Column: It’s a good time to be a woman in LEGO and Formula 1
Women have been a growing demographic for both the LEGO Group and Formula 1 and how the brands have responded has been a pleasant surprise.
Both LEGO and Formula 1 as hobbies might typically be thought of as male-dominated – and perhaps they still are. However, what they also share is a rising number of female fans, something that has surely not been missed by the people behind the newly-announced partnership between the two brands.
While the press release announcing the new multi-year collaboration between the LEGO Group and Formula 1 focused on diversity in terms of ages, both brands have independently acknowledged the rising number of women in their customer base over the years.
In an interview with the BBC, the LEGO Group’s CEO Niels B. Christiansen said: “I don’t think we can characterise [adult builders] as being one type. We’ve always had AFOLs, or ‘Adult Fans of LEGO’. Probably historically, it’s been weighted towards male consumers. But that’s changing. A lot of women are now building LEGO sets.”
Similarly, multiple team principals, from Mercedes’ Toto Wolff to Redbull’s Christian Horner have alluded to a rising number of female fans among their teams and Formula 1 at large.
“F1 is bringing in a whole new generation,” Horner said in an interview with talkSPORT. “It’s bringing in a lot of young girls because of all these good-looking drivers.”
While that comment from Horner is quite reductive, reducing female interest in a sport to an unrealistically simplistic point, the power of female fans is rising. As a woman who considers herself a fan of both LEGO and Formula 1, coming to both fairly recently in the post-pandemic era, it’s especially exciting to see two brands that I care about put careful thought into how they can appeal to women.
It’s not just about turning everything pink
Looking at the LEGO Group first, there are some sets that are clearly geared more towards women or, at the very least, people who are new to LEGO. It’s clear that LEGO has been a typically male-dominated hobby but that is changing, in no small part thanks to incredibly successful sub-themes like the Botanical Collection and new IPs like Wednesday and Wicked. LEGO Art has also been a growing success over the last few years, offering aesthetic sets that can be easily integrated into homes that might not have a dedicated LEGO room or an ongoing display shelf.
There’s clearly thought going into what new types of people LEGO sets can appeal to – and it’s working. The adult LEGO market continues to grow and, as Niels B. Christiansen himself said, that includes a growing number of women. In the same way, Formula 1 as a brand hasn’t promoted dumbed-down explanations or started forcing teams to race in pink but has instead catered to more diverse fans in thought-out ways.
For example, drivers are engaging with fans on social media more than ever, a space that is typically female-dominated. Pew Research Center reports that women are more likely to be active on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, the very platforms that Formula 1 drivers are most active on as well.
It’s a smart business choice if nothing else. Forbes estimates that women are responsible for 85% of the consumer spending market and labels them as influential in bringing others on board as well. It’s a win for me, in getting spaces in both my hobbies that are geared towards me, and it’s a win for the companies, as I’m more likely to spend a lot more money with them over time.
It shouldn’t be a pleasant surprise to see brands both recognise women as a growing audience and respond to it without relying on gendered cliches. Yes, some women might like brick-built flowers – but the LEGO Group isn’t only relying on the Botanical Collection to appeal to non-male builders. Sure, some women might like Formula 1 because of the good-looking drivers – but Formula 1 is offering plenty more to female fans to keep their interest.
All in all, it feels good to be a women in both of these communities right now – and will surely be even better when they join forces in 2025.
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- I write about all the very best fandoms – and that means LEGO, of course. Spending so much time looking at and talking about LEGO sets is dangerous for my bank balance, but the LEGO shelves are thriving. You win some, you lose some.
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