In June, Ohio mom Abi Bechtel was shopping at Target when she saw something that she did not like. In the toy section, there was a sign that pointed shoppers in one direction for “Building Sets” and in another direction for “Girls’ Building Sets,” implying that boys and girls can’t play with the same toys.

Bechtel tweeted a photo of the sign with the caption, “Don’t do this @Target.” The tweet went viral, and Target just announced that it will no longer use gender-based signs in its stores for anything other than clothing.

In a press release, Target stated, “We never want guests or their families to feel frustrated or limited by the way things are presented. In the past year, guests have raised important questions about a handful of signs in our stores that offer product suggestions based on gender.”

While clothing will still be separated into boys’ and girls’ sections because of sizing and fit, other departments will undergo major renovations. All toys will be located in one place, and the aisles will not have colored backdrops that suggest toys that are appropriate one gender or another. The kids’ bedding department will also be revamped to make it more gender-neutral.

What does all this mean? Instead of focusing on differences between boys and girls, Target is going to make some major changes so that kids can just be kids. If boys want to play with dolls and girls want to drive monster trucks, no sign is going to tell them they can’t. And as girls with dreams much bigger than cooking in a toy kitchen, we are *totally* thrilled about this news.

Target’s press release never mentioned Bechtel’s tweet, but it definitely hinted at changing trends. People are sick of old gender stereotypes, and they want big, powerful companies like Target to get up-to-date. “We heard you, and we agree,” Target said in its announcement. “Right now, our teams are working across the store to identify areas where we can phase out gender-based signage to help strike a better balance.”

The fight for gender equality still has a long way to go, but Target is taking one very big step. Now let’s hope that more stores follow their lead.

What do you think about toys that are "for girls" and toys that are "for boys"? Are you glad Target is taking a stand to say that all toys are for all kids?

Photo credit: Target

POSTED IN In the News, good news