Gender Stereotyping in the Toy Industry - 775 Words

Gender stereotyping begins in a person’s life as early as infancy. Babies first encounter stereotyping when nurses put pink or blue wristbands around their hands: pink for girls and blue for boys. The stereotype continues throughout their childhood and life. Babies are normally dressed in their ‘gender-specific’ colour to reduce confusion about their sex and are expected to play with toys that are appropriate according to their gender. One of the most noticeable areas which cause stereotyping is the predominance of gender-labeling in children’s toys (Campenni 122). The gender stereotyping of colours in the toy industry has a negative effect on the economy in the long run by promoting certain gender roles and behaviors in children. The history of associating pink to girls and blue to boys has only been over fifty years old. Before the 1950s, pink was boys’ colour and blue was the colour for girls (Giudice 1321). Pink was considered a watered-down redà ¢â‚¬â€ a bold, fierce, colour of blood (Frassanito and Pettorini 881). Instead, blue was considered to be more â€Å"delicate and dainty, [which] is prettier for the girl† (qtd. in Frassanito and Pettorini 881). The current pink for girls and blue for boys began after World War II, when homosexuals were marked with pink triangles by the Nazi to signal weakness and effeminacy (Haeberle 284). After World War II, blue was used extensively in men’s uniform; pink was considered for women due to the ‘think pink’ feminism campaign (FrassanitoShow MoreRelatedNegative Effects Of Toys1004 Words   |  5 PagesResearch Paper Toys are a way for children to express themselves. Industries are categorizing children’s toys by gender, using colors and advertising products in a certain way, leading to gender stereotyping, which is putting the â€Å"boy and girl† labels on toys. â€Å"By the mid-1990s, however, gendered advertising had returned to 1950s-levels, and it continued to grow in the 2000s† (Robb). These rates have gone up over the years and continue to cause negative effects on children’s development. HoweverRead MoreGender Stereotyping Is A Pervasive Issue Across Different Countries And Cultures Essay1559 Words   |  7 Pages Introduction Gender Stereotypes are fixed assumptions about the traits of women and men, their capabilities, and how an individual should behave based on their gender. (Gender stereotype, n.d.alleydog.com) Gender stereotyping is a pervasive issue across different countries and cultures, whether acknowledged or not. The occurrence of stereotyping is usually based on the categorization of an individual as a member of a social group, the traits that are associated with this social groupRead MoreToys Are An Integral Part Of Our Childhood1671 Words   |  7 Pagesthem to conform to the assigned gender roles and stereotypes. This is mainly done in accordance to their choice of games and toys. Toys are an integral part of our childhood. In some ways, it is the one thing that people from all over the world share in common. As children, toys were a major source of our entertainment and social interaction. However, the booming population of children and the growth of toy industry has resulted in the commercialization of childhood. Toys have been an effective methodRead MoreThe Effects Of Gender Typing On The Toy Industry1192 Words   |  5 PagesEveryone can remember their favorite toys as a child. From Cabbage Patch Kids to Hot Wheels to Legos, one can reminisce fondly about sitting on the floor and playing with one of these. However, depending on sex, a specific child may have found themselves playing with specific toys. For girls, things like baby dolls, Barbies, or dress-up kits are quite popular. Boys can be found playing with action figures and Nerf guns. This is where a problem is to be seen. Toys for children have actually had a quiteRead MoreThe Gender Marketing Of Toys : Shaping The Way Americans Shop And Play Essay1623 Words   |  7 PagesThe Gender Marketing of Toys: Shaping the Way Americans Shop and Play In the article, â€Å"The Gender Marketing of Toys: An Analysis of Color and Type of Toy on the Disney Website† authors Carol Auster and Claire Mansbach examined gender marketing of Disney products on the Internet. The way toys are marketed to the public shapes the perception of whether it is appropriate for a particular child to play with a certain toy. The authors found it important to study Disney toys marketed on the Internet becauseRead MoreToys Should Not Be Gender Biased Essay1321 Words   |  6 Pagesinfluence of gender stereotypes and let the child discover how they want to represent themselves. A large divide between little boys and girls is shown in the toy industry. The retail chain Target recognized the influence of the gender bias toys and the impact they have on children and parents and began neutralizing labels within the toy department. Toys should not be gender biased because gender stereotyping has wavered back and forth over the past fifty years. Gender- biased toys can have an impactRead MoreEffect Of Society Over Gender And Sexual Identity Essay1256 Words   |  6 PagesEffect of Society over Gender and Sexual Identity When Alex was born, his parents were delighted to add another boy to their family. As their baby boy began to grow and develop, they noticed that Alex began to express himself in a manner that they viewed as more feminine than masculine. He gravitated toward dolls and other toys that the culture often associates with girls. Concerned with the social ramifications associated with their child trying to be transgendered, they made the decisionRead MoreWomen s Social And Mental Development1439 Words   |  6 Pagesprovide highly idolized characters, but creates unrealistic and falsified interpretation of what it mean to be a specific gender. As a result, it can be seen that today’s modern western pop cultural, has become globalized into an industry of gender roles in which has transformed mainstream television, commercial ads, movies and toys. Stereotypical traits have been assigned to each gender and has become a significant problematic concern among adults in raising child ren. With the significant rise for entertainmentRead MoreThe Negative Effect Of Stereotypes1613 Words   |  7 Pagesstereotypes and the negative effects they have on society. The subtopics that I have chosen to focus on are racial, gender, and group stereotypes. [PUT SOMETHING HERE] Racial stereotyping deals with the assumptions about a race as a whole without considering what each person is like individually. Gender stereotypes are assumptions made about a gender and the characteristics of that gender. Group stereotypes aim toward a particular group or clique of people. These are the most common types of stereotypesRead MoreEssay about Media Stereotyping of Men and Women770 Words   |  4 Pages After watching television and flipping though ads and articles in several magazines, the stereotyping of men and women is so apparent but at the same time society is so blind to it. In society parents teach their children gender roles at a very early age. Gender roles refers to the attitudes, behavior, and activities that are socially defined as appropriate for each sex learned through the socialization process. Males are traditionally expected to show aggressiveness and toughness, and females