Session Project 4

Earl Morgan Jr Session Project4 Ivy Tech Community College April 27, 2014

Session Project 4

Toys today are often separated into blue and pink sections for boys toys and girls toys. Boys toys tend to involve aggression, such as toys that make punching or crashing sounds, while girls toys often revolve around beauty and domesticity. The gendering of toys has carried on into the age of the Internet. The Disney and Toys R Us online stores have a separate sections for boys and for girls. I realized that the boys section is all about strength and being dominant, while the girl section is about pretty and more inviting. When I would go into the "boys" section, I felt as if I were going into war. The toys were camouflaged, big in size, and the action figures were abnormally un-proportional to a real human. I would walk out of there as though I am an indestructible "macho man." However, when I would walk into the "girls" section, I felt like I was going to a tea party. Practically everything was pink, fragile, and the barbies seemed to be flawless. They had long blond hair, long tan legs, and did not seem to have any defects whatsoever. I realized that girls are being taught from a young age that they have to be "perfect," like the barbies. The pink flashes to you on the left and the more somber, camouflage colors on the right. It is not clearly marked but it is definitely easy to find the section where girls are supposed to go and where boys are suppose to go. I do not think it is natural for a girl to be born wanting to play with dolls. It's the same with boys and fake guns. I mean, really, do people come straight out of the womb wanting to play with a specific toy? I don't think so. It's all about what goes on in our society. Girls are getting the message that they should grow up and be homemakers, which explains why there are so many baby dolls and other toys such as fake vacuums and kitchens that are specifically aimed toward females. The message we send to boys, however, is that they are capable of more masculine things, such as car racing and saving the world just look at all the superhero action figures guys play with. Boys play with action figures that display toughness, giving them the idea that they can be strong. But really, even though they don't have the hair and body like girls' toys, action figures are just an excuse for boys to play with dolls. And Barbie has her own car. Even though the toys are different, girls and boys can play with either dolls or trucks. They

Session Project 4 don't have to pretend to like certain toys just because girls or boys are supposed to like them. It's not right to act a certain way just because society expects it. Kids can't be who the world wants them to be; they have to be themselves. Girls and boys are stereotyped by toy manufacturers into looking like two

completely different creatures, when the world isn't just black and white (or in this case, blue and pink). There is no right idea for a girl or boy. Not all guys dress in blue and play with bugs. Not all girls wear dresses and play with dolls. There is no prescribed way to be a certain gender. It doesn't really matter who acts like what. It matters how people look at themselves, whether it's with love or hate. If you want your kids to find their own path, make sure you aren't paving it in pink or blue. An overview of findings at "Toys R Us" helps to expose the hidden sexism that occurs through children's toys. Except for "Sesame Street," and "Fisher Price," who manufacture successful gender-neutral toys to children younger than four years of age, "Toys R Us" actually divides toys into a blue and navy "boys" section, and a pink and white "girls" section. Furthermore, toy packaging exhibited significant color differences. The store aisles contained plenty of pinks, the most popular "girl" color by 95%, yellows, whites, lavenders, reds and pastels. Conversely, the boys' aisles had an array of blue the most popular "boys" color by 95% as well, green, red, black, gray, and brown. In addition to color, inventory also reveals sexism. The female section of the toy store was much bigger than the male side possibly feeding into the stereotype that women have more material objects than men. Little girls could buy dolls and kitchen sets, and boys had access to action figures and weapons. Estelle Campenni justifies this stock in toy stores by saying, "Boys have shown to prefer more vehicles, weapons, and spatial-temporal items while girls request more dolls, domestic items, and musical instrument in the Christmas request". These items, chosen by young children can lead them to improper gender role socialization and gender stereotypes. Many girls' toys also teach the obsessive value of appearance for societal acceptance. Girls learn how to be beautiful, making themselves acceptable in society. societies have produced idealized images of beauty as a means of identifying what they are not . Mattel's internationally famous "Barbie"

