First off Sweet is using a strong credible approach to her article which makes her knowledgeable in what she is presenting. In a Sears catalog that she found over the 20th century in not man toys were directed towards gender and that “70 percent showed no markings of gender whatsoever”. Ads portrayed girls “building and playing airplane captain” for boys “cooking in the kitchen”. The Sears catalog proves that she has done her research on the topic.…
In the article "Sweeping Away Gender-Specific Toys and Labels" writer Hiroko Tabuchi explains how many companies and manufacturers are now changing their products for all genders. This is a big step in our society because normally some toys and costumes can be seen as targeted towards one gender. For example, the Barbie dolls are a children's toy that could be seen as a toy only for girls and if our society can change on how it sees these types of toys, then in the future it will be more common for boys to be playing with these toys. Companies like Target and Toys R Us have taken some initiatives in removing gender labels for toys intended for children. Even though they removed the gender labels, toys that could be seen intended…
Children know what is gender appropriate for boys and girls, but they use their own interests and preferences to decide what is appropriate for them as individuals.…
The messages are being given everywhere whether it is on TV, advertisements, games, school, and even at home. Taken for example, on how girl colors should be pink, purple and yellow, how they are suppose to love dolls, and are suppose to love to bake with their mom. Girls are suppose to be seen as pretty, emotional, supportive, and having to rely on men. Where as, boy colors should be blue and green, love playing with trucks, and are suppose to go fishing with their dad. Boys are suppose to be seen as cool, adventurous, independent, and “being the man of the house”.…
The tone of an essay reveals to readers who the author and gives them a sense of the writer's personality. Tone tells the reader why the author is writing about their chosen subject. Both Barry and Pollitt are comparing the differences in men and women but their reasons for it and outlook about it vary greatly. Barry seems to celebrate these differences and make light of them while Pollitt explores the causes and effects of the differences. Katha Pollitt’s is most effective at revealing herself and her views through the tone of her essay.…
The article “Gender, toys and learning” was a good starting point for discussion and understanding elements of how media can truly impact the roles projected to the observer, usually children that are at a very impressionable age. Studies show that 3-year-old children could accurately separate toys with over 90% accuracy to what their parents believed was appropriate and acceptable. At age 5, children could perfectly identify gender-specific toys in accordance with their parent’s beliefs (Freeman, 2007). It’s easy to blame toys and media for categorizing the roles of different genders. Those businesses have a primary goal of making a profit. And keeping abreast of what consumers want is good for earnings. The conclusion I have reached is that gender typecasting begins at home, whether it’s through parental involvement or them being disengaged, role models make a huge difference in who we grow up to…
To begin the piece, Devor takes an educational approach by giving us some background on why gender is important and how we learn about gender through our first few years of life. “Gender identities act as cognitive filtering devices guiding people to attend to and learn gender role behaviors appropriate to their statuses.” (Devor 527) As toddlers we learn the differences between female and male. When we begin to determine which gender we are, our attitudes and actions quickly take shape. According to Devor, children by the age of two usually understand that they are members of a gender grouping and can correctly identify other members of society. I was astonished to learn that our brain can process information like that at such a young age. Devor made me think back to my childhood and how I acted as a little kid. One memory stood out to me. A good friend of mine when I was about five or six years old was a girl and we always played with dolls. On a rainy day when Allison and I were playing inside, my good buddy Jack Scherer came over and secretly told me that playing with dolls was for girls. Knowing that he was a boy, I immediately stopped playing with dolls and converted to the “cool” thing to do, play Pokemon. Because of this experience, I quickly came to the conclusion that this statement of Devor’s is true.,…
In the article “The Gender Blur: Where Does Biology End and Society Take Over?”, Deborah Blum starts off sharing a personal story. She describes her own childhood, where she had two individual presents that are thought, in society, to be for a girl or a girl. She receives things that clash such as a Barbie doll and a softball glove. Barbie dolls are meant to be delicate and more girlish, where as a softball glove is more rugged or active and more boyish. This gave her both different opportunities to be more girly or boyish. On the other hand, when she had two boys, the older one had become quite fond of dinosaurs. Not the herbivores, but the blood thirsty carnivores. She soon found her son to be gnawing on her leg, and realized the aggressive boy like characteristics.…
Imagine going into a toy store and looking at how the toys are organized. Most places label the aisles “girls” and “boys”. Another way the division is visible, is by color; pink is what tends to pop out first, and this is the aisle where the dolls are. These methods are just the beginning of how dolls are sorted by gender. Next comes the clothes and the different roles that the dolls play. Gender bias with dolls plays a significant role in the world of a child by affecting their learning, behavior, and image of themselves.…
And anyway, I’m freeing you. From everything. Complete freedom on both sides. See here’s your ring. Give me mine (The Norton Anthology of Drama, 247). The fact that Nora has the audacity to walk out on her children and husband even though it goes against nineteenth century views of women it shows the audience how Nora is a strong, powerful woman who does not need a husband to control her.…
Young boys and girls are influenced by their respectable toys in a manner of ways. While girl’s toys promote an unrealistic version of…
Unfortunately, in the present days, in the contemporary era, toys have a great influence in gender roles. This influence creates a lot of pressure in the little ones who are forced to buy ‘’girl’s’’ toys and ‘’boy’s ‘’ toys. However, if a boy buys a toy that are labeled and directed for girls, such as Barbie dolls, pink bicycles and Polly’s, they are very likely to suffer bully from their colleagues at school. That can lead into severe mental problems such as: depression, high levels of insecurity and anxiety.…
In Composing Gender by Rachel Groner and John F. O’Hara, there is the discussion of how society shapes gender and imposes gender roles on children, even before they are born, through simple things such as names and gender-themed baby showers. Many people think of anatomy equaling gender, however it is not that simple. Gender is more than just the boy and girl binary. It is the way that different toys are separated into “girl sections” which are typically all pink and “boy sections” which are typically blue. From an early age, society separates boys and girls by gendering things such as names and products. In 1972, there was an article published by Ms. Magazine, written by Lois Gould, about how it is always a battle for a child to not fall into stereotypical gender roles. Her idea for an experiment of raising an androgynous child could change the way society sees gender, if it were to ever be carried out. It made me…
Gender stereotypes are exaggerated generalizations that are based purely on gender. The area of study for this investigation is sociocultural influences. This is a contemporary issue as it is becoming an excessive thing in modern society due to companies increasingly gender marketing their products towards children. The toy sections at shopping centers are divided into two categories: girl’s and boy’s toys. Aisles are filled with either pink, frilly princesses or blue, aggressive action figures. Toy marketing has changed dramatically in the past 50 years. As a matter of fact, it was not until the 1990s that toys were exceedingly targeting specific genders…
In the past, women were always considered the subordinate gender that was expected to powder their nose and stay at home to be a homemaker. Even now, despite the movement to liberate women from stereotypical gender roles, women are still seen as the inferior gender that is discriminated against in society. As suggested by the popular Barbie doll created by Mattel, the idealized image of a woman in our patriarchal society is one who takes care of the home and is flawlessly beautiful with perfect skin, long legs, small waist, and slender figure. The Barbie doll is used as a tool for patriarchy in that it reinforces the notion that women should be domestic workers and maintain a feminine outer appearance. Also, patriarchal values affect girls starting at a young age as they unconsciously begin to believe that Barbie is what a woman should look and be like. With the appeal and popularity of this doll for the past several years, it is difficult to alter the notions of womanhood suggested by this doll. This implies that patriarchy is something we can not permanently overthrow because it is so deeply rooted in our society.…