Toys And Gender Stereotypes

Strolling through a local toy store, the Barbie section is noticeably the most prominent, attention grabbing section of the entire store. With bright pink packaging and bubbly cartoon depictions of the smiling doll with the aid of big, swoopy, cursive lettering, the Barbie boxes match the stereotypical idea of femininity. It is almost inevitable that any little girl in the store will be drawn to the doll. These characteristics of Barbie’s packaging already set a preset for the doll’s propaganda. The bright color choices and feminine font creates the assumption that the dolls are solely meant for girls and that women are expected to accept pink as the color of their gender. Already, with just the packaging, children are affected because they learn that pink is meant for girls. Because Barbie is such a huge brand and she is everywhere all over the world, a universal assumption has been made that Barbie dolls are meant for girls. This then leads into the next issue Barbie creates for little girls.

1. Provide an analysis of the Mattel Barbie brand. What factors shape perceptions of the brand in the eyes of parents and young girls? Barbie was billed as “a shapely teenage fashion model,” and made her first appearance at the American Toy Fair in New York City and soon became a hit. (http://www.brandchannel.com/features_profile.asp?pr_id=160) Barbie was then and still is a popular doll for young girls. In the beginning she was popular because she was the 3D version of the very popular paper dolls, with interchangeable clothing and accessories. Today she is still very popular and probably for the same reasons; you can buy a variety of different dolls with different ethnicities, different

Young girls playing with Bratz dolls is not an ideal situation because the doll teaches them how to make themselves look more sexualized. This plastic doll is only six inches in length, much shorter then it’s competitor Barbie, but it still holds much more impact on a child. With very voluminous hair and outrageous makeup such as eyeshadow, lipstick, and mascara, little girls are being exposed to something that they should not have to experience until they are in their teens. The dolls lead young girls to think

Young girls have been playing with Barbie dolls since the dolls inception at the American International Toy Fair in New York. Recently, researchers have been skeptical on whether the dolls have an effect on the self-image of girls who play with them. In order to determine if Barbies have an impact on young-girls self-concept, clinicians have carried out several studies where they monitor the interaction between the young girls and the famous figurine. From these experiments, scientists concluded that Barbies can have a bearing on a girls self-image, making the consumers who buy the doll more aware of the issue Barbie

Toys play an important role in childhood development as children learn roles and skills from playing. As a result, the toys children are subjected to have an affect on which roles, interests, and skills are learned and practiced. Through Lego’s product Duplo, I will demonstrate the influence particular gendered toys have on children and their performance of traditional gender roles. Gender, which is a learned performance, is something society has been taught from a very early age and toy advertising has played a significant role in reinforcing the performance. One tradition that is reinforced and naturalized by society is the ideology of a male dominated society, representing strong characteristics of heterosexuality and masculinity; also known as hegemonic masculinity. Therefore, using Ideological Criticism, I will analyze how through the branding and design of Lego’s Duplo toys, children have been constructed to do gender differently, ultimately perpetuating and reinforcing hegemonic masculinity.

Motz’s asserts that the dolls give young girls the power the essentially be anything they wanted to be though they “reflect traditional, outdated roles for women”. The Barbie doll gives young women the idea that life can be spent with leisure without much effort. Considering the dolls have a different outfit for every task/event and portray a life of luxury, even while working or going to school. Motz’s says that the dolls are a symbol for modern American success which emphasizes “wealth, beauty, popularity and leisure”. The message these dolls convey negatively impact the identities of American women.

When you walk into the toy section of any store, you do not need a sign to indicate which section is the girls’ side and which section is the boys’ side. Aside from all the pink, purple, and other pastel colors that fill the shelves on the girls’ side, the glitter sticks out a lot as well. The boys’ toys however are mostly dark colors – blue, black, red, gray, or dark green. The colors typically used on either side are very stereotypical in themselves.

Why have America's perceptions of Barbie changed since 1959? Introduction //summary of the entire paper Barbie is a well-known doll from Mattel that has achieved worldwide fame in its lifetime of over 50 years(Barbiemedia.com, 2009). Its impact has been commented on by many professionals both economically as well as its impact on society mentally.

I really think it’s unnecessary I mean I don’t really think it matters what toy a boy a girl plays with they are all toys and both boy and girl will be exposed to both kinds of toy. If a girl wants to play with trucks she can if a boy wants to play with a Barbie doll that fine as well. I don’t think by making certain toys specifically for girls and boy changes anything. Doesn’t mean if a boy plays with a doll he will be more feminine. I do dislike it because I feel the toy industry in the way they market toy is just trying to shape a child and stereotyping what a child should play with which makes no sense to me because a toy is a toy. Toys are meant to be played with not to stereotype a child on what toys they should play with.

The purpose of the project is to explore how gender differentiation is all around us even in minor things that involuntarily participate in our lives such as toys in a store which makes us start thinking about how humans psychologically react against gender differentiation in a way that makes them apply it to minor things such as toys arrangement for specific genders. This project is aimed to make us know how psychology is studied by giving us an example of the human complex thinking such as arranging toys according to gender.

When considering how any product is sold, the desires of the consumer are always considered first. The toy industry is no different. It is quite obvious that boy and girl toys are meant for one gender or the other. There are also different characteristics to the gender-stereotyped toys for each group. Toys that are meant for boys are usually more aggressive and have high activity and toys meant for girls are usually more sit-down and play toys.

Everyone knows the name Barbie. You’d be hard pressed to walk into a house of young children and not find Barbies laying around complete with all of her accessories; especially in the late 90’s or early millennium. Mattel, and more so Barbie herself, are easily household names worldwide. It’s an easy assumption that every young girl only wants Barbie dolls in her playroom, but maybe not for the right reasons. There has been controversy over Barbie since her introduction.

In the aforementioned scenario, the educator notes her observations of children’s behaviour when popular culture toys and figures are incorporated into play. While the boys within the classroom are perceived to behave more vigorously, forcibly and loud whilst playing with action figures, girls are observed as placid and submissive subsequent to their play with Barbie dolls and ponies. This leads to educator to ponder on the effects popular culture has on the development of a child’s gender identity.

Young people of today look to society for influences in how they should look and act. Children are influenced daily by television, Internet and video games, friends, and even the toys they play with. Boys grow up wanting to be like the superheroes and G.I. Joe figures they play with; girls look to their Barbies and dolls to see how society mandates teens and young adults to be. Bratz dolls are also among those Barbie-type toys that girls are looking up to these days. Bratz dolls are similar to Barbie in form; however, Bratz are more fashionable and “hip” than the traditional blonde-haired, blue-eyed Barbie. In fact, the more fashionable and “hip” the dolls become, the more negative the image becomes that they exude. The outrageous clothing

Barbie, at the age of 41, is one of the longest living toys in America. Analyzing her early history can give a person a look into the societal trends and culture of the late 1950's and early 1960's. There is evidence of fashion innovations in Barbie's wardrobe. Also, one can see the perception of females by society, such as what they should look like, how they should act and dress, as well as what their future goals could be. The following essay follows Barbie's history from 1959 to 1963, covering her development, her appeal to children, and her existence as a cultural artifact of the time period.