A child dresses up as a princess: she wears Belle’s dress made in the castle she is locked away in, Cinderella's shoes worn while cleaning her house, and Sleeping Beauty’s tiara that she wears while waiting for her prince to kiss and wake her up. This same young girl is given American Girl Doll’s and Barbie’s with the intention to inspire her to be a passionate young lady, but in actuality, their traditional mindsets transfer to her. Children are surrounded by toys made to empower them but they are grounded in the history of traditional gender roles and female oppression. What children play with is influential because they spend so much of their time doing it. Children spend around 12.5 percent of their day playing (Larson). As they develop, …show more content…
When children play with their dolls, they view domesticity first hand. Young girls absorb the culture and social norms of their community even if they don’t notice them. In today’s society, women who don’t work in the home are seen as selfish and inconsiderate to their families. Young girls pick up on this mantra which is constantly in the back of their minds. Why this is harmful will be discussed later in the paper. In the case of Barbie, her occupations are less of a priority than her domestic chores. “Initially, the doll provided a relatively empowering image of women's social and labor possibilities as well as evidence of the power of feminine sexuality. The second phase witnessed a sudden explosion of domesticity” (Pearson et. al 229). Barbie has shifted from an active woman of many careers, to a doll in waiting for her socialite boyfriend, Ken. Parents appreciate traditional values in the sense that they will keep their young daughters sheltered and pure. Similarly, little girls idealize their dolls by taking care of them as if they were their own child. Since many girls have toys that are special to them, they want to be like them; and so, another problem arises. When young girls dress up or play pretend with their dolls they take on the mindsets of them. “The pervasive availability of consumer products associated with the Disney Princess …show more content…
Because women are socialized into lower paying jobs, it strongly affects the wage gap, or the different amount a woman earns compared to a man in the same profession. Companies still view female professions as a supplemental income, creating lower incomes in these fields (Langdon et. al 183). Additionally, many women are pushed into “care fields” that rely on someone caring for others. Traditionally dominated by women these fields can have negative effects on the economy. In order to increase salaries, women must rise up in their fields which causes a large gap between low and high paying jobs (Dwyer 395). This polarization is harmful because it stimulates the wage gap. If the gap is closed it can help to balance the salary polarization. “The potential reduction on the rate of poverty in the U.S. lessens if women were paid equal wages to men, which would enable families to provide a decent standard of living” (Langdon et. al 199). The mindsets of young girls, formed by dolls, are harmful because as they grow up, there are negative economic effects. However, women are also affected on an individual level. These traditional mindsets about domesticity and femininity are harmful because they encourage women to sacrifice their goals in the name of
Quenzer is a mother and also a blogger for The Everyday Mom Life. On August 2016, she posted an article called “Be The Princess If That’s What You Want to Be.” She argues that parents should not steer their children away from what feels normal to them. She explains that most people associate princesses and pink with girl activities and applaud those who love blue and orange. The girls who love princesses and pink should not be ignored. She states, “If I don’t believe she can [be kind, generous, and polite] while being a princess and liking the color pink, then I am part of the problem. If I don’t believe that she can enjoy things that are still traditionally stereotyped as girl things and still be strong, brave, and fearless, then what am I teaching her” (Quenzer). Quenzer claims that she should not depict what her daughter can be, but she wants her daughter to find her own passion. Quenzer adds to Liechty’s argument because she adds that even though the princess culture can teach a child values, it can also allow children to discover who they are. Quenzer also furthers Bartyzel’s claim because she argues that parents should not narrow what it means to be feminine. The author’s purpose is to inform parents that they should not limit their children in order to persuade the audience to let their child find their passions. The author writes in a suggestive tone for parents. I agree with this claim because I believe
Orenstein explores the rise of Girl Power in the 1990s and the differences that are in today’s society. The rise and fast spreading message that girls receive from the Disney Princesses is one of her biggest issues. Not only does she disagree, but other mothers from Daisy’s preschool do as well. In the second chapter Orenstein invites all the mothers with daughters that are obsessed with Princesses to discuss the subject, one mother states that she sees no problem with encouraging being feminine and then states, “On the other hand, I a...
The treatment of females from the 18th century through the 21st century have only gotten worse due to society’s ignorant judgment of the gender. Of which, is the change from the previous housewife like actions to the modern day body figure. This repulsive transaction is perceived throughout literature. From the 19th century’s short story, “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin in 1894 and the 20th century’s poem, “Barbie Doll” composed by Marge Piercy in 1971.