Session Project 4 should partly take responsibility for the picture-perfect "standard of beauty" girls learn to value. With

her leggy, busty figure and body measurements that would make it impossible for her to stand up in real life, "Barbie" is available in an assortment of races, colors, and professions, to appeal to any background". Through "Barbies" image, girls think the perfect, attractive, and socially accepted woman, is thin, but well endowed, glamorous, happy, and silent. "Barbie" also offers a young girl a "workout" tape to stay in shape, again reinforcing the message that thin and only thin is acceptable. Besides "Barbies," toy stores offer young girls beauty products such as, "Glamour Girl Set," "Barbie Dress Up Set," "Manicure Mania," "Super Hair Creations," and "Scent Salon Boutique," to re-enforce the importance of personal appearance. The last major difference noticed in boys' toys was the fact that many of their games and building sets encourage higher education and technical skills needed to be successful in dominate career fields. Unlike the girls toys discussed, boys' toys such as, "The Erector Set," "Challenge Building Set," "Deluxe Solar System Set," "X-Force Put-Together Defense Station," foster them mental stimulation, and teach coordination and problem solving. Through these toys, boys freely, explore and experiment, not having to play at home quietly. Many of these toys, promote active participation in the outside world, helping to establish a feel for our future world of science and technology". Due to the stereotypical activities based on gender that society expects children to abide by through the toys they choose, boys and girls become limited only to their own gender, not allowing them to explore different roles. Of course boys and girls show physical differences, but as a young child, they generally have the same mentality when it comes to play. Before adolescence boys and girls are more alike than different in biology and attitudes. However, society defines "appropriate" gender roles, which eliminate cross-gender play . Gender stereotyping of children's toys may also play a part in the differences noted in cognitive and social skills of both sexes. Girls loose self esteem and are not encouraged to achieve, while boys become overachievers and loose self-esteem when they do not feel "adequate."

Session Project 4 Okay, girls love Dora the Explorer, and boys love action figures. But, there's something to be said for

toys that brothers can share with their sisters and vice versa. The way kids spend most of their free time is playing, and if you can give your children some toys based on a common interest, you can encourage sharing, and playing together. But then we do have Dora and Diego... while Dora the Explorer may have limited appeal for boys, the spin-off series, Go Diego Go, is definitely a boy's show. Each show shares a number of characters with the other, and the overlap can help bring brothers and sisters together, meaning less fighting over the remote when one show or the other comes on TV, and playing together to create adventures for both Dora and Diego to conquer. Then there are completely gender neutral toys, like Legos. Legos usually tries to cater more towards boys, licensing properties like Batman and Indiana Jones, but the basic premise of this toy has a lot of appeal for boys and girls: Build whatever you want to build. Challenging your daughter and son to build a castle together may yield interesting results, like a palace with a ballroom and an armada of cannons and archers along the outer wall. While space adventure is primarily a boy-focused genre, Star Wars actually tends to appeal to both boys and girls as well. By providing the audience with a strong male lead in Luke Skywalker, and a strong female lead in Princess Leia, every kid watching the movie has someone to root for. Most recently, we've seen electronic toys for both boys and girls drop considerably in price thanks to the very nature of technology getting cheaper every day. You can actually buy a kid a digital camera, toy laptop, or even a camcorder for the price of dinner for one at the Olive Garden. By their nature, these are non-gender specific toys, but bear in mind that most boys wouldn't dare touch a pink and purple camera, whereas girls rarely have a problem with blue. That's something to remember, by the way. A lot of gender-neutral toys are coloured blue for boys and pink for girls. Boys oftentimes hate pink, but girls don't have to worry about being called a sissy at school if they show up with a blue backpack. For the youngsters, the company chose a kidcentric approach. It created inviting, kid-friendly names for the products that children could relate to, a wise direction for kid-oriented companies to follow. The

