I've taken my dollhouses to display at the Mini Maker Faire for a couple of years now, and I've also displayed some of them in our school library and in the town's public library.
It goes without fail that some person approaches the booth/display, admires the dollhouses, and then makes a remark like "Oh, I love dollhouses, but I only have sons." It's hard for me to resist saying "So?".
First of all, I've seen more than a few boys, and full grown men, stop to admire and even play with, the dollhouses I create. Second, our gender does not determine our interests/hobbies.
These sixth grade boys lingered by my Little Mermaid scene for a while- taking in all the details, and watching how the sound mechanism was activated when they'd open the treasure chest in which it's contained.
I know that dollhouses and miniatures aren't everyone's thing, but assumptions about gender dictating interests (girls like doll- boys like trucks- etc.) are toxic to children and hinder our thinking as adults, not to mention how they hold our society back from a deeper understanding, and acceptance, of the virtual kaleidoscope of possible gender variations.
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