Introduction
The topic I have chosen to do my study on is gender roles in our society. Gender roles are the roles given by an individual’s society and culture to the individuals based on their gender. These limitations are used frequently in advertising to target certain audiences and condition people to experience inanimate objects such as toys, clothing, and hygiene products as gender specific. This causes problems for people who do not fit into specific gender roles or stereotypes. It makes it hard for them to live their lives happily and effects their perceptions of themselves and the perceptions that others have of them.
The book defines gender as “the socially constructed cultural expectations associated …show more content…
People are becoming more open about sexuality and gender. We are trying to normalize things like being homosexual, transgendered, or non-binary. It is becoming more acceptable for the woman to work and the man to stay at home, and for the home to consist not of a man and a woman but same sex couples, divvying up the work however they see fit. We are progressing and with that it is becoming more acceptable for a young boy to play with Barbie’s or like the color pink and vice versa without it having any other implications accept for the fact that they are just being a playful child. Recently, the company Target stopped labeling their bedding, toy, and other unnecessarily gendered sections as “boy” and “girl”, and instead they are just labeling them generally as toys or bedding. This makes it more acceptable for people to shop whatever section they please and to feel more accepted in the process. Also, there has been a lot of change with bathrooms in certain times. There have been new bathrooms available in certain areas such as colleges that are “all genders” bathrooms. This makes it easier for people who are transitioning or that have any type of “non-traditional” gender to not have going to the bathroom be a big deal. They are able to walk in without anyone questioning them and have that space feel accepting overall. These are just a few stories that have been making the news recently …show more content…
They take a look at how advertisements affect the way that adolescents portray themselves online in their social media. The article suggests it is becoming a common pattern that teens are trying to fit into their gender roles and stereotypes and make themselves look how their gender is presented through advertising and the media. The article also mentions that media education could be helpful because the adolescents can create their own personality and style without being completely influenced by advertisements if they have an understanding of what is being done to them through advertisements. The article says that this will cause more people to stray away from what advertising conditions them to be and take more creative routs with who they are and how they present