Toy Commercials: Playing with Gender

Summary

This video essay explores the impact of TV toy commercials on gender perceptions in children's toy choices. It discusses how commercials reinforce traditional gender roles, with male toys often promoting power and strength, and female toys focusing on appearance and nurturing. The script also highlights historical commercials that rigidly categorized toys by gender and notes a shift towards more gender-neutral advertising. However, it argues that despite some progress, commercials still subtly perpetuate gender stereotypes, suggesting that societal attitudes and toy marketing need to evolve further for genuine change.

Takeaways

• 📺 Television toy commercials play a significant role in shaping children's perception of gender-appropriate toys.
• 👶 By the age of 10, children have formed an understanding of gender-specific personality traits, influenced by societal norms and media.
• 🔍 The human mind categorizes information into stereotypes, including gender roles, to simplify the processing of information.
• 🚼 Children's commercials often reinforce rigid gender stereotypes, with male characters dominating and female characters being portrayed in nurturing roles.
• 🚫 Gendered toy advertisements can be restrictive and demeaning, potentially limiting children's identities and aspirations.
• 🎨 Female toys tend to focus on appearance and domesticity, while male toys encourage power, strength, and spatial skills.
• 🔄 There has been a historical shift in toy commercials, with more recent ads showing boys and girls playing with a wider variety of toys and together.
• 📈 Studies indicate that children are exposed to a large number of advertisements, which can significantly influence their attitudes and preferences.
• 🧩 Advertisements can affect children's memory, with a significant portion recalling toy ads even a week after viewing.
• 🚀 The gendering of toys may impact adults' skills and career choices, with male-oriented toys fostering spatial skills linked to scientific careers.
• 🔄 While progress has been made in degendering toy commercials, they still perpetuate gender stereotypes in more modern ways, suggesting only superficial changes.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video essay?

The video essay primarily examines the effects of television toy commercials on society's perception of gender-appropriate toys for children.

How do children learn their gender roles through toys?

Children learn their gender roles through toys as they are exposed to media, specifically toy commercials, which relay messages that there are specific toys for each gender.

What is the impact of gender construction on children's understanding of personality traits?

By the age of 10, children have formed an understanding of personality traits associated with each gender, and they tend to be very rigid in their ideas of gender behaviors, occupations, and toys.

How do toy commercials stereotype and categorize information for children?

Toy commercials stereotype and categorize information by promoting the idea that certain toys are meant for boys and others for girls, making it easier for children to process information by categorizing them as male or female.

What negative effects do gender portrayals in advertising have on children?

Gender portrayals in advertising can be restrictive and demeaning, often negatively stereotyping toys for boys and girls, which can be detrimental to children who are still forming their identities.

How do female toys differ from male toys in terms of the messages they convey?

Female toys often encourage girls to focus on their looks, whereas male toys encourage power and strength, reinforcing traditional gender roles.

What types of toys are boys typically encouraged to play with, according to the script?

Boys are encouraged to play with cars, trucks, building toys, and science toys that generally promote strength and power.

What types of toys are girls typically encouraged to play with, and what behaviors do they promote?

Girls are encouraged to play with toys such as kitchen sets and dolls that promote domestic and nurturing behavior.

How have toy commercials historically depicted the types of toys boys and girls should play with?

Historically, toy commercials have been more rigid, clearly depicting certain toys for boys that suggest qualities like action and adventure, and toys for girls that promote appearance and domesticity.

What changes have occurred in toy commercials over the past 50 years?

In recent years, there have been more depictions of boys and girls playing with toys typically geared toward the other gender, and more commercials show children of both genders playing together, indicating a move towards gender-neutral toys.

How do advertisements potentially affect children's attitudes and future career choices?

Advertisements may affect children's attitudes toward brands and reinforce gender stereotypes, potentially influencing their aptitudes and skills for different professions as adults.

What is the role of society and advertisements in perpetuating gender stereotypes?

