When my children were young, I remember trying to do my best to buy gender neutral toys. My daughter loved playing with stuffed animals more than dolls, and she and her brother, just two years her junior, played for hours with their ‘stuffies’. But she still loved dresses and pretty things, and my son, despite my efforts to encourage gender neutral activities, naturally gravitated to building with blocks and trucks.
There is no doubt that toys play a significant role in shaping and reinforcing gender stereotypes, as they often reflect and preserve societal expectations about gender roles. Toys are both a reflection of and a contributor to societal norms, shaping children’s understanding of what is “acceptable” for their gender. This perpetuates stereotypes across generations.
Beyond the simple color coding of pink toys for girls and blue for boys, toys encourage gender specific skills such as spatial and problem-solving skills like LEGO and construction toys for boys, and social and emotional skills for girls such as parental and caregiving role-playing.
Toys also reinforce gender stereotypes in career expectations where ‘doctor kits’ and ‘tool kits’ are frequently marketed to boys and caregiving toys such as baby dolls and toy strollers targeted at girls. The marketing campaigns for these toys give strong messages and reinforce a gender-based narrative.
Jodi Bondi Norgaard’s life changed when shopping with her nine-year-old daughter for a friend’s birthday gift. Her daughter Grace, still flushed and fresh off the soccer field with her shin guards and messy pigtails, immediately went to the doll aisle to find something special for her friend.
Norgaard was horrified at what she saw. “These dolls wore belly-baring tops, high heels, and heavy make-up, and the hangtag read, ‘Lovely Lola’, ‘Dazzlin Destiny’, ‘Cute Candy’, and ‘Sizzlin Sue’”.
Norgaard shared, “These weren’t just toys – they were symbols of the narrow, hypersexualized ideals being marketed to young girls. It hit me like a lightning bolt: this was part of a larger culture that devalued girls for who they were and focused instead on how they looked.”
Read the full article on Substack.com
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