What Did The Toys Received Or Played With During Childhood

The things clothes and toys teach children about gender is to behave in a certain way, boys are rough and tough, and can do anything, and girls are polite, beautiful, and they can do some things but not all. Because of the way society has depicted clothes and toys for children, boys learn at an early age that they are the dominate one, builder, the soldier and girls learn to be pretty, more passive and well behaved. In fact, boys and girls clothing and toys can play a significant role in what field of study, or jobs they pursue, and how they perform in society.

Gender and the Media by Rosalind Gill addresses gender stereotypes that are brought onto women and men through the media resulting in objectification and subjectification. Gill discusses how the representation of gender is altered as a result of the media in Western societies. Gender and the Media is aimed to address the rapid transmission of media and how those changes affect the construction of feminine and masculine gender roles in society. Gill uses her interest in the contradictions of gender construction by society, to analyze gender and the media. Using feminism as a backbone for her research, Gill and many commentators support the idea that feminist ideas are common and may even affect the media. Gender and the Media addresses multiple forms of media: postfeminism in advertising, gender in the news and journalism, and gender in magazines. Gild aims to address the construction of gender representations, elements for gender analysis, and feminist culture with Gender and the Media.

     Few toys were aimed equally at both genders. Even board games, while intended for both sexes, usually seemed aimed more towards one gender or another. Both sections had a lot of gender- stereotypical toys. General ideas on girls’ and boys’ behaviors and interests were very prevalent in the toys intended for each gender. After really looking at the toys in both sections it is easy to understand why stereotypical ideas about both genders are so strong since these ideas are introduced at such a young

It’s not a shock to anyone who used social media before or seen magazines, tv shows or billboards and noticed that media represents gender in a stereotypical way. Of the many influences on how we view men and women, media are the most pervasive and one of the most powerful.

From as far back as I can remember, differential gender socialization took place during childhood. Parents taught their children that objects such as dolls and dresses were for girls, while objects like trucks and guns were meant for boys. I remember one time that my female cousin came over to visit and we decided that we want to partake in a battle similar to one the boys conducted when they played. We ended up whipping Legos at each other, which in hindsight was a very dangerous and painful idea, because the Nerf guns were my brothers and girls were not allowed to touch them. These differential gender socializations could continue to be seen in preschool and early grade school years. When allowed free time to play in preschool, girls played with the kitchen set while boys often played with cars or blocks. If a child were to attempt to play in the opposite

Media plays a huge role in creating social norms. There are several forms of media: Press, radio, films, internet and television that are all contributing factors in creating gender roles. Television is probably the most developing medium, with the internet on its heels. Television, with its sitcoms, advertisements and children’s shows, have a huge influence on manipulating people’s attitudes and opinions on how we view the world. People tend to believe what they continuously see, and with time people think it’s the normal way of life and the way it’s supposed to be. It is essential to ensure that what the media shows and the message it sends, is appropriate.

Children do not pop out of the womb with ideas of gender roles, nor do they have any expectations about their future careers. It is of interest to many that the gender stereotypes and gender roles seen in toys marketed for children highly resembles those seen in adult life. At an early age, many children, especially those in the western world, have already developed ideas about careers and lifestyles suitable for boys or girls. It is obvious that these ideas can be learned through interactions with toys that are marketed by society. Through the analysis different toys, it is evident that toys are being used to reinforce social structures such as gender roles, male dominance and gender stereotypes to children, thus socializing them into gender social structures.

Another aspect of everyday life that is highly influential in gender socialization is the media. What we see on television or at the movies, what we read in the newspaper or in magazines, what we see on billboards or hear on the radio are all very significant on how we form a opinion on gender identity. Media publishers have very successfully learned to play to an audience and are extremely successful in communicating with the audience they wish to reach. Advertisers are the biggest example of this concept. Society is very apt in recognizing images seen in commercials and printed ads and viewing them as socially acceptable behavior. For example, beer companies will target the twenty to thirty year old male audiences and include scantily clad women enjoying their favorite beers. Ironically, popular women magazines also use beautiful women to promote cosmetics and beauty products. Both examples show the exploitation of female images in society. It is this societal ignorance that clouds the mind and allows the images to continue to influence what we believe to be socially acceptable. And when society is presented with something or someone out of the ordinary, which doesn 't follow what we deem to be correct, we rebel and try to modify it to our socially acceptable standards.

