Teenage Girls And Girls With Pink And Little Boys

When it comes to the social construction of gender, the way toy stores advertise their product play a huge role in the contribution. Sitting on the floor looking at the Walmart toy selection, I noticed a few things that I never really paid close attention to before. First, when did the colors pink and blue become a tool used as a gender binary? Second, why does it seem to be a pattern of the professions that the toy emulate in regards to each gender? Third, what does this all mean?

Characteristics such as these mentioned can be seen in toys determining so much about a toys identity and what they represent. Studies have shown that these qualities also have an immense effect on what audience or gender group interacts with the toys along with the overall marketing of toys. A partnered experiment run by the departments of psychology at The University of Cambridge and The University of Hong Kong observed toddlers playing with two gender-typical toys, once in gender-typical colors and once in gender typical colors (Wong and Hines). These assessments occurred twice, for four minute periods, at two different age groups that included twenty to forty months of age and twenty-six to forty-seven months of age (Wong and Hines). After, results between sex and toy choice along with sex and color were collected. It was found that “Boys played more with the train than girls did and girls played more with the doll and with pink toys than boys did” (Wong and Hines). At both time collections, boys and girls combined played more with the gender-atypical toy when its color was typical for their sex than when it was not (Wong and Hines). After reviewing the results, it is suggested that once children develop gender-typical color preferences, they begin to influence their toy preferences, especially those for gender-atypical toys and

The toy section at Target had many clear differences in the toys for boys and the toys for girls. The types of toys that were out on the shelves were different, but also the way the toys were presented were different. Girls toys mainly consisted of stuffed animals, dress up clothes, babies and dolls including Bratz, Barbies and fairies. The primary colors of all these toys consisted of different shades of purple, pink, and white. There were bits of blue and yellow but it seemed that all the colors stood out and had a type of feminine aspect to them. Besides color, the girl’s toys were often soft and fuzzy or

By looking through each aisle, I was able to determine what toys were presented for each age specific gender. The infant and toddler toys started off with not much difference and were gender neutral for the most part. They were even in the same aisle. The toys were generally plush animals, entertainment puzzles, and simple objects. As the ages moved up to pre-school there was more difference in what toys were for boys and what toys were for girls. The toys for boys were more vehicles while the girl toys were more play scenarios. This fit the description given in the textbook that, “by the time they are 12 to 18 months old, girls prefer…dolls, cooking sets, dress-up clothes, and soft toys, whereas boys choose vehicles, sports equipment, and tools (Etaugh & Bridges p 77).” Though the toys were varied, they still remained in the same aisle. The major separation of girl and boy toys began with the young school age kids. The girls’ section was focused on dress up, Barbies, and My Little Pony, whereas the boys’

The first thing that I noticed is that there are both girls and boys playing with the toy in the commercial. Both genders have equal parts, and both are seen making and playing with the slime. The first scene is actually a black girl playing with the slime. Also, they had a boy playing with pink slime and a girl playing with green slime. This toy was definitely created and marketed with a modern mindset. The creators broke gender socialization and made an inclusive toy for all kids. As I was searching for a toy online, it was very blatant that there are girl toys and there are boy toys. If you click on ‘categories’ there are: top rated, boy’s toys, girl’s toys, age, brand, and character. If you click on ‘age’ then its shows from birth to 11 years are girl toys, yet none of the pictures shown are educationally or merit

Toys play a major role in socializing young kinds into “appropriate” gender roles. The first obvious characteristic that separates toys for boys and toys for girls,

We as a people should care about gender specific toys because play is an important part of a child’s life. Toys give children a sense of belonging, and help them to decide how they will behave, how they will dress, and how they will play with other kids. Each toy has a way of helping children to learn, whether it is by growing their muscle memory, teaching them special skills, or helping them to solve difficult problems. The problem isn’t the toys themselves but it is the division of the toys, between the girls section and the boys, the colors, and the misconception that boys and girls should only play with certain types of toys, and they must be distinct for both sexes. The boys and girls sections are divided by the

By giving children blue or pink toys we aren’t just emphasising their gender –moreover determining which skills they will develop. Toys aren’t just toys! They are

I remember getting excited when I received a toy doll that came with diapers and accessories to care for when I turned 4. I was the only child at the time but somehow I knew how to care for the inanimate object, maybe from TV shows or from seeing how the women around me cared for their child. The toy section was almost like the equivalent to heaven for kids, walking down the girls’ toy section I was surrounded by toys imitating kitchen objects, there were many versions of baby dolls and the color pink flooded the isle, whether it were pink dresses or the pink vacuum cleaner. On the other side of the isle I saw soccer balls, Lego blocks and toy cars targeted for boys. Growing up, I realized the toy industry that targets the stereotypes of a gender was a sample of the gender roles that are expected to be followed in some cultures; and clearly the representation of a woman is one that does domestic work and has concern over their appearance.

Gender socialization often begins early once parents are shown the sex of their child; from then on, baby showers are planned according to gender “appropriate” colors, which are often pink for girls and blue for boys. Even differences in how children are spoke to can be picked up easily in Western cultures. Girls are called pretty and sweet, whereas boys are handsome and strong. Ultimately, the way children learn to identify with their gender culture is in part due to not only family and friends, media, schools, and religion, but also from the toys that may inexplicitly advertise gender expectations. Gender-typed toys may be bought for children as a way for parents to encourage and reinforce gender-appropriate behaviors. However, recent debates have engulfed toy manufacturers and major retailers, which has brought about changes in toy design and marketing in an effort to make reflect more realistic and gender neutral options.

Faris Abukhdeir SOC 2110-001 Professor Thomas October 15th 2014 A Toy’s Story The theoretical perspective that I have identified and explained is the functionalist perspective. The definition states that society itself is interdependent so that each part contributes positively to the functioning of the whole and to social order. Functionalism is a macro level theory.

Throughout the review of literature, the view of the researcher has varied based on the types of play and the toys that children perceive to be based on one specific gender. Usually toys are either perceived as being associated with girls or boys, and rarely both. Miller (1987) found that when he experimented with 50 toys, 41 of them were rated as either boys’ or girls’ toys, and not suitable for mixed genders (Blakemore and Centers, 2005).

For years children’s toys have always been segregated, with it being overtly clear that the blue and more physical action type toys are marketed at a young male audience, while the pretty pink domestic style toys such as kitchens and babies are aimed at little girls. But has this always been the case? Are toy manufacturers stuck in less modern times when a man would go out and work and a women would keep the house respectable? Are children’s toys what’s holding us back from achieving complete gender equality? Through research, surveys, interviews and making my own observations in local retail stores this investigation looks at the prominence of gender differences and stereotypes in children’s toys and their marketing today and comparing that

Children are exposed to toys from as soon as a couple months of age. Parents and family usually decides which toys are appropriate for each child, usually based on gender. Children are able to distinguish which toys are appropriate for them even when they aren’t exposed to them. I am going to review three ways in which children decide which toys are best for them by color and theme, social and parental expectations, and what they see on television as gender appropriate guidance.

In today’s society, people can notice that there are a gender inequality differences between boy and girls toys. During my observation, the color of the packages shows the gender differences. “ … marketers design, package, and promote toys that highlight and reinforce gender differences. Linn (2008) stated that ‘the toy packaged in blues are for boys and seem to be dominated by toys promoting some kind of violence. The girls’ toys are packaged in