Society creates gender stereotypes, and advertisements perpetuate them to appeal to consumer desires, reinforcing these stereotypes for commercial success.

What message does the video essay convey about the progress of degendering toy commercials?

While there has been some progress in degendering television toy commercials, there is still a long way to go as commercials continue to be gender restrictive, often in more modern ways that give the illusion of change.

Outlines

00:00

📺 Impact of Television Toy Commercials on Gender Perception

This paragraph examines the influence of television toy commercials on children's understanding of gender roles and the types of toys deemed appropriate for each. It discusses how society categorizes gender and how children's commercials often reinforce stereotypes, showing male characters in dominant roles and female toys focusing on appearance and nurturing. The script also touches on the potential negative effects of such gendered marketing, suggesting that it can limit children's identity formation and perpetuate traditional gender roles in toys, such as action figures for boys and dolls for girls. Historical commercials are contrasted with more recent ones to highlight the persistence of these stereotypes, despite some apparent progress towards gender-neutral advertising.

05:00

🧠 The Psychological and Societal Effects of Gendered Toy Advertising

The second paragraph delves into the psychological impact of gendered toy commercials on children, noting that children are exposed to a significant number of advertisements that can shape their attitudes and preferences. It references data from the American Psychological Association that indicates half of children remember a toy advertisement a week after viewing it, suggesting a strong influence on their memory and behavior. The paragraph also explores the broader societal implications, such as the potential for toy gendering to affect adult career choices and skills. It points out that while there has been some movement towards degendering toys in commercials, the progress is slow and the underlying stereotypes are often still present in modern advertising, as exemplified by the comparison of Barbie commercials from 1959 and 2015.

Keywords

💡Gender Roles

Gender roles refer to the cultural norms, behaviors, and activities that are deemed appropriate for individuals based on their gender. In the video's context, gender roles are learned and reinforced through children's toys, which are often marketed in a gender-specific manner. The script mentions that society tells us we fit into categories of 'boy' or 'girl', and toys are one of the ways in which children learn these roles.

💡Stereotype

A stereotype is an oversimplified and generalized belief or image about a particular type of person or thing. The video discusses how children's minds stereotype and categorize information, including gender, to reduce the cognitive effort required to process it. This leads to rigid ideas about gender behaviors, occupations, and toys, as illustrated by the script's mention of male characters dominating commercials and gender portrayals being negatively stereotyped.

💡Gender Construction

Gender construction is the idea that an individual's gender identity is formed through a combination of biological factors and social influences. The video suggests that by the age of 10, children have formed an understanding of personality traits associated with each gender, highlighting the blend of nature and nurture in gender construction. The script also points out that gender construction is a process that involves societal efforts to categorize and simplify information.

💡Toy Commercials

Toy commercials are advertisements specifically designed to promote toys to children. The video's theme revolves around the impact of these commercials on children's perception of gender-appropriate toys. The script provides examples of how commercials have historically portrayed toys for boys and girls, emphasizing the reinforcement of gender stereotypes through these advertisements.

💡Gendered Advertisements

Gendered advertisements are marketing strategies that use gender-specific imagery, language, or themes to appeal to consumers. The video discusses the potential impact of these advertisements on children, noting that they may view tens of thousands of such ads each year. The script mentions that these ads can affect children's attitudes toward brands and gender roles.

💡Rigid Identity

A rigid identity refers to a fixed and unchanging sense of self that is often reinforced by societal norms and expectations. The video argues against the dangers of restricting children to a single, rigid identity through gendered toys and commercials. The script suggests that such restrictions can limit children's potential and affect their future aptitudes and skills.

💡Spatial Skills

Spatial skills are the abilities to understand and manipulate the visual or spatial relationships between objects. The video suggests that toys marketed to boys, such as building toys and action figures, encourage the development of spatial skills, which are important for scientific careers. The script contrasts this with the nurturing and domestic skills often promoted by toys marketed to girls.