Session Project 4 company speaks on a kid-appropriate level by using fun adjectives such as friendly, sunny,

happy, and funny to describe the products, another important trait for attracting kids and one worth incorporating into your specific product development and marketing campaigns. The company further appeals to kids sensibilities by packaging the products in bright colors and kid-attracting designs, using iconic symbols, colors, and patterns to identify their usage. The company also seeks feedback from kid testers by asking them to complete comment cards, ultimately ditching some products or tweaking them until the kids are satisfied. Finally, the company decided to add entertainment value to the product line and created a CD with silly rhymes and songs to serve as mnemonic devices for developing good skin-care habits. But the company didnt by any means ignore the parents, the ultimate purchasers of the product and the dollar-spending decision makers. For example, the product is priced at a relatively affordable rate because price is often a top parental concern. The toys that children play with can set the roles of genders. When boys are given a tool set, they would imagine themselves to be a mechanic. A dump truck or Hot Wheels would either get them interested in construction or just cars in general. In High School it was the guys fighting over which car was better, the Ford or Chevy. Girl's never had such a discussion. Girls on the other hand have toys such as Barbie dolls, regular baby dolls, or kitchen sets. It can set up factors into their behavior. Perhaps the girl becomes very conscious of how she dresses herself. A Barbie doll can be changed into many outfits. With other dolls as well, the girl can comb her hair and with some even put on makeup that wipes on and off. This is teaching girls about makeup, combing their hair, and dressing themselves. It goes to show that toys set what it means to socially be a boy or a girl. With the trucks, balls, Legos, and tool sets it shows that boys are meant to play louder, rougher, and dirtier. They bring their trucks to the sand box and throw dirt around. Towers are created with the Legos as high as they can be made and then knocked over. With the tea sets, dolls, Barbies, and nurse sets it sets the girls to be proper and

Session Project 4 clean. The girls will sit cross legged in their dresses around a table and drink pretend tea. Both boys and girls role-play what their toys give them the opportunities to. They imitate, play, and sometimes even turn it into a game. These imitations can later turn into learning how to be a boy or a girl. Socially boys are expected to walk more dramatically, be louder, dirtier, and find the jobs that will give them more money such as construction worker, policemen. Girls are expected to be clean, cross their legs, and be

passive. They must then learn to take care of babies, shop, dress up, and become no more than perhaps a nurse. The toys immediately set the genders apart to what they must become socially. Since these toys separate the genders, it could cause social interaction to change between boys and girls. If boys are only meant to play cars, then the girls can't play with the boys. When the girls bring out their kitchen sets and sit around a table playing house or tea party, the boys are not invited as well. Their socialization changes because the toys separate the gender role so distinctively. Because these roles are separated from infant on, it continues to keep gender inequality. Boys get the image that they are the only ones that should get dirty, drive around in trucks, do the yard work, go to work, and be head of the household. The girls make the supper, get the baby cleaned and fed, and maybe work as a nurse or chef. These toys keep the inequality continuing because the roles the toys portray are always geared towards one gender or the other, so that's what the parents buy. The negative impact is that boys will have the impression that they should have power and dominance over the girls, while the girls don't think that they can make something of themselves in society except for in the household. Parents should expose their children to all kinds of toys that are not only non-gender specific, but to toys that are perhaps specific to the other gender. If these toys are shown early on, it won't seem strange for them to pick up on unless they are exposed to other boys or girls that play with only gender specific toys and begin to pick on them. So even exposing a child to a toy not specific to their gender can be a negative thing if other kids don't play that way. Still, if the child likes the toy, and has an open perspective on gender roles while growing up, then it is all worth it. It seems like today males and females are not as unequal as they use

Session Project 4 to be. But nevertheless, the way a child is brought up, and the toys they play with, can really play a role in what kind of a person they will someday become.

