There have been major changes in popular culture ever since more and more people have been participating in the feminist dialogue. From film industries making more female-centric content, stories of powerful women being told in ‘fairy tale’ books, Barbie dolls being made more inclusive of all cultures and sizes, we have witnessed a more “equal” approach.
However, the popular board game ‘Monopoly’ tried making a new ‘feminist’ version of the game and completely messed up. The new version paid female players more money than men and this has sparked massive outrage online.
According to sources, in the game, female players will receive £240 (Rs. 21K) for passing go, while males will only receive £200 (Rs. 17K). Hasbro, the company responsible for the new edition of the popular board game, claimed that it released ‘Ms. Monopoly’ to celebrate women empowerment.
In addition to that, a female mascot replaced the “white moustached, top-hatted male mascot” which previously appeared on top of the box of the game. Also, instead of buying property, players could buy “shapewear” and chocolate chip cookies.
In an official statement issued by Hasbro, they said “It’s a fun new take on the game that creates a world where women have an advantage often enjoyed by men.”
Another area where Hasbro attracted a lot of criticism is that the concept of ‘Monopoly’ was invented by a woman named Elizabeth Magie who wanted to educate players on capitalism. According to reports, the entire credit of the game goes to Charles Darrow, who sold the game to Parker Brothers in 1935.
“I think if Hasbro was serious about women’s empowerment, they could start by admitting that a woman invented the game,” said Mary Pilon, a former reporter for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and the author of The Monopolists, a 2015 history of the board game.
The game has drawn a significant amount of flak online. People went on to point out how Hasbro has got the concept of “feminism” completely wrong and that it doesn’t mean giving women “preferential treatment and free handouts”.
So I guess this progressive new Monopoly-take is that women can’t win without preferential treatment and handouts? Way to be feminist. https://t.co/HYqd2iK588
— Annika H Rothstein (@truthandfiction) September 10, 2019
Ffs this is just fueling anti-feminists bc it’s helping to ‘prove’ their point that we want power over men rather than equalism. Also.. no we don’t want an extra 40 monopoly bucks hun we want equal pay, adversed stereotypes, an end to child brides, better treatment of women in https://t.co/WCQUSCoTov
— iz (@issy_felicity) September 13, 2019
Hasbro's attempt to tout Ms. Monopoly as a feminist move, while ignoring a woman's role in inventing the game, seems hypocritical at best. https://t.co/2GVHVzcWza
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) September 11, 2019
shit like this is why feminism has a weird rep amongst young people. we don't want female monopoly characters, we want equal rights. we want every gender treated equally to one another. this just seems unnecessary and like a pisstake towards the work actual feminists do. https://t.co/3bXz4sQYQ7
— mii ★ ¹³¹² (@hansbians) September 11, 2019
I love this! I think the joke here is that women need a handout or they can’t compete against men. It’s designed to mock feminists.
A real feminist Monopoly game would give men the extra $40 to highlight inequality with the gender wage gap. https://t.co/cAdgVnRNsP
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) September 10, 2019
Great. Let’s build a mentality that women aren’t equal to men and need a leg up to compete with them. This isn’t patronizing at all.
— Stop Making Sense (@Talkinghead2017) September 10, 2019
Every man who says this isn’t equality and it’s sexist are absolutely correct BUT they’re missing the point. This has been happening in real life for a long time but it’s men who’ve been getting the extra 40$ for doing nothing other than passing go.
— Rob Herman ☠️ (@BobCNatra) September 10, 2019
Let's fight for equality by making things not equal
— RoonKolos 🏳️🌈 BringMeToLife.mp4 (@RoonKolos) September 10, 2019
So basically this game gives women a "handicap" as though they were mentally challenged to even out the playing field… how progressive
— Valdamar (@ramadlav) September 11, 2019
Maybe we as a society could just start with giving credit to the woman who invented the game, Lizzie Magie, and listen to her original lessons instead https://t.co/uvOWtI0sm4
— Brooke Binkowski (@brooklynmarie) September 11, 2019
Mass distribution of a game which tries sending a completely inaccurate message about feminism is nothing but toxic. What is your take on this? Let us know!