As a child I coveted Barbie dolls. I had a Rubbermaid container slightly bigger than a shoebox that I filled to the brim with the dolls, their little plastic shoes and Velcro-backed clothes.

I owned a Barbie car, an airplane and a townhouse, not to mention countless Polly Pockets, Bratz and My Scene dolls. Making subpar cakes in my Easy-Bake Oven was one of my favorite pastimes. I was a fan of any stereotypically “girl” toy or activity. I loved those toys, and I still do. I’m filled with nostalgia when I see them. But I’m pretty certain that if I had been born male, I would not have been allowed to play with a single one, because society would have frowned upon it pretty strongly if I had.

I am all for boys having tea parties and girls crashing trucks together. Because no, playing with dolls will not make boys gay (though just as it shouldn’t matter what they play with, it shouldn’t matter who they love when they’re older) and wielding Nerf guns won’t make girls distasteful tomboys. I believe that if a toy makes children laugh and have fun, they can play with it to their heart’s content. Like the online campaign “Let Toys Be Toys,” however, I also support making and marketing toys that are completely gender neutral.

Parents in the United Kingdom kickstarted “Let Toys Be Toys” with the goal of getting the toy industry to stop viewing boys and girls as though they are of different species; to quit packaging toys in their respective pink or blue cardboard, labeling store sections as “girl toys” and “boy toys,” and to quit coming out with “girl” toys that are identical to pre-existing “boy” toys, or vice versa. One example out of many is the Lego Friends line, which are Legos for girls. Because, apparently, girls would lose interest in the myriad of possibilities that come with the classic yellow, green, blue, red, white and black blocks.

The fight for breaking gender roles isn’t only limited to children’s toys; it’s spreading to kids’ clothing as well. Two Washington D.C. mothers are trying to get their clothing line called Princess Awesome, which includes dresses featuring math symbols and construction trucks, off the ground. Two more women in Seattle want to launch their buddingSTEM clothing line, which has girls’ clothing with spaceships and dinosaurs on it. While it’d be nice to get rid of the boy or girl labels altogether, these are positive steps in the right direction.

Of course, this isn’t the first time people have fought for gender neutrality. A 1970s ABC special called “Free to Be… You and Me” used songs, poems and sketches to break down gender norms and included a song called “William Wants a Doll.” It’s disheartening to think about how our culture has drifted away from this ideal, and that boys’ toys still promote dominance and strength while girls’ toys promote fashion and beauty.

I want these campaigns, these ideas, to keep going further. I want to see the next generation of kids play with any toys they like and dress any way they like without anyone blinking an eye. And I would love to see this trend continue as children get older, so one day, just maybe, teenage girls won’t be labeled “fake geek girls” if they love video games and teenage boys won’t be viewed skeptically if they dislike sports and enjoy fashion.

While I’m not a parent, I’ll happily join the ones mentioned above in their quest for breaking down gender norms.

Jamie Bernard can be reached at bern2479@stthomas.edu.