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The Impact Of Media On Gender Socialization Essay

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The splitting of products into two genders stemmed from fiscally conscious businesses; those who had two products to sell to different people made more money than those who sold only gender neutral clothing, razors, and drinks. In modern times, almost everything in the media and in advertisements is biased based on gender. Ads for fragrance are no longer equitable; they are for cologne and perfume separately. As the businesses made money, a latent consequence arose. Those who grew in the days of binary gender products and segregated items became socialized to fit what was advertised. Boys targeted by monster truck commercials became conditioned to believe that they could only play with monster trucks and should compete with their friend’s monster trucks. Girls became conditioned to believe that dollhouses and horses were the only toy for them. These influences from the media have affected gender socialization, relationships, and expectations throughout the life course of almost every American. Out of four advertisements chosen, two are distinctly for women and two are distinctly for men. It is easy to identify which is which, as everyone has experienced these social expectations that the ads are founded on. For example, the male ad, titled Nivea for Men, is most easily identified as such due to the man used as the model. However, this is not the average male in American society- this is the idealized version that men have become accustomed to viewing, and is therefore
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