Gender Stereotypes In Advertising Essay

Buy this toy! Now only $19.99! These statements might be something a person could hear blaring out of his or her television set from the next room. It is easy for an adult to tune out commercials, but children soak up these messages whether a parent wants them to or not. Because the messages in toy commercials promote gender stereotypes that harm social equality, advertisers need to adopt gender-blind methods of advertising. The harmful effects of gender-stereotypical advertising can be quantified by looking at how the job market is divided. Parents themselves can take steps to push advertising companies in the correct direction by learning the ways these companies subliminally send stereotypical messages and taking personal steps to affect corporate profits.

Children who watch these commercials are more likely to believe that they should play with certain toys as a result of this commercial manipulation (Martínez, Nicolas, and Salas 191). It is important to examine how advertising companies subliminally affect children's beliefs about their genders. There are a couple of major ways in which subliminal influence takes place: gender separation, commercial settings, and types of play. All of these methods of gender stereotyping contribute to instilling outdated ideas and beliefs in children. Distinct gender roles in commercials promote gender-selective play by featuring either all boys or all girls. Girls are depicted playing with toys such as Barbie Fashion Show, Polly Pocket Quick Click Boutique, or My Little Pony Dance Studio with other girls. The same can be said for boys who are featured in boys-only commercials and are shown playing with toys such as Super Soakers, Hot Wheels Cyborg Assault, or ESPN Games Station (Kahlenberg and Hein, Table 2, 839).

When parents choose to purchase gender-neutral toys, they can foster a wider range of interests and skills in their child. However, tracking down what constitutes a gender-neutral toy isn't always simple. Generally, gender-neutral colors are more in line with stereotypical male colors, such as bold and primary colors. The color scheme used on toys is an indicator by companies to show which toys are gender-neutral. Advertisers have a propensity to market toys this way because research has shown that it's more difficult for boys to cross gender lines created by gender-role stereotyping than it is for girls (Auster and Mansbach, 377). When consumers purchase toys already marketed as gender-neutral, companies will calculate their sales trends and statistical data, and it will be obvious what parents prefer to buy, and they will market accordingly.