What Do Pamela Anderson, Britney Spears and Christine O'Donnell Have in Common?

A few weeks back, I revealed myself to be the humorless, politically correct parent that I am, complaining about the gender roles represented by?Lego’s new line of Minifigures.? My complaint: Of the sixteen Minifigures, the only two that were women were a?Cheerleader and a?Nurse. Ever the earnest parent, I hope?my daughter can imagine herself creating a life beyond these stereotypical roles.? And I hope the boys she grows up with will also understand that their female friends can aspire to so much more.
I’m not debating whether this is profit-maximizing.? I’m asking that Lego take a bit more responsibility for how they shape our young ‘uns.
Well, Lego has just released?Series 2 of their Minifigures. This time, we get three out of sixteen female characters.? That’s an improvement, but only just.? And the three female Minifigures?? We now learn that women can also be?a big-chested red-swimsuit-wearing lifeguard, a?bedazzled midriff-bearing pop star, or?a witch.? When I think of strong and powerful women I would hope my daughter could learn from, I wasn’t just thinking about?Pamela Anderson,?Britney Spears, or?Christine O’Donnell.