Gender Labels on Toys

Starting at a very young age, children are taught what they should and should not like based on their gender. Weather it is what clothes to wear, what movies to watch, what toys to play with, or simply what colors they can like, there is a fine line dividing "girl things" and "boy things." Girls are taught to like dolls, princesses, and anything pink and sparkly, and boys are taught to like trucks and Legos. However there is also a double standard prevalent. It is true that parents encourage their daughters to play with "girl toys," but if their daughter decides that she wants to play with a hot wheels car or Lego set, she is considered a tomboy or people will say that "she'll grow out of it." However if the situation were reversed and a boy decided that he wanted a Barbie doll many more people would have a problem with the situation. At a very young age, boys are taught that they have to be tough and masculine and this is reflected through the toys that they play with. The same is also true for girls; however, society has changed and now views women as more strong and powerful than they were viewed in the past. In the past the typical women was dainty and soft spoken, which is reflected through the typical doll. However Barbie dolls encourage girls to step out of the view of the typical woman. In "Our Barbies, Ourselves," in her counter argument, Emily Prager defines Barbie as "a liberated woman, a gal on the move." Most dolls are just pretty little girls in  pink dresses, but Barbie has many different careers. Indeed there are the typical woman Barbies, but there are also astronaut and police officer Barbies. Not once have I seen a superhero toy take on a more feminine career. As women have gained more power in society, it puts more pressure on men to still remain as the dominant gender; and as sad as it is, it still affects how young children play as they are growing up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CU040Hqbas


In the YouTube video linked above, Riley is frustrated with the fact that companies market toys toward each gender. What this four year old says is something that everyone is aware of, but we overlook it because this is what was drilled into all of our brains at a very young age.