“It’s been difficult, because we know there is a need for products like this. I appreciate what she is trying to do, but I don’t agree with the execution.” – Melissa Atkins Wardy on the GoldieBlox controversy (via Forbes)

“I don’t think women can get away with the partying, beer-drinking, hung-over, truck-driving kind of music that a lot of the guys have gotten away with lately.” – Carrie Underwood (via Billboard)

If you think the music industry is ever any more kind to women than Hollywood is, you’d be sadly mistaken. Carrie Underwood’s comments in a recent issue of Billboard, along with a related column from last year, really got me thinking. The appearance of new female artists across many genres- including, and especially, country- seem to be of smaller number every year. Obviously, less money is being spent on old school A&R, but new male artists don’t seem to have declined in similar numbers.

On the musical flipside, we’ve got GoldieBlox. Yup, that company that ripped off The Beastie Boys, GoldieBlox. The whole situation makes me sad, honestly. It’s sad that there is so little progress degendering toys that we have to latch on to any little thing that seems to promote the tiniest scrap of progress. The company apparently scored with a big Super Bowl ad and, as much as it makes me happy to see girls and women portrayed in a positive context no matter where and when, it sucks that it has to come from a company that has shown absolutely no regard for copyright laws.

I don’t agree with the execution.

For the moment, let’s leave it at that.