When I collected data, one of the observations I made is that gender in toys is highly apparent than race and ethnicity. Walking into a toy’s store is as entering into two different roles. Likewise, even through Target announced gender-neutral aisles, the toy packing undermines the purpose since all of the girl’s toys are covered in pink (Sweet 2015: 11/4). Girl’s toys often teach femininity in forms of passiveness and domesticity. For example, Sweet (2014) suggests that toys in the early part of the 20th century focused on teaching girls domesticity and homemaking, whereas boy toys prepared boys for an industrial and working economy. Thus, when contextualizing collected data through the gender analysis, boy’s toys show the roles of leaderships, through the hypermasculine composition of characters, whereas girl toys portray an image of passive agents. Likewise, even trough there is a pattern of absence of ethnically and racially diverse toys, it would be
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For example, Mulan was considered to be a deviant female character, since they acted against the social norms of being a woman, thus she possessed a greater sense of agency. Likewise, if all toys are gendered, regardless of race or ethnicity, how they influence children? The gender messages in toys often reflect real effects such as violence and aggression, poor body image or self-esteem and gender bullying (Sweet 2015: 11/4). Thus, as Martin (1998) would suggest there is hidden gender curriculum in toys. Gendered toys serve as tools that implement gender learning through the interaction with other children. Children reinforce gender through toys and playing. Thus, the source of gender originated from our culture and history. Gender is learning a process, that occurs through interactions and, therefore, is socially constructed meaning gender is something we perform or
For example, Mulan was considered to be a deviant female character, since they acted against the social norms of being a woman, thus she possessed a greater sense of agency. Likewise, if all toys are gendered, regardless of race or ethnicity, how they influence children? The gender messages in toys often reflect real effects such as violence and aggression, poor body image or self-esteem and gender bullying (Sweet 2015: 11/4). Thus, as Martin (1998) would suggest there is hidden gender curriculum in toys. Gendered toys serve as tools that implement gender learning through the interaction with other children. Children reinforce gender through toys and playing. Thus, the source of gender originated from our culture and history. Gender is learning a process, that occurs through interactions and, therefore, is socially constructed meaning gender is something we perform or