Gender Roles In The Toy Industry

The toy industry has always clashed with gender roles. The stereotypes found within these aisles are astounding. There is an abrupt shift between what is seen as the “boy” aisle and the “girl” aisle. Both showcase the expectations of what it means to identify as that gender. They show evidence of heteronormativity, sexism, racism, gender identity issues, and how it is all very much a marketing scheme. Although Target has transformed their store into something more gender neutral, they still split the genders by separating their toys by color scheme, content, etc. For example, there is an extreme lack of pinks and purple in the “boy” aisle. The color scheme is mainly blues, greens, and bright yellow. Boys and girls are separated through everything, even something as simple as color. Not only do the two aisles contrast in color, but they also differ in actual content. Both had Legos, however, amongst the “boy” section, they only had Legos with masculine figures. They portray male …show more content…
A gender identity is someone knowing whether or not they feel male or female. Having distinct toys marketed towards specific genders certainly complicates things for young boys and girls. Toy companies never stop and think about these issues. Perhaps a girl wants to play with stereotypically boy toys, or a boy wants to play with stereotypically girl toys. While there are no visible restrictions on this, there are social repercussions. Children will be questioned, and sometimes mocked or ridiculed. They are never able to truly be themselves or to grow into who they are. There is also such a split between boys and girls, but in reality, they are not so different. It is okay that children can experiment with what they like and what interests them and find themselves. “Dismissing such tendencies ‘can be so limiting on how kids view themselves, on what skills they develop and what their interests become.’” (Katy Steinmetz,