is an infinite variety of colors, shapes, and styles.

By broadening our perspective, we also broaden the possibilities available to children.

🎨 More colors.
🧸 More choices.
🌱 More freedom.

And above all: more space to be themselves.

🌍 Helping the Toy Industry Evolve

MYUM: What impact do you hope Joy Concept Store will have on the toy industry in the future?

JOY: I hope Joy Concept Store can help change mindsets, among parents, within the education system, and across the toy industry.

My goal is to encourage companies to adopt a more responsible approach that is more focused on children’s real needs.

Consumers also have a role to play.

By choosing to support companies that share their values, they can help drive change throughout an entire industry.

I therefore hope that Joy Concept Store can contribute to a broader movement encouraging brands to rethink their products and practices around essential values:

🌈 Inclusivity
🌱 Diversity
🧸 Freedom of Choice
💛 Respect for the Child

✨ A “Breath of Fresh Air” in the World of Toys

MYUM: How have parents and children responded to your selection of gender-neutral toys?

JOY: The shop has now been open for five years, and I am happy to see that the feedback has generally been very positive.

We have built a loyal customer base that appreciates being able to discover a selection of gender-neutral toys and find a space where children can explore freely.

Some parents even describe it as “a breath of fresh air.”

Of course, outside this customer base, I have also encountered some more negative reactions. Some people still quickly associate gender-neutral toys with issues that have nothing to do with play or education.

This shows just how deeply rooted certain prejudices remain.

“We are like being inside a mold that is very superficial.”

This personal realization is also what pushed me to create the shop. I began wondering why so many men and women conform to the gender norms that surround us, and above all, what impact this kind of education can have on future generations.

💚 At MYUM, We Choose to Break Out of the Mold.

Because a toy has no gender.

🥕 An orange carrot.
🌸 A pink radish.
💜 A purple turnip.
🫛 Little green peas.

They can all belong to every child.

Because the most important thing is not whether a toy is “for a girl” or “for a boy.”

💛 The most important thing is whether the child likes it.

What if we simply started there? 🌱

💚 And Yet, Let’s Not Forget the Joy of a Gift Chosen Just for Them

🎁 And What About the Joy of a Personalized Gift?

Choosing a gift based on a baby’s sex can also be a beautiful moment of sharing. Knowing the baby’s sex, celebrating their arrival, and carefully choosing a gift especially for them are all part of the joy of celebrating a birth.

The idea is not to eliminate these traditions or deny this joy, but simply to remember that they should not define a child’s tastes, personality, or possibilities as they grow.

A gift can be chosen for a little girl or a little boy, while still leaving the child free to choose what reflects who they are. 💛