Tuesday, December 04, 2012

 

Gender-Neutral Advertising

-->
Gender Neutral Advertising

Student ID#10043199 – Coms 369 L02

As a young girl, I loved to play with Barbie dolls and toy kitchen sets. I collected teddy bears and I loved to dress up in princess clothes. As I got older, I was more interested in sports such as softball and basketball. My princess dresses were traded in for jeans, and I grew more interested in construction and Lego sets. I enjoyed playing with Hot Wheels race tracks, but these were toys that my brother or male cousins had and that I had never owned. In all the toy catalogues I had seen, young boys were playing with sports equipment and cars. The Nerf guns or super soaker water guns that I enjoyed playing with were never advertised in the hands of a young girl. I felt as though my love of these toys was not normal. I slowly started to become interested in cooking and baking, as I believed that this was expected of me. The toys I started to ask for at Christmas would reflect this.

            Now society trends towards being more accepting of what is not considered the norm. While others judge young boys who show a more gentle and nurturing side, even going so far as to make assumptions and label them as homosexual, others see this as a more natural portrayal of real men. According to a 2012 article in The Daily Mail, the number of stay at home dads in the USA has doubled in the past decade (para. 2).  More young children, including young boys, are seeing their fathers cooking and cleaning. These men are the role models for their young sons, and knowing they are also cooking makes it more acceptable for young boys to want to cook.

            A young girl in New Jersey has recently started a petition that urges Hasbro to create a gender-neutral version of the Easy Bake Oven. Her younger brother aspires to be a chef and wants the toy oven. He has, however, been discouraged by the female targeted advertising. His sister feels that he should be allowed to be himself, instead of being forced to play with boy’s toys and games. The oven itself is pink in colour, which follows the socially constructed ideology that pink is a woman’s colour. As well, advertisements feature only young girls playing with the toys. Approximately 10 years ago there was a boy-targeted version of the oven called the ‘Queasy Bake Cookerator’. This toy oven encouraged young boys to cook, but did make it seem unnatural. They promoted gross-out foods such as ‘crud cakes’ and ‘sludge shakes’. This does not allow the boys to feel comfortable with traditional baking.

A 2009 article in The Huffington Post estimated that more than 30,000 single mothers in the US military have been deployed to either Afghanistan or Iraq (para. 1). Although women have been enlisting in the army since the 1940s, being a solider has primarily been seen as a man’s job. As more women enlist in the military, young girls are seeing images of strong women; women who are fighting for their country, and using guns. There are also women in the workforce, and they are no longer expected to be the primary keepers of the house. They are not expected to cook food for their husbands and family, and to clean the house. These chores are now shared amongst the members of the household.

Young girls are discouraged from participating in games that encourage the use of guns. Nerf gun advertisements are targeted towards boys, and the packaging of these toys features images of young men. They are not shown as being capable of fighting or showing strength equal to that of a boy. They are not being encouraged to be providers for their family. The toy advertisements targeted towards girls show them cooking, cleaning and caring for the children. They are reinforcing the expectation that women should be housewives, and not primary providers.

Children’s toys should be advertised in a gender-neutral manner. Young boys should be encouraged to cook, and young girls should be encouraged to be strong and to stand up for themselves.  A toy store in Sweden has recently been featured in the media for their gender-neutral advertising. Their recent Christmas catalogue features young boys ironing and vacuuming. Young girls are shown playing with guns and cars. In the 21st century women are no longer expected to cook for their husbands. They are now actively employed in the workforce. Women are well-educated, and also seen in positions that are superior to men. They are no longer expected to be in the kitchen or the primary caregiver for their children. Young boys should be encouraged to take care of the children, and they should also be taught how to cook. With the women of the household joining the workforce, the men need to be capable of cooking as well as cleaning their homes. If they didn’t learn these skills, they would starve and could potentially live in unhealthy conditions. With men and women being considered equal, children should be taught about this equality. They should not be forced into perceived gender specific norms that society no longer adheres to. If a young boy enjoys baking, he should not be judged, and young girls should not be stopped from learning about cars and playing with them. We need to be more open-minded and to allow children to be themselves.

For More Information:

Farberov, S. (2012). Number of stay-at-home dads has DOUBLED in past decade as 'man-cession' bites. In Daily Mail. Retrieved from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160638/Mr-Mom-generation-Number-stay-home-dad-DOUBLED-past-decade-amid-changing-attitudes-ongoing-man-cession.html

Glantz, A. (2009). Report: 30,000 Single Mothers Deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan. In The Huffington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-glantz/report-30000-single-mothe_b_322185.html




Comments: Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]





<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]