💡Degendering

Degendering refers to the process of removing gender distinctions or stereotypes from a product, service, or concept. The video discusses some progress in degendering television toy commercials, with more depictions of boys and girls playing with toys typically associated with the opposite gender. The script provides examples of commercials that attempt to present toys as gender-neutral.

💡Gender Stereotypes

Gender stereotypes are widely held but often oversimplified ideas about the characteristics, abilities, and roles of males and females. The video emphasizes that advertisements perpetuate these stereotypes to appeal to consumers' socially influenced desires. The script illustrates this with examples of commercials that continue to portray toys in a gender-restrictive manner.

💡Consumer Socially Influenced Desires

Consumer socially influenced desires refer to the wants and preferences of consumers that are shaped by societal norms, values, and expectations. The video suggests that advertisements for toys often cater to these desires by reinforcing gender stereotypes. The script implies that this is a driving factor in the persistence of gendered marketing strategies.

💡Progress

Progress in the context of the video refers to the improvements made in challenging and changing traditional gender roles and stereotypes in toy commercials. The script acknowledges that while there has been some positive change, such as more gender-neutral commercials, there is still much work to be done to fully degenderize toy marketing and break down societal gender stereotypes.

Highlights

The video essay examines the effects of television toy commercials on society's perception of gender-appropriate toys for children.

Children's toys are a way in which they learn their gender roles, with media and toy commercials relaying messages about specific toys for each gender.

By the age of 10, children have formed an understanding of personality traits associated with each gender.

Gender construction is a blend of nature and nurture, with children's minds categorizing information into male or female to process it more easily.

Studies show that male characters dominate children's commercials and gender portrayals are often negatively stereotyped.

Segregating toys by gender can be detrimental to children's identity formation.

Female toys often encourage girls to focus on their looks, while male toys promote power and strength.

Commercials featuring females are usually for dolls and accessories, while those for males are for building toys and action figures.

Historically, toy commercials have been rigid in depicting toys for boys and girls, with a clear absence of female models or voiceovers in boys' commercials.

Recent changes in toy commercials show more depictions of boys and girls playing with toys typically geared toward the other gender.

Some commercials now use hands instead of models to indicate that a toy is gender-neutral.

Children may view more than 40,000 advertisements a year, potentially influencing their attitudes toward gender-appropriate toys.

The American Psychological Association reports that 50% of children remember a toy advertisement a week after seeing it.

Toy gendering could affect men and women's aptitudes and skills for different professions as adults.

Degendering of television toy commercials has been slow, with commercials still being gender restrictive in a more modern way.

The gendering in commercials is perpetuated by society's stereotypes, and advertisements appeal to consumer desires influenced by these stereotypes.

Despite some progress, there is still much work to be done in changing societal perceptions and toy commercials' portrayal of gender-appropriate toys.

Transcripts

[Music]

this video essay will examine the

effects of Television toy commercials on

our society's perception of gender

appropriate toys at a young age Society

tells us that we fit into one of two

categories boy or girl playing with

children's toys is one of the ways in

which we learn our gender roles media

specifically toy television commercials

help relay the message to society that

there are specific toys for each

gender before we begin let's take a look

at how and why gender is constructed by

the age of 10 children have formed an

understanding of the personality traits

that belong to each gender many people

believe that gender construction is a

blend of Nature and

nurture it takes effort to process a lot

of information to reduce this effort our

minds stereotype and categorize

information into smaller units therefore

categorizing things as being male or

female makes it easier for us to process

information once they understand the

basic concepts of gender children remain

very rigid in their ideas of gender

behaviors occupations and

toys Studies have found that male

characters tend to dominate children's

commercials Thunderbirds Are Go we've

located the distress call we must get

there

fast many of them have also found that

gender portrayals in advertising are

often negatively stereotyped in ways

that are restrictive and

[Music]

demeaning my baby's first cold let's use

the bear thermometer good girl I can

give you medicine and change your wet

diaper you're better now baby

segregating toys in this way can be

detrimental to children who are still

forming their

identities other Studies have found that

female toys often encourage girls to

focus on their looks whereas male toys

encourage power and strength a glitter

blow dryer so

[Music]

