Alena Butzbach, Stereotypes begin with birth, Rattan and macramé yarn, 2023
Girls wear pink - boys wear blue
Especially when it comes to children's toys, gender segregation is ingrained in us from an early age: for example, stereotypes that dolls are only for girls, or footballs are only for boys. These norms need to be challenged, because girls should be allowed to play with footballs and boys with dolls. That's why I decided to create a toy that shapes us all from the beginning: a mobile. Created to be gender neutral.
It is made of the natural material rattan, which is traditionally used in many different cultures for basket weaving. However, it can be used to create abstract forms as well as representational ones. Macramé yarn was used to support the mobile. Both materials have neutral colours, which underlines the gender neutrality. In addition, this toy is unusually not made of plastic. The child's relationship to nature is strengthened.
Alena Butzbach is studying Art at Augsburg University.