As a Communication major, I spend a lot of time studying the human communication process, which is the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages between a receiver and sender. This communication process does not only apply to face-to-face interactions but also includes mass media, rhetorical, and technological communication. Through these various forms of communication, the sender not only expresses his/her message but also expresses power hierarchies about race, gender, and sexuality that are present in society. Mass media has a significant impact on socializing gender roles and perpetuating gender stereotypes, and to prove that, I am analyzing mass media messages, such as television shows, movies, and advertisements.

Mass media has many components. According to Henslin, “Mass media is forms of communication, such as radio, newspapers, and television that are directed to mass audiences (80).” Mass media can teach people about gender, which is the behaviors and attitudes considered appropriate for the person’s sex (Henslin 81). No one can escape the effects of mass media. It is mostly thought that girls are the ones who are affected negatively by mass media, however research has shown that boys are just as affected as girls. How does mass media have a relation to gender? When people use mass media for any reason they are exposed to things, like images, that secretly teaches them what is expected of them based on their gender. These expectations are mainly how they are supposed to look, but it can also teach people about haw they should act or what they should wear. To explore this point further, five components of mass media will be examined.

To explore the various ways in which the media contributes to gender identity formation. Specifically, I want you to explore the gender role messages that are “sent and received” through media.

The impact of mass media on gender roles and expectations, particularly those of the female gender, is undeniable and immense. The dominating argument is of the negative impact that exposure to media has on the female, and society itself. The English Home Office under the Labor of Government, the coalition of Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, Scottish Equal Opportunities Committee, the Australian Senate, the Dutch Government and the American Psychological Association all concluded that girls are negatively affected by the contemporary sexualized culture (Duits and van Zoonen 2011:492). This subject has become increasingly popular and calls for great “moral concern and moral indignation,” (Wouters 2010:724, 726).

Also, I have taken note that the type of toys is different from each gender. Like the action figure has a muscular and bulk build, while Barbie dolls are slim, curvy and have a different body shape. I noticed that LEGOS is more for males than females because there was superheroes/villains, Star War, Ninjas, and cars, but there was one LEGO for girls, named Friends. The thing was that the LEGO for boys were dark while Friends was purple and colorful. I also observed that pictures in the store show young boy’s playing with male gender toys and young girls playing with female gender toys. The only time that I see both genders playing with each other is when it was a unisex toy which I, like board games.

The world is full of many people. All are from various parts of world, they come from various backgrounds, and have different stories to tell. However, there are linking values that can bring us together. It can be race, sexuality, or even gender. Gender tends to be split into two ways in today’s society. People chose to be either male or female. And while this divide is not the most accurate, it is how people tend to be portrayed. In today 's society the media is one of the most efficient parts of our society to transfer thoughts and ideals and one of the most influential on portraying what is the newest trend and what is the model that people should aim for. This power is very important; however, it could be seen as a bad thing. People who watch television or read magazines or newspapers absorb what is given to them whether it is positive or negative. This is a problem for what the female image has come to. The female image that is portrayed in the various platforms of media such as, television, gaming, and movies is what I intend on focusing on.

The evolution of mass media has changed remarkably over decades. Media has been a tool utilized to broadcast information and give entertainment to a broad audience for relatively some time. In many ways, the use of television has helped construct the overall understanding of society. What we visualize on television ultimately replicates the “realities of life”. The messages/images demonstrated on the air depict underlying customs sought out by society that are most reputable to the viewers. However, with such a powerful tool comes offsetting material that may be exposed to the public; ultimately causing the manipulation of the people’s attitudes and opinions. The false or lack of representations demonstrated on the air has caused a negative outlook on certain genders or races overt time. Today, there continues to be a set standard in which most individuals are accustomed to view. Therefore, in the remaining of the paper, I will examine each decade from the 1950’s until the 2000’s and the depiction of gender roles in the media.