Rationale
For part 3 of our English course we have been dealing with language and mass communication and we have been discussing the ethics around several advertisements. Through the course I have become aware of the influence of images as used in advertising on young children. With this task I have demonstrated my understanding of how the media are trying to persuade and shape the public opinion. The intended purpose of my task is to raise awareness about gender inequality in advertisements targeted at children and to break down the prejudices that come with it.
I decided to write a blog about two toy advertisements in which the role of gender discrimination in mass media is visible. The first advertisement is a gender neutral one from 1981 depicturing a girl in slightly boyish clothes proudly showing something she just made with LEGO. The second ad is from 2011 and depicts a clear gender …show more content…
One striking thing about both ads is the different use of language. The text of the left ad ‘toys for boys’ implies that train games are only for boys and consequently that girls do not like train toys. This depicts a clear gender stereotype. This idea is strengthened by the fact that only a boy is depicted in the advertisement playing with the tank engine.
Meanwhile, the other advertisement delivers an entirely different message. The sentence ‘what it is, is beautiful’, suggests that it doesn’t matter what you make with your toys. The statement the advertisers want to make by using this text is that we shouldn’t care so much about with what kind of things children play. Their happiness should be the only thing that matters. The idea that gender neutral toys do indeed bring joy is shown by the little girl smiling from ear to ear while proudly showing whatever it is she just made with
For part 3 of our English course we have been dealing with language and mass communication and we have been discussing the ethics around several advertisements. Through the course I have become aware of the influence of images as used in advertising on young children. With this task I have demonstrated my understanding of how the media are trying to persuade and shape the public opinion. The intended purpose of my task is to raise awareness about gender inequality in advertisements targeted at children and to break down the prejudices that come with it.
I decided to write a blog about two toy advertisements in which the role of gender discrimination in mass media is visible. The first advertisement is a gender neutral one from 1981 depicturing a girl in slightly boyish clothes proudly showing something she just made with LEGO. The second ad is from 2011 and depicts a clear gender …show more content…
One striking thing about both ads is the different use of language. The text of the left ad ‘toys for boys’ implies that train games are only for boys and consequently that girls do not like train toys. This depicts a clear gender stereotype. This idea is strengthened by the fact that only a boy is depicted in the advertisement playing with the tank engine.
Meanwhile, the other advertisement delivers an entirely different message. The sentence ‘what it is, is beautiful’, suggests that it doesn’t matter what you make with your toys. The statement the advertisers want to make by using this text is that we shouldn’t care so much about with what kind of things children play. Their happiness should be the only thing that matters. The idea that gender neutral toys do indeed bring joy is shown by the little girl smiling from ear to ear while proudly showing whatever it is she just made with