Author Talk: Jodi Bondi Norgaard's "More Than a Doll"

Join Tomorrow Bookstore for an author conversation about how creating a line of sports dolls and the underpinnings of Norgaard's narrative revealed the toy industry's reluctance to break from status quo, and how our patriarchal culture perpetuates gender roles and sexism. Copies of More Than a Doll:How Creating a Sports Doll Turned into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes will be available for purchase and signing.

Tickets are free but we encourage a $10 donation per attendee or the purchase of a copy of the author's book from Tomorrow Bookstore. This helps us to continue bringing you great literary programming while making sure authors are paid and independent bookstores are sustainable.

About More Than a Doll: How Creating a Sports Doll Turned into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes:Can gender stereotypes in childhood be more destructive than our culture perceives and stand in the way of gender equality?

When Jodi Bondi Norgaard, an experienced entrepreneur, attempted to shake-up the toy industry with a sports doll that appeals to today's more athletic, adventurous girls, she came to realize the roadblocks to success weren't only reluctant toy buyers, but a patriarchal culture that perpetuates gender roles and sexism. More Than a Doll is about her mission to break gender stereotypes and challenge the status quo.

Through illuminating testimonials, data, research, interviews, and cultural observations, readers will come away with clear examples of the dangers of early gender stereotyping and how we continue to fail to see the harm.

After all: "It's just a toy." "It's just a t-shirt." "It's just a show."

Norgaard is sounding the siren that gender inequality doesn't begin in our teens, it begins the moment a child can hold a toy or book or watch a screen. The programing starts early, and the impact is lifelong.

About Jodi Bondi Norgaard: Jodi Bondi Norgaard is an entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker, feminist advocate, and an expert in creating change and breaking gender stereotypes. She is the author of More Than A Doll: How Creating a Sports Doll Turned into a Fight to End Gender Stereotypes, which connects the dots from sexualized dolls, to the subtle damage inflicted on girls’ confidence, to implicit biases we hold about gender, to decisions we make as adults that prevent true gender equity.

Jodi is the founder of Dream Big Toy Company and the creator of the award-winning Go! Go! Sports Girls line of dolls, books, and apps for girls encouraging healthy and active play over beauty and body image. She is an activist pushing media and retail to do a better job portraying women and girls beyond stereotypes.

In 2016, Jodi was invited by The White House under the Obama administration to participate in conferences on breaking down gender stereotypes in media and toys. In 2021, she was asked by The White House to be part of its groundbreaking Gender Policy Council under the Biden administration and collaborates on policy as it relates to children’s toys, content, and publishing.

She has been featured on national media including The Today Show, Forbes, Upworthy, Parents, Shape, Self, Runner’s World, Advertising Age, Good Housekeeping, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Huffington Post. In 2016, she was named by Women’s Running as one of 20 Women Who Are Changing the Sport of Running and the World. She is a contributor to Ms. Magazine.

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