Your sparkling eyes gazed at the television, reading the word “Cinderella” by Disney. You had all your Cinderella toys lined up, ready to grab whenever necessary. Your Cinderella pajamas on, and your tea set is all prepared.Your mom adored your love for princesses. Didn’t we all love to sing along to the Disney movies about princesses and true love? Peggy Orenstein sure didn’t. Peggy Orenstein, the author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter has a sharp opinion about how a “pretty and pink” culture is influencing girls in a negative way. The author proves this argument by discussing gender colorization, dolls, and princesses.
“If Barbie was designed by a man, suddenly a lot of things made sense to me,” says Emily Prager in her essay “Our Barbies, Ourselves” (Prager 354). Prager’s purpose for writing this essay is to explain the history of Barbie and how the doll itself has influenced and continue to influence our society today. Prager is appealing to the average girl, to those who can relate to the way she felt growing up with Barbie seen as the ideal woman. Emily Prager uses a constant shift between a formal and informal tone to effectively communicate her ideas that we view women today based upon the unrealistic expectations set forth by Barbie. By adopting this strategy she avoids making readers feel attacked and therefore
When girls are young they are given toys that are influenced by domestic activities that introduce them to traditional gender roles. This limitation of available toys has the possibility to impact children, especially young girls, in a negative way. With some girls only having gender-specific toys like dolls and kitchen sets, it has the possibility to enforce long-established ideas based on the role of women in society. These traditional gender roles placed upon girls by “gender appropriate” toys could give way to limiting the role of women in modern society.
This article touches on several cultural trends. Such as girls dropping out of sports, parents losing control of their daughters at an early age, influences of barbie dolls and young girls
Society cements certain roles for children based on gender, and these roles, recognized during infancy with the assistance of consumerism, rarely allow for openness of definition. A study conducted by Witt (1997) observed that parents often expect certain behaviors based on gender as soon as twenty-four hours after the birth of a child. The gender socialization of infants appears most noticeably by the age of eighteen months, when children display sex-stereotyped toy preferences (Caldera, Huston, & O’Brian 1989). This socialization proves extremely influential on later notions and conceptions of gender. Children understand gender in very simple ways, one way being the notion of gender permanence—if one is born a girl or a boy, they will stay that way for life (Kohlberg 1966). “According to theories of gender constancy, until they’re about 6 or 7, children don’t realize that the sex they were born with is immutable” (Orenstein 2006). The Walt Disney Corporation creates childhood for children worldwide. “Because Disney are such a large media corporation and their products are so ubiquitous and wide spread globally, Disney’s stories, the stories that Disney tell, will be the stories that will form and help form a child’s imaginary world, all over the world, and that’s an incredible amount of power, enormous amount of power” (Sun). Because of the portrayal of women in Disney films, specifically the Disney Princess films, associations of homemaker, innocence, and dependence are emphasized as feminine qualities for young children. Thus, children begin to consider such qualities normal and proceed to form conceptions of gender identity based off of the movies that portray the very specific and limiting views of women (...
There are many factors used to determine how much someone’s work is worth; like: education, experience, the ability to negotiate your salary, the type of job and industry chose, discrimination, and so forth. However, sexual discrimination is nearly half of the deciding factor; reports show that in 2014, women earned 79 percent of what their male counterparts earned. But that does that really mean? What other factors are responsible for how much women actually bring home and are women to blame? Since the 1970s there have been substantial improvements in closing the pay gap between men and women and women have come a long way in the workforce. However, it is still a difficult subject because there are so many factors that can also play a key role; factors like race and demographic location. The gender pay gap does not only affect the woman receiving the lower pay, gender pay discrimination effects the family, economy, and the community. Republicans in the Senate have continuously blocked a Democratic bill that would assist with strengthening equal pay laws for women. The bill called the Paycheck Fairness Act is critical legislation that addresses several gaps in the Equal Pay Act. Republicans have been under scrutiny lately for blocking the bill, therefore earlier this year on March 26, 2015, the women senators of the GOP proposed a bill of their own called, the Workplace Advancement
