Ranty Friday — Stereotyping

Ranty Friday is back baby.   Not with a bang but more with a grrrrrrr.   It didn’t feel right that my first post of the year would be a Ranty Friday so I skipped last week.

And to be honest I didn’t have anything in mind until we went to B&Q at the weekend.

 

C had hardly got her car off the drive en route to her new flat before Christmas before J had “baggsied” her room and planned a whole redecoration.   Out with the purple and in with the … er… black.   Yes, black carpet is on order and we have managed to steer him away from the black walls in favour of cream (or Antique White, cream was £10 a tin, Antique White was £18.  He is his mother’s son) with lots of black accessories.    Though we did have  a lot of fun suggesting he might become a troglodyte.  That might even be my new favourite word.

And as an aside do you have any idea how bloody hard it is to shop for paint with somebody who is colour blind?

“What about this shade of grey?”

“That isn’t grey”

“Yes it is”

“It looks green”

Anyway…. sorry… I have gone off on a tangent.

Whilst in B&Q and standing idly at the check out I spotted the gift cards above.    Notice a problem?

Dad cards only?

Where is anything for mum?  Or in fact “DIY Single Lady Who Is Quite Capable Of Doing Her Own Home Repairs”?

Yes there are some with “well done” or “thanks” on them but if we are going to have dad why cant we have mum?

Why do we have to have a DIY Dad card at all?  It’s stereotyping.  And downright sexist.

There was a lot made in the press recently about Sports Direct selling a pink cleaning kit aimed at girls.   Why aren’t people jumping up and down about this then?

It drives me mad the idea that DIY is only ever done by men

And it is therefore the first of this year’s Ranty Fridays

 

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  • In this house a B&Q card would go down better with Mum on than Dad – I would love a gift card for B&Q especially for ME!

  • applause from here! Hate it! and why do Dad things always have to have golf clubs, or racing cars on? don’t Dad’s enjoy other things too!

  • same goes with technology. Why oh why do people (well er men) think that only men can do technology, understand the gas boiler, the electrics, the computer, wifi and so on? My husband has absolutely no clue when it comes to technology, bless him. He is learning fast (we are in the 21st century) but why do they insist on talking to him to only see him physically glaze over, whilst I am frothing at the mouth?

  • Yes, that is sexist. I suspect the majority of shoppers haven’t noticed this but it’s ridiculous. There are so many stores in the UK that are still living in the 1950’s. So many activities now are aimed at both men and women, yet we are still forced to allow our children to grow up in a very sexist society.

  • It’s taking things back 60yrs, where men did the men’s work and women stayed in the kitchen, I have just seen kinder eggs, do you want a pink one or blue one???

  • LOL! I do ALL the DIY in my house, this sort of stuff makes me SO angry!! GRRRR!!

  • We asked for B&Q vouchers for our wedding as we had just bought a house. I do most of the DIY too!

  • I know exactly how hard it is to shop with someone who is colour blind, lol, my husband is. I saw a lovely beige three piece suite but my husband insisted it was green and he hates green. At least the new silver grey paint we bought for the living room didn’t look pink to him for once (he gets grey and pink confused easily) 😀

  • Just for the record – and to wave the flag! – the vice-captain of Wilmslow HC ladies’ 1st XI is a civil engineer who builds bridges for roads and railways.

    Generally however I support the thoughts and answers above. (I know my place!)

  • Oh I am absolutely outraged now too, how on earth, Block and Quayle I am disgusted by this!!!!!! I am not averse to the odd bit of DIY, in fact I feel a trip to the local and a word in the Manager’s ear may be in the offing!

  • Too right! Although… I have to say… Dare i admit it… I haven’t a clue about anything DIY and even have to get my husband to put pictures up. I’ve currently been waiting since before Christmas for the last lot to take their space on the all so perhaps it’s about time I learned! 🙂

  • My husband is forbidden to do the DIY, he’s an accident waiting to happen. You know though, that if they did a ‘Mum’ card or even a ‘for her’ card it would be pink? Why not just have a range of ‘For You’ cards and some ‘Thank you’ or ‘Good Luck’ in a range of colours?