SilvaShado

Women and LEGO: Why we do what we do

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Calling all female LEGO fans! Oh, and men, you can come along too. :wink:

I want to write a blog on The Brick Blogger about what women like the most about LEGO. Take a look at why we do what we do with the hobby of LEGO. So women, please post below what draws you to LEGO, what do you enjoy the most and do you agree or disagree with my perspective.

From my perspective of both my own reasons for playing with LEGO and what I’ve seen of other women, LEGO has two main draws for women. One is the social aspect and two is the story-telling potential.

First, the social. I really enjoy interacting with others around and with LEGO. I think this is a big draw for many other women, too. LEGO is a medium, an activity, in which we gather, discuss, and do. Social groups are a big part in many women’s lives. It probably has something to do with how we’re wired, but all I know is that the women in my local club aren’t as much focused on building with LEGO as discussing and sharing. I kind of see the LEGO club much like a book club or knitting club. A common activity is the key to bringing women together, but after a while, it’s not necessarily the purpose. It’s still an integral part, but it’s not the sole focus.

Second, the story-telling. When it does get to women building with LEGO, I’ve often seen and experienced myself that the focus of building is on the who and the why. Men tend to focus more on the how and the where of a creation. These are generalizations and dangerous ground to tread, but remember I am speaking from my experiences and would love to know what others think. I pull a lot of this from my own building, my husband’s building and what I see of my local club. Men young and old brag of building this or that and how accurate or realistic it is. Women young and old talk more of the characters and the story behind what they’ve built. This goes back to LEGO trying to capture the young female audience by creating a separate line that focuses on role-playing. Whether or not they get the product right, the theory behind it seems sound. Women feel fulfilled with creating stories with their LEGO building.

Now that I’ve presented those two points of view, I want to know what other women think. Are the above true for you? What else do you get out of LEGO? What do you focus on?

Men, feel free to jump in with your experiences and observations as well. It’ll help balance out the perspective if I know whether or not I got it right about the differences between men and women.

Please let me know in your post whether you are okay with me quoting you in my blog. You can say yes or no, but if you do not address it, I will assume you don’t want to be quoted.

Also, I doubt I’m the first person to try to tackle this topic. If anyone knows of any blogs/articles about this, please post a link so I can read them.

Thanks so much for the help!

~Sarah~

p.s. I hope this is the right place to post this. If not, I'm sure a moderator will move it and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Edited by SilvaShado

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Hi,

speaking for my daughter (7 years old).

She likes the Ninjago theme. I asked her if she would also collect another theme, short anwer: "No."

She likes the minifigures and what you do with them (eg take of ninjamask and give hair, change legs, etc)

She liks the building process (but technic parts a little less).

She made peace between the Ninja's and Skeletons.... so they can all get a drink at Kai's café....

yes you read that well. :laugh:

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LOL! Ninjago, huh? That is really sweet! I'm amazed how popular Ninjago is with kids! I do like the Asian buildings, the spinners, the dragons, the minifigs and the game aspect of it. But I can't relate to the vehicles. How they fit into the story. But the kids I hang out with totally get it! And love it! Maybe I'm getting too old! :laugh:

Hi,

speaking for my daughter (7 years old).

She likes the Ninjago theme. I asked her if she would also collect another theme, short anwer: "No."

She likes the minifigures and what you do with them (eg take of ninjamask and give hair, change legs, etc)

She liks the building process (but technic parts a little less).

She made peace between the Ninja's and Skeletons.... so they can all get a drink at Kai's café....

yes you read that well. :laugh:

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Sarah, great and complex topic! There is also an Eurobricks Ladies Group around here somewhere. I have no idea how to get to it, but I do see an icon under some of the female member's IDs stating that they belong to the Eurobricks Ladies group and they also have nice pink star below their ID with LADIES written next to it. :blush:

The only thing I have found on it is this post: Girls, Stand Up! This is where you can request a pink star! :laugh:

Anyhow, I'm guessing members of this group would be happy to contribute to your research! :wink:

Also, here is the link to the first part of your post at theBrickBlogger: The World of Female LEGO Fans - PART 1

Wishing you the best with your research!

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I have found an interesting article published today on Fast Copmpany Magazine's website (I guess the topic of girls-boys-&-LEGO is in the air!) that references LEGO as the archeticipal boy-toy.

I couldn't help but write a post about it, referencing the original article:

The World of Female LEGO Fans - PART 2

What do you, gals, think? :look:

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Hey Sarah,

it's great that you are interested in women and Lego! Why don't you ask for a pink star in the thread linked above and discuss with the ladies in die Ladies Lounge? I'm sure you'll find lots of answers there!

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