If you know me at all, then you know that I am unashamed to admit that I still play with toys at twenty years old. I collect toys just as much as I actually play with them. It is one of my hobbies. However, what I find very upsetting is the lack of my favorite female characters in the toy department.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was released in December 2015, and I expected many toys featuring the main protagonist, Rey, however I was very disappointed to only have found a Rey action figure in the "boys" toy department this past weekend in May 2016. Perhaps it was just my local Walmart's fault that I did not have this product earlier, but I searched multiple retailers, and most of them did not have a single toy featuring this kick-ass female character. This is a common theme within the "boys" toy department, and to be frank, it makes me quite upset that there is a lack of female characters in toys of that sort.

Staying with the example of Rey, even director J.J. Abrams spoke out against the lack of toys featuring her. Abrams quoted that:

I wish I had more details about merchandising and the schedule,” he said. “I’m learning things as you are. I will say that it seems preposterous and wrong that the main character of the movie is not well represented in what is clearly a huge piece of the Star Wars world in terms of merchandizing. […] I read that she wasn’t in the Monopoly game and was quickly making phone calls about this because if it were true — and it is true, and now Hasbro, of course, has said they’re going to put Rey in — it doesn’t quite make sense why she wouldn’t be there. She’s somewhat important in the story. (Natalie Abrams, Entertainment Weekly).

Rey is the main character! Seriously, I loved the new protagonist just as much as the antagonist, Kylo Ren. I mean, it took an outbreak of upset fans to get Rey put into Monopoly! That is super ridiculous, and it gets worse as more female characters start having key roles in films that are "more suitable" for boys.

I know that I am a nerd, and I do not like "girly" sort of things, but I do love comic books. Superhero movies are one of my favorite genres, but I am still seeing the same things when I want toys and collectables as I did with Rey. There is a significant lack of female superhero toys, when there is an abundance of female superheroes. I just do not understand as to why there is this lack.

Are producers afraid that boys are going to want to play with a Wonder Woman action figure? Is it because we cannot teach boys that women are not sexual objects, and that is perfectly fine to play a game as a female character? Is it because you do not want girls are not supposed to play with action figures, but instead play with dolls that represent western standards of beauty?

I am just trying to figure out why to play with a figure of Black Widow, I would have to buy the $60 bundle of action figures. Also, I would like to know why I cannot get a Scarlet Witch action figure, or Wonder Woman, or Harley Quinn. The sexism in the toy department is a lot worse than I have realized.

However I do have to give a shoutout to Marvel. Marvel has a subscribtion box called Collector's Corps (It is totally the bomb if you love Funko products like I do), and the next box is titled "Women of Power". Its contents are nothing but items of kick-ass superwomen in the Marvel universe, and I cannot be more thrilled. Finally some recognition for the ladies!

In the end, things are not going to change unless we start making it known that the lack of female charcters in toys are truly upsetting. Fans have proved that it works by getting a remake of the Star Wars Monopoly to feature a Rey token. It is possible to change, and I think now is the time to stand up and make change happen.