Pink is for Girls and Blue is for Boys

1129 Words3 Pages

Gender roles are taught to us early on in our lives. At the hospital, when babies are newly born they are wrapped up in either a pink or blue blanket depending on the sex of the child. As early as our first few moments in the world, we are inundated by ideas of what it means to be a girl or a boy. Learning about gender roles is an important aspect of a child’s socialization. Ideas about masculinity and femininity can come from a variety of sources - parents, media, the school system and so much more. However, certainly a subject less discussed, toys also play a huge role in introducing gender roles to children. A great example of this comes from the Toys “R” Us website. On this website, consumers can search for toys by gender. This kind of categorization of toys based on sex has become quite controversial over the last decade. Where does this notion of associating pink with girls and blue with boys come from? Why is Barbie considered a girls toy and Lego considered a boys toy? This essay will discuss how toy manufacturers reflect gender stereotypes through design and advertising of toys and how these gendered toys impact socialization. It is important to understand how toys perpetuate sex role stereotypes in order to become better informed consumers in a convoluted, ad-centric world.
Gender Marketing by Color
The most visually obvious way that toy manufacturers advertise girl and boy toys is through color. According to a study by Auster & Mansbach (2012), “color palette… is an important aspect of gendered learning that allows children to begin to associate objects, including toys, with one gender or the other”. No secret to toy marketers, this fact is an integral piece of knowledge for toy manufactures and directly impacts the way...

... middle of paper ...

...-girls-youre-not-princess-and-lifes-not-fairytale-153788
Gendered Toys. (n.d.). Examining Gender: A Look at Popular Culture. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://examininggender.weebly.com/
Griner, D. (2013, November 19). 3 Girls Smash Gender Roles to Smithereens in Toy Company's Glorious Debut Ad. AdWeek. Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/3-girls-smash-gender-roles-smithereens-toy-companys-glorious-debut-ad-153969
Irvine, M. (2009, May 26). Is Princess Syndrome Bad?. Daily Herald. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://www.questia.com/library/1G1-200630360/is-princess-syndrome-bad
Marcos, I. (1998, November 14). Let's go Barbie: A doll's history. The Guardian, p. 16. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from the Lexis Nexis Academic database.
Shlomo, A. (2002). Children's imaginative play a visit to wonderland. Westport, Conn.: Praeger.

Open Document