LEWISHAM: Anti-pink group wants Christmas boycott of Early Learning Centre

Fairy wings, princess dresses and even pink globes of the world are all on the hitlist of Lewisham-based group Pinkstinks.

The group wants a boycott of Early Learning Centre, claiming it is one of the worst offenders on the high street when it comes to the “pinkification” of girls’ toys.

Organisers, backed by Lewisham East MP Bridget Prentice, say there is a huge gulf between the types of toys available for boys and girls.

Co-founder Emma Moore, 38, a mother of two girls, said: “Ask yourself what we want girls and boys to learn from an early age. Is it that pink, passive and pretty is for girls and that blue, bold and challenging is for boys?

“Since the early 1990s manufacturers and retailers of children’s products have fabricated restrictive boundaries of what it is to be a girl in today's society.

“As a result body image obsession begins younger and younger and beauty is valued over brains.”

Ms Moore founded the group with her twin sister Abi, a mother of two boys, after comparing the products available for their children on the high street.

Now the group, which has 2,000 supporters on social networking website Facebook, is targeting Early Learning Centre due to its size and philosophy, which claims to be about helping children be all they can be.

Ms Moore said: “Over the last 15 years or so there’s been a neon pink signpost out there we’ve all been happy to follow. It needs to change.

“We want Early Learning Centre to put its money where its mouth is and to really start encouraging our daughters to be active and happy children instead of passive and preening princesses.”

A spokesman for the shopping chain said: “Come down to Early Learning Centre and see for yourself the huge range of toys in an assortment of colours.

“Customers can choose a red kitchen, a blue kitchen, a blue cash register, a yellow dollhouse or a gorgeous farm.”