In the short story "Barbie-Q,” by Sandra Cisneros, the young girls didn't mind they did not receive other things such as new Barbie's or Ken Barbie's and the friends to go along with the dolls (206). These girls were just happy to play with their own dolls. The girls have bonded with each other and they enjoy playing with each other's dolls. A doll brings two or more children together for fun and social entertainment. Have you ever listened to a child frequently you will hear a child say " so what” that means the child really don't care, it don't matter; nothing else mattered to the two little girls. In the short story "Barbie-Q,” by Sandra Cisneros to purchase a brand new Barbie doll meant that the dolls are expensive in the store so the girls are very happy and pleased to own a second hand Barbie. When the parent places the dolls in the child's hands the dolls take on the character of the owner's beauty; culture; how girls see themselves and the future when the kids are all grown up. Barbie is a fun toy to dress up. Each child has her or his own imagination of a Barbie doll. I, too, myself, like watching all the different cultural background Barbie dolls in the malls or Macy's Department Store around Christmas times. Most large department stores dress
Girls are supposed to play with dolls, wear pink, and grow up to become princesses. Boys are suppose to play with cars, wear blue, and become firefighters and policemen. These are just some of the common gender stereotypes that children grow up to hear. Interactions with toys are one of the entryway to different aspects of cognitive development and socialism in early childhood. As children move through development they begin to develop different gender roles and gender stereotypes that are influenced by their peers and caregivers. (Chick, Heilman-Houser, & Hunter, 2002; Freeman, 2007; Leaper, 2000)
The socialization of children is greatly affected by the toys they are exposed to while growing up. Looking through magazines and walking down the aisles of toy stores it is clear that toy companies are supportive of cultural gender roles biases. Toys designed for girls are commonly found in pink boxes; typically these toys involve housework or taking care of children, for example, dolls and easy bake ovens. On the other hand, “boy” toys are found in blue and black boxes, and a lot of them involve construction and cars.
Today in the United States, men make more than women in various sectors, including education and other trades favoring women workers. The gap gets bigger when comparing the wages earned by men to those of women in jobs favoring men workers such as construction or other physically demanding jobs. Women are less likely to work those jobs, therefor; men have the advantage of having more experience and get paid better. In addition, employers would rather hire a man instead of a woman because they believe that a man will be able to sustain the difficulty of the job and work longer hours which crate a disadvantage for women because they are unable to gain experience and become skilled in that certain field. Gender pay gap based on this information is explained as the result of the discrimination of employers toward the feminine sex in terms of pay, which discourage them to work certain jobs leading to create a bigger gap due to the lack of
Barbie, a doll manufactured by Mattel, Inc., encourages an unrealistic body image, racial insensitivity, and contradictive goals, and it is having a negative influence on young girls everywhere. Launched in March 1959 by Ruth Handler, an American business woman and president of Mattel, Inc., Barbie quickly became popular and has gone on to sell three dolls every second, in over one hundred and fifty countries. However, Barbie’s rise to success has not been wholly positive – there have been numerous controversies, parodies, and lawsuits, all addressing a number of issues. One such issue is how Barbie promotes an unrealistic and unobtainable body image. For example, to scale, Barbie is five feet, nine inches tall, has a thirty six inch chest, eighteen inch waist, and thirty three inch hips. Had Barbie been a real person, she would not be able to walk, much less hold her head up. Secondly, Barbie is racially insensitive and perpetuates stereotypes. “Mexico Barbie,” from Barbie’s “ethnic” line, comes with a passport and a Chihuahua, as well as stereotypical red lace ribbons in her hair. Lastly, Barbie portrays goals that are both unobtainable and contradictive. Barbie has had a variety of careers, such as being a doctor, astronaut, and President of the United States, but also engages in stereotypical domestic activities, such as cleaning and baking. These characteristics are affecting young girls in a time when they are most developmentally susceptible, and teaching them a number of negative lessons.
It may seem trivial and go unnoticed to most, but by assigning Barbie a real career, people are able to identify with and recognize her. The marketers also provide Barbie with a life other than modeling, such as friends and a home. The Ken doll, which is commonly known as Barbie’s boyfriend, makes her appear more real to the audience. Girls are able to identify with the idea of a boyfriend, which makes the notion of Barbie seem more realistic and desirable. The same idea is applied to the many friends Barbie has been accompanied by over the years. Lastly, and perhaps most famously, Barbie, like almost all of the girls who play with her, have a home. The Barbie Dream House is just another clever way her marketing team has presented her to society as a real person. Humanizing Barbie, and portraying her in such a manner makes her more attractive to potential buyers. The girls who engage in play with dolls do not want merely a doll; they desire something they can relate to and envision in the real world. Imaginative play is a large portion of childhood, and the ability for children to posses a doll like Barbie , who represents a real person in society, is extremely valuable. The use of social constructionism in the marketing of products such as Barbie is both brilliant and effective.