Lego Visual Analysis
All children love to play with good toys, and Lego company has always been one of the best representatives of the toy market. At the same time, there is a recent alarming tendency to produce toys that are aimed to support specific gender stereotypes. Analyzing the way advertising of Lego toys changed from 1980s to modern day, it is possible to trace the path of stereotyping in regards to gender. The audience can see how Lego advertisements have regressed from using gender-neutral marketing to gender-specific marketing through the use of gender-specific activities and colors. The Lego ads from the 1980s subvert the idea of cultural gender roles whereas the Lego commercials from modern day reinforce the gender roles that …show more content…
For example, Text 2 is a modern-day TV Lego commercial titled “LEGO Build Together: House.” It is aimed to promote the product which is designed exclusively for boys and their fathers; there is no gender neutrality in this commercial. To begin with, the target audience of this product is determined in the description: “Father and Son creation” ("LEGO Build Together : House TV Commercial"). It makes the potential audience rather narrow because this description excludes girls. Moreover, the advertising is based on the masculine model of behavior. The advertising video demonstrates the process of building a house from Lego by father and son. Another way the commercial emphasizes masculinity is by having the father and son wear “male” colors: blue and …show more content…
The commercial does not imply that the toys can be used by boys; they are created especially for girls. There is a rather disturbing issue demonstrated in the advertising, especially compared to the previously analyzed commercial. The girls are depicted as rather limited in their interests and preferences, as shopping is their main activity, according to the video. The previous advertisement oriented mainly towards boys demonstrated the creative aspect of male nature, while the Heartlake Shopping Mall commercial is not aimed to develop any original and special features of the females. The girls playing with this toy will receive no new ideas or skills, nor will they develop their abilities and talents. They will just have the idea that females should admire shopping and having fun with friends as their main source of happiness. The commercial reflects the cultural stereotype that girls are social beings. This commercial is aimed at showing girls that they should care more about their appearance than using their brains and
All children love to play with good toys, and Lego company has always been one of the best representatives of the toy market. At the same time, there is a recent alarming tendency to produce toys that are aimed to support specific gender stereotypes. Analyzing the way advertising of Lego toys changed from 1980s to modern day, it is possible to trace the path of stereotyping in regards to gender. The audience can see how Lego advertisements have regressed from using gender-neutral marketing to gender-specific marketing through the use of gender-specific activities and colors. The Lego ads from the 1980s subvert the idea of cultural gender roles whereas the Lego commercials from modern day reinforce the gender roles that …show more content…
For example, Text 2 is a modern-day TV Lego commercial titled “LEGO Build Together: House.” It is aimed to promote the product which is designed exclusively for boys and their fathers; there is no gender neutrality in this commercial. To begin with, the target audience of this product is determined in the description: “Father and Son creation” ("LEGO Build Together : House TV Commercial"). It makes the potential audience rather narrow because this description excludes girls. Moreover, the advertising is based on the masculine model of behavior. The advertising video demonstrates the process of building a house from Lego by father and son. Another way the commercial emphasizes masculinity is by having the father and son wear “male” colors: blue and …show more content…
The commercial does not imply that the toys can be used by boys; they are created especially for girls. There is a rather disturbing issue demonstrated in the advertising, especially compared to the previously analyzed commercial. The girls are depicted as rather limited in their interests and preferences, as shopping is their main activity, according to the video. The previous advertisement oriented mainly towards boys demonstrated the creative aspect of male nature, while the Heartlake Shopping Mall commercial is not aimed to develop any original and special features of the females. The girls playing with this toy will receive no new ideas or skills, nor will they develop their abilities and talents. They will just have the idea that females should admire shopping and having fun with friends as their main source of happiness. The commercial reflects the cultural stereotype that girls are social beings. This commercial is aimed at showing girls that they should care more about their appearance than using their brains and