Comments on: Bookstore Says: Dads Read, Moms Like Pretty Things

By: Spiderpigmom

Spiderpigmom — Mon, 12 May 2014 18:25:00 +0000

Not quite; I don’t see “the God argument” or “Why does the world exist” ever being marketed for Mother’s Day. Or even whiskey stones, for that matter (as a mother with an interest for scientific and religious matters who likes her single malt neat, I deplore it).If these were considered “neutral”, they’d stand a chance to be part of the offering for women, but I don’t see it happening.

By: Roisin Bonner

Roisin Bonner — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:55:00 +0000

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for posting and letting us know how we can do better. We’re
definitely paying attention to what you’ve told us. As Canada’s largest
bookseller, we believe all books are for all people regardless of gender, race,
age or religion.

During gifting occasions, we’ve found that themes and collections are effective in helping people find in-store recommendations. We did offer a
number of different Mother’s Day displays – in addition to the one pictured, we offered book tables as well featuring literature, business leaders & more.
Along these same lines, our Father’s Day offering included fun toys, decor items, gadgets & cookbooks as well as the display pictured.

This is not to downplay your message – we understand your perspective and from your images posted of this particular table we see how you’ve drawn your conclusion. We absolutely got the message about the use of gender stereotypes in how we organize our occasion themes and are working with
our teams to address it.

Thanks again for your feedback,

Roisin Bonner
Social Media Manager
Indigo Books & Music Inc.

By: CKB

CKB — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:17:00 +0000

No, no, Sociological Images ripped two snapshots out of any kind of context, and that must be the last word on how Chapters markets to men and women. Also, we are to read stationery as a commentary on women’s supposedly blank minds, or something.

By: IndigoGirl

IndigoGirl — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:35:00 +0000

Actually it really is Chapters. I work there. You can see a bright blue standing wheelie fixture in the background of the image, which is proprietary to our stores. I can see why you’re confused though–our stores do look a great deal like B&N stores.

And yes, we do have “Books for Mom” too, just as we have non-book gifts for Dad. They are still often very gendered (Dad gifts include bbq tools, whiskey rocks, etc, and Mom books include plenty of Jodi Picoult) but it is pretty much the same as what you’ve described at B&N.

By: bkbuyer

bkbuyer — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 02:27:00 +0000

As a book buyer for a bookstore I call baloney on this. Any book store is going to try to sell their products – books and gifts – to their customers, especially when an excuse for gift-giving like mother’s day comes around.

Like Barnes and Nobles Chapters is a big chain that almost certainly has Mother’s Day display determined centrally.
Here were there Mom’s day recommends form the Chapter’s facebooks page:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151350751686364&set=a.136061696363.118427.33808471363&type=1&theater

By: FrmrBooksellr

FrmrBooksellr — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 15:19:00 +0000

All pardons, but the top image is clearly from Barnes & Noble. The layout, the sign holder, the shelving is all B&N standard. The bottom image, however is not. B&N does a pretty nice “Books For Mom” display just like they do for dads, and it’s chosen by corporate for all stores in the country to create uniformity, so they all have it gracing the front entryway close to the appropriate parental holiday. I mean, the dads are pretty much limited to books on finance, history, and sports, whereas the moms get romance, mystery, and diet books… which is still pretty disturbing… but it’s not so extreme as books for men, flowery pink stationery for women. I guess my point is, you can’t call foul if these pics aren’t even from the same store.

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By: Louisa

Louisa — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 04:41:00 +0000

Scary part is that Chapters/Indigo is owned by a woman! However the stores are slowly removing books and replacing them with other things: teapots, vases, pillows, terrarium kits, stuffed animals and the like. Yuck. Probably doesn’t help that I buy my books online, huh?

By: Felonious Grammar

Felonious Grammar — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

It says women are bodies to be adorned and that’s what they want to be, and men read because men are thinkers.

By: Felonious Grammar

Felonious Grammar — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:56:00 +0000

Perhaps it was a Freudian slip, because in a sense, serious gifts for father, and flowery gifts for mother is seemingly unmovable and un-moving— a convention that persists and insists for no other reason than because the giving of gifts is an industry based more on quarterly returns that rely more on volume (volume, volume), than on imagination or inspiration.

Children should be encouraged to know more about their parents and choose gifts considerately for THEIR parent(s)— not one or more archetypes.

Christmas is the hottest of gender hell, though. That young girl having the meltdown in the big box store over everything “for girls” being pink, is my hero. She recognized that boys and girls can like whatever colors they like and would like more of a selection. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling pink is an affront on so many levels.

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:16:00 +0000

Actually, I think most of those ARE general interest books. I was looking for Someone Could Get Hurt by Drew Magary. It’s like the perfect Fathers Day book (look at the description on Amazon). It was nowhere near the Fathers Day display.

By: FeministDisney

FeministDisney — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:07:00 +0000

mmmm I can see your point about how marketing for women usually differentiates from the neutral, but that means there would be a ton of neutral objects similarly appropriate? And it doesn’t explain why women got no books marketed to them (or for them, rather, mother’s day)… in a book store?? That is definitely a gendered impression of interest that goes beyond what they have in stock because if it was *just* an issue of men-defined-as-the-standard we would’ve seen general interest books for dad, only shopping/romance/cooking books for mom.

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 22:52:00 +0000

I agree this is deeply sexist, but I think your reading of it is partly off. More a case where women are marked while men are neutral. Books for dad because…[clerk looks around for something at the bookstore that might appeal to men, decides on books because it’s what they have]

By: Elena

Elena — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 19:50:00 +0000

Don't forget, men read important stuff like politics and religion and metaphysics and books about great men. Manly men. Doing manly things. Being important. Hurrr durr. Lately I've been snarking at the list of best-selling ebooks at online retailers (say: Amazon). Invariably, one third to half of the entries are erotica for women. I guess pink candles is more PG than a pile of 50 Shades of Grey knockoffs.

By: Vadim McNab

Vadim McNab — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 18:46:00 +0000

But women like pretty things….