Session Project 4

The series revolves around, a boy-genius with a secret laboratory filled with highly advanced equipment hidden behind a bookcase in his bedroom. Access to the laboratory is achieved by speaking various passwords or by activating hidden switches on his bookshelf. Though highly intelligent, Dexter often fails at what he has set out to do when he becomes overexcited and makes careless choices. He manages to keep the lab a secret from his clueless, cheerful parents, who never notice any evidence of the laboratory. Although he comes from a typical all-American family, Dexter speaks with a thick accent of indeterminate origin. Cavanaugh described it as "an affectation, some kind of accent, we're not quite sure. Perhaps he's Latino, perhaps he's French. He's a scientist; he knows he needs some kind of accent. Genndy Tartakovsky explained, "He considers himself a very serious scientist, and all well-known scientists have accents. Dexter is frequently in conflict with his hyperactive older sister, Dee Dee, as well as a rival boy-genius from his school named Susan "Mandark" Astronomonov. In spite of Dexter's advanced technology, Dee Dee eludes all manners of security and, once inside, delights in playing in his laboratory, often wreaking havoc with his inventions. Though usually destructive, Dee occasionally outsmarts her brother and even gives him helpful advice. For his part, Dexter, though annoyed by his intrusive sibling, feels a reluctant affection for her and will come to her defense if she is imperiled. Mandark, Dexter's nemesis, also has his own laboratory, but his schemes are generally evil and designed to gain power while downplaying or destroying Dexter's accomplishments. As the series progresses, Mandark becomes significantly more evil, with his laboratory darker-looking, industrial, and angular in contrast to his original brightly lit lab with rounded features. Because Dexter's inventions are often better than his, Mandark tries to make up for this by stealing Dexter's plans. Mandark's weakness is his love for Dee Dee, though she ignores him and never returns his affections. Dexter's Lab is one of those cartoons that can be enjoyed by adults and kids. It is has a very original premise and is filled with clever jokes. At times, the series also pays homage to Star Trek, Star Wars, G.I. Joe and Anime. They even spoof popular comic super heroes from DC and Marvel. This is a must see show. It can be watch by boys and

Session Project 4

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girls they both have a male and female starting roles. Despite Dexter's intelligence, the creators of the show remember Dexter is just a kid, and have given him many traits found in an everyday kid. For example, Dexter isn't too fond of vegetables, he's afraid of being grounded, and doesn't get along with his sister well. The writers also added some drama to the show, as well as some everyday situations a kid must go through. Dexter isn't the coolest kid at school, and at times he feels very alone. I'm sure we can all relate to this. At times Dexter's Lab can illustrate childhood as well as Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold! Dexters Laboratory takes on a range of topics, from gender roles to family structures, to the vaunted field of Science. The shows premise revolves around Dexter, an 8-year-old, self-described boy genius, who has built his very own secret laboratory on the second floor of his parents house. Dexter tries to cultivate the image of the serious, methodical, reclusive scientist, dedicated to working on his latest invention. However, his efforts are frequently interrupted by his giggly older sister Dee Dee, who always wants to play. Wearing a short, bright pink sleeveless dress, white tights, and pink ballet slippers, the kind that crisscross partway up her legs, Dee Dees stands in stark contrast to Dexters tendency to view the world around him in scientific terms. Dee Dee does the girly thing, and tries to accommodate her brother, oohing and aching at his gadgets. Dexter's Laboratory was a really great Cartoon. The story behind it was pretty good. A boy genius, Dexter, invents things in his laboratory, while trying to prevent his sister Dee Dee from destroying it. He also tries to out best his rival, Mandark in everything thats science. There were also some pretty cool side stories involving superheroes. I thought that Dexter himself could be pretty arrogant. Not as in he's got a bit of an ego on him. No I mean that he's a genius who talks down on people for not being as smart as him, especially Dee Dee. Jeez, what a jerk! Dee Dee could be pretty annoying too. I do really like Mandark though. He's the perfect evil counterpart of Dexter, his laugh is so stupid that it's actually kind of funny to listen to, and he can be rather arrogant too.