Women of Western: #wheresrey?

Alyssa Evans For months, the newest Star Wars movie has been in the spotlight. While excitement and praise for the movie has been overwhelming since being released in December, fans have recently taken to social media with the hashtag #WheresRey to discuss an issue relating to the film: the lack of Rey merchandise being sold. Rey, the main protagonist in the film, is a character that both boys and girls can look up to. With determination to do what is right, Rey quickly evolves throughout the movie to embrace her strength and stand up for what she believes in. Monopoly is one example of Rey being underrepresented in Star Wars toys. Hasbro has claimed that Rey was not included within the Star Wars Monopoly game so the plot wouldn’t be revealed to fans, yet is that explanation enough? Some fans believe Hasbro’s explanation is more than enough and that the debate isn’t worth the attention it has received:

The #WheresRey thing is dumb... She's not there because it would be an obvious spoiler. Calm down people.

— Tom Hughes (@TomHyoos) January 5, 2016

While some were frustrated that the #WheresRey issue existed in the first place and were unsatisfied with Hasbro’s explanation:

When marketers exclude female characters, it sends a message loud and clear: girls don't matter. #WheresRey @Disney @HasbroNews #sexism — Kirsten Thompson (@katannthompson) January 5, 2016

Young fans quickly got involved with the #WheresRey debate, urging toy companies to change. One girl spoke up on Youtube: While another girl wrote a letter to Hasbro demanding more representation of female characters, which led to Hasbro making a change in response.

8 yr old asks, How could you leave out Rey in SW Monopoly? @LetToysBeToys @HasbroNews @PigtailPals #WheresRey pic.twitter.com/EnOs56PQE5

— Carrie Goldman (@CarrieMGoldman) January 4, 2016

Dylan Cisneros, a junior at Western majoring in music education with a focus on choral conducting, believes the lack of Rey toys is a result of toy companies only marketing to males and hopes to see change in the future. “They’re marketed toward a young male demographic, so I think because of that they’re not being inclusive of demographics that don’t match their sales target, which ideally they will remedy,” Cisneros said. Arguably one of the biggest issues with the #WheresRey situation is that this is a story that has been told over time. What about Black Widow from The Avengers or Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy? Both are central characters within their movies, yet they are both underrepresented in comparison to their male counterparts.

#WheresRey and its prequels #WhereIsBlackWidow and #WheresGamora, worst trilogy I've ever seen. No, srsly, why is this happening over again? — Lady Stardust (@LadyMireiaC) January 10, 2016

Disney has now announced that a second wave of Star Wars toys will be released and will include Rey. Is that enough or is it too little, too late? What do you think about the #WheresRey debate? What about #WheresBlackWidow or #WheresGamora? Let The Western Front know by using the hashtag #WWUWheresRey.

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