Love it and Shove it - Sim style

[strangetomato]

I have a gripe, but I also brought along something I like to balance it out. I'll start with the bad, then end with the good (like sugar after the medicine).

I've been enjoying the glimpse at Sims 3, but I've been turned off in a big way by the new heap of gender stereotyping and the fact that sims wish specifically for a male or female baby. I'm really hoping there's also a "don't give a shit" option.

 

And also that someone makes a mod to remove the blue/pink blankets or make them purple or bright red or anything other than the two gendered colours. 'Cause, you know, it's so important to know the gender of a baby. Otherwise, how would you know whether to say the baby is pretty or smart or strong or... and so on and so on. *gags*

(An image can be found in this GoS thread - just as an example, of course. My gripe is obviously with the game, not the player.)

But, lest I jump to conclusions, maybe this is just one of many options and we can now change the outfits of babies? I'm just making assumptions, based on the baby gender wants. *crosses fingers* Dear EAxis, please change this before the game is released. Oh, who am I kidding?

Now for the good, to wash that bitter taste from my mouth: the Late to the Party - Short Hair for Men mesh by fantasyrogue. This is a brilliant male hair mesh, in my opinion. I LOVE it. To echo my comments on her post at GoS, this really looks more like typical male hair to me (especially those gents who are 30+), which I'm always eager to have more of. I'm in love with the suggestion of a receeding/thinning hairline on this mesh, because so many guys do have that, and I find it endearing.

Comments

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know it's something that people tend to do, but I hate that it's focused on in the game. The sim only gets aspiration (or whatever) points if it's the "right" gender? I'd like to think they'd be happy either way, preference or not.

I don't think knowing the gender of a baby automatically equals making judgment calls on intelligence and whatnot.

Oh, but it really does. People tend to use very different language to talk about boys and girls, even from infancy. Not always, but you'd be amazed at how stumped people are when they don't know the gender.

My boss does diversity training with businesses and career colleges in our area and it's amazing how stumped people are when she shows them a gender neutral baby and asks them what the kid might be when they grow up. The first question is always "is it a boy or a girl?"

I realize that many people don't care about this stuff, but I really do. Why should I care if someone mistakes the gender of my child? It's a person first and the gender shouldn't be that important.

Oh, and don't get me wrong. I LOVE that they get maternity leave. Every woman should have that without consequences too their work (like the current trend towards laying off women who are on mat. leave and blaming the recession for it). I just think that "man"ternity leave would be a nice option too, and also not every woman has the luxury to take that much time off.

At least in Sims 2, they have the option to go to work and hire a nanny. The reality of many single mothers is that they have to work again as soon as possible, and have to rely on childcare. (But access to affordable childcare... *snicker* that's a whole other RL rant right there.)

That said, the option I currently have in Sims 2 to be able to choose that the man stay home instead is the work of a hack, so the fact that it's only given to the mother in Sims 3 doesn't bother me that much, unless it's unmoddable.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

the option I currently have in Sims 2 to be able to choose that the man stay home instead is the work of a hack

Am I being heterosexist again? :P Maybe. The option to pick which parent returns to work would obviously make a lot of sense for same-sex couples too.

[simsinthecity.livejournal.com]

I think that was s_t's point. They ask that question first to determine what they say later on.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yes, that would be correct. ;) If it didn't matter, why would they hesitate? That's entirely the point of the exercise.

[simsinthecity.livejournal.com]

I figured that was why you brought that up.