Barbie the Transformers war is here and

both sides can change from vehicle to

blaster in an

instant finally commercials featuring

females are usually for dolls and

accessories whereas commercials

featuring males are often for building

toys and action figures it's a great big

jet want something your way you build it

introducing H build

Battleship boys are encouraged to play

with cars trucks building toys and

science toys generally the toys promote

strength and power one system you can

build up and customize your heavy duty

truck with tons of parts and drop the

motor into any mod machine Tonka mod

machines each separately that's Tonka

girls are encouraged to play with toys

such as kitchen sets and dolls that

promote domestic and nurturing behavior

only you can help shy little furberries

come out and play It's the cake bakery

the easy way to make designer cake bake

your cake in the microwave in 30 seconds

roll out let's take a look at some older

toy commercials to see how this all

began historically toy commercials have

been much more rigid in depicting what

type of toys boys and girls should play

with here are some older commercials for

boys toys notice the absence of a female

model or voiceover the nature of the

toys being advertised and the qualities

they are suggesting boys should have

look this opens up the wild action world

of P Apache with Indians cavalrymen

shell shooting cannons the most action

you can get from Matel now let's take a

look at some girl commercials from the

past notice how they promote appearance

and Domesticity yes with Susie Homemaker

you can entertain wash dishes clean

house launder iron bake all this and

always look lovely she keeps herself

pretty by using sugar plum luckily there

have been many positive changes in toy

commercials in the past 50 years or so

recently there have been more depictions

of boys and girls playing with toys that

are typically more geared toward the

other

gender there are also more depictions of

boys and girls playing with toys

together to indicate that the toy gender

neutral expressive and unexpected

Steward is up down tumbling all around

minions some commercials have even

resorted to not using a model at all and

instead using hands to indicate that a

toy is gender neutral build the

shuttle place the new satellite and

prepare for liftoff still not convinced

that toy commercials have an impact on

society's perception of gender

appropriate toys Studies have indicated

that children may view more than 40,000

advertisements a year that means that

they are potentially watching tens of

thousands of gendered advertisements

there's research that indicates that

advertisements do indeed affect

children's attitudes toward the brand

according to the American Psychological

Association 50% of children remember a

toy advertisement a week after seeing it

furthermore it is thought that children

may focus more on the advertisements

than on the television show itself so

why should we be concerned aside from

the fact that it is dangerous to

restrict children to one rigid identity

research has also speculated that toy

gendering could affect men and women's

aptitudes and skills for different

professions as adults the toys that boys

play with encourage a freedom of

imagination and teach spatial skills

that are often necessary for Scientific

careers on the other hand girl toys

focus more on nurturing skills domestic

skills and appearance many theorize that

this is one reason why there are more

men in scientific Fields than

women while there has been some progress

with degendering television toy

commercials we still have a long way to

go

commercials continue to be gender

restrictive the gendering is simply done

in a more Modern Way giving the illusion

that things have changed when they

really haven't take a look at these two

Barbie commercials for example the first

is from 1959 and the second is from

2015 gloves and

[Music]

all it's for youo Barbie mosino Barbie

doll fabulosity totally included some

may think that having a boy in a Barbie

commercial is progress however his

mannerisms are still very feminine by

our society's standards indicating that

Barbies are indeed feminine toys in this

way it's not much better than the Barbie

commercial from the ' 50s we must keep

in mind that the advertisements are not

entirely at fault because gender is

constructed by our society

advertisements simply perpetuate gender

stereotypes by attempting to appeal to

Consumer socially influenced Desires in

other words Society creates gender

stereotypes and advertisements

perpetuate them in order to make a

change we must figure out why we haven't

made more progress is it society that is

resisting or are the toy companies or is

it both whatever the cause we must not

be discouraged things are improving

slowly but there's still much work to be

[Music]

done

[Music]

oh