¿Hablas Espanol? "Mom where do babies come from?", I remember asking one day after preschool. She looked down at my innocent, four-year-old face that had dried snot and remnants of what looked like some sort of red candy from lunch still on it, and she quickly realized where the conversation was about to go. Every kid has those phases where they beg and beg for the newest Barbie or Hot Wheels car that all their friends have, but their parents know that if they wait it out, sooner or later the begging will stop and their kids won't even remember why they wanted the toy in the first place, but this was not a phase.…
When I was younger on my twelfth birthday I had been given two options that I would receive as a present. My mother would either take me to Six Flags or she would buy me a mini motorcycle. This was a difficult decision because, although I never been to Six Flags I’ve always wanted a motorcycle. I had asked for a motorcycle the year before but, she said no because it was too dangerous. Still until this day I wonder why she allowed me to get one a year later.…
There I was, lying in bed watching television with my aunt. Then suddenly, a Barbie commercial came on. Seeing the colors, and the adjectives that described the products. Seeing how fun it looked to actually play with that doll. Seeing how great it looked to have an actual house where dolls can live.…
I remember going to the hospital gift shop downstairs with my grandma and spoiling my mom with cute gifts. We always got her stuffed animals, cards, balloons, slippers, and other items. I specifically remember this white stuffed bear that had a pink velvet hat and a matching scarf. It would sing a song and move around…
My most memorable toy would be have to be my stuffed dog, Woofie. Yes, what an original name to have for a stuffed dog. It is easily my most favorite due to it being in my life ever since the day I was born. Since that day, it was as if I always had my own little pet that was in turn a friend I would take anywhere.…
Like all children all I ever wanted was to be big and do big people things. I engaged in a few family members that I would look up to and try everything they did. I use to pretend to go grocery shopping and being a parent at times. At the age of eight, I had worn the worst pain ever and that was watching my five, year old brother getting hit by a car while trying to cross the street riding a bicycle that had a loose chain. I remember him trying to get up and get to me, but a few adults that had witnessed the accident had told him to lay down.…
Toys are a major component in young children’s lives. However, many toys are specifically designed based on the gender roles our society has enforced. For instance, girls are taught to believe that they are meant to become mothers, great house wives, and simply be feminine. This perception of girls has led many toy companies to produce and sell dolls, domestic items like kitchen appliances, and baking goods.…
America has several differnet values, but also has a bad habit of stepping on it's own toe. America stresses the fact that if you put hard work and determination towards reaching your goal, you are most likely to complete such. During your journey to success you do learn that you have dress a certain way, speak a certain way and act a certain way. On the way to my interview with my current job, I automatically knew that I couldn't speak, dress nor act as if I was in the presence of my friends. I had to wear one of my nicest dress suits, I had to get rid of the "slang" and speak proper english.…
Those stories did inspire me. I wanted to give my mom something back for all her effort. I knew we had no money, so I could not just ask my dad for money to buy her a present. At a young age, I realized that people have to work hard to receive what they want. My mom would always say, "As long as you have good grades that's the best gift…
I knew that wanting toys or games was out of the picture, and it wasn’t a big problem to me because I understood the situation. From the very beginning I knew that my parents couldn’t make nearly enough of what they wanted or needed. They always wanted to buy me the toys, the clothes, the games, and whatever else kids want at the…
Toys play an important role in gender socialization. Huge corporations, like Toy’s R US and Wal-Mart, have manipulated children into gender roles by exposing them to toys that act as social indicators of gender expectations. Gender socialization and Gender roles, are the processes by which individuals are taught how to socially behave in accordance with their assigned biological sex. The required behavior, individuals are expected to commit to, are set on societal norms dictating the types of behaviors that are desirable solely based on sex. Gender has been constructed by society in numerous ways.…
In the United States of America live 300 million people (worldometer). The US accepts people into the country based on their citizenship. People who don’t have to prove that they know about their heritage, they are simply born into American citizenship. Then there is the other population of people who deserve the same acceptance as the rest: the group of 42.1 million legal immigrants trying to fit in with the average American (Center For Immigration Studies). This group of people works hard and are ridiculed for being immigrants.…
In 'Yellow Woman And Beauty Of Spirit ', Author Leslie Marmon Silko tells stories from her childhood and recalls the struggles she faced as she learned about modern day racism, sexism, and what it means to be considered beautiful. Silko ends her work with the conclusion that women can accept their sensuality, and while embracing themselves become ‘beautiful’. And In a world as progressive as our own, I agree that it is important to accept one another and we should not shame women and men for breaking gender roles and expressing their own sexuality. First off, I would like to speak on the subject of gender roles.…
One of the most important identities to me is my blackness. As far back as I can remember I knew I was black and was very aware of the meaning of that. I went to a majority-minority middle, and high school, I live in an all-black neighborhood and, of course, I live in an all black household. For most of my life, I have mostly been around black people and people of color, so just going to school with majority white people is definitely a different experience. Race has shaped my life because growing up, most people who I saw in the mass media was white people and this includes my books, or on the magazines I bought was white.…
Growing up sucks. When you grow, so do your responsibilities, expectations, and general interests. That usually means that many of the wonderful things of childhood, don’t seem so wonderful anymore. The stuffed dog that used to help you sleep sits in a closet now, gathering dust. That blanket that you adored lays tattered in a garbage bag somewhere buried in a storage locker.…