High fives for everyone in Sweden (and maybe a couple for Top Toy, too).

Sweden has just added one more reason to the ever growing list to move out of this narrow minded dump we call New Zealand and high tail it to the happiest country in the world that sounds like a vegetable. The general emphasis in Sweden towards gender equality has forced one of social progression's biggest foe to get their shit together...advertising.

Just yesterday Top Toy, a Swedish toy company, released their Christmas catalogue with complete gender reversal on all the pictured products. Everything from the pink aisle was being played with by boys while girls sported Nerf guns and really expensive pretend ride on lawn mowers. While I personally think that simply reversing gender is by no means the end of the battle for equality, this catalogue is a huge step forward in an industry that clings desperately to outdated gendered stereotypes in order to rake in the cash.

This image made me poop my feminist dungarees in excitement!

It's pretty important to remind ourselves at this point that Top Toy doesn't give two figs about gender equality (even if it is Swedish). The fact that their Denmark catalogue doesn't venture one iota from the status quo is testimony to this. Top Toy doesn't care if boys or girls play with barbies or tractors, as long as their parents are willing to shell out their hard earned credit to buy their kids plastic crap several times a year. But before you run crying to your bed, hugging yourself close to your pillow as you mourn your lost friendship with Top Toy's marketing department, consider this: the fact that Top Toy doesn't particularly care about amending gender norms while doing it any way is a huge testimony to the power of social dissatisfaction. Sweden cried, and complained, and wailed and bitched and moaned about how crappy gender stereotypes are, and after crying and complaining and wailing and bitching for long enough, loud enough, finally, some marketing research team realised that the old formula just wasn't going to cut the mustard in Sweden this year. And the great Top Toy gender-fuck catalogue was born.

This gives me much hope for the future children of New Zealand (except for my kids. My kids are going to play with carboard boxes and sticks, like the good old days).