Target Gender Stereotypes

The toy section at Target had many clear differences in the toys for boys and the toys for girls. The types of toys that were out on the shelves were different, but also the way the toys were presented were different. Girls toys mainly consisted of stuffed animals, dress up clothes, babies and dolls including Bratz, Barbies and fairies. The primary colors of all these toys consisted of different shades of purple, pink, and white. There were bits of blue and yellow but it seemed that all the colors stood out and had a type of feminine aspect to them. Besides color, the girl’s toys were often soft and fuzzy or

As I entered Target’s children’s department it was obvious what clothes and toys were intended for girls and boys. The girls’ clothing section, was full of vibrant colors like bright pinks, white frilly dresses, and sparkly clothing. On the hand, the boys clothing section was more neutral colors such as brown, tan, and navy blue. So as far as I could see Target is organizing the boys and girl’s department base on gender. But there was a section in the boy’s clothing area that could be gender neutral. Please see photo.

The boys’ toys mostly all used gross motor skills. Like the dolls in the girls’ section, the boys have equally as many types of cars or other vehicles to choose from. The boys’ side consisted of mainly three categories all together – 1) action figures, 2) “role” toys (guns – “Cops and Robbers” or “Cowboys and Indians”; ax, helmet, and badge – fireman; and miniature tools for pretending to be a construction worker) 3) cars.

The boys section consisted of swords, guns, wrestlers, Legos, guitars, and etc. the section was filled with male colors like; blue, green, orange, and red. There was a large variety of swords, action figures and guns. Although there was a large variety of swords; the most popular sword was the star wars light saber. Swords and guns promote violence and contribute to the stereotype that all boys enjoy playing “cops and robbers”.

I found the findings presented by Carol J. Auster and Claire S. Mansbach in their article titled The Gender Marketing of Toys: An Analysis of Color and Type of Toy on the Disney Store Website, interested, but not surprising. There is an apparent difference in available toys between boy and girls. What is interesting about their finding is how color of the toy is associated with gendered behaviors. Boys only toy typically are bold in color which relates to extraversion, loudness, and visibility among others. On the other hand, the girls only toys are mainly pastel in color which represent introversion, quietness, and delicate. The color of the toy does not just place girls and boys in a different category, it also encourages a type of behavior

Another difference I notice was what roles the different toys portrayed. The dolls all were women dressed up as princesses, or doing some type of household chore like cooking, cleaning or taking care of children, while the boys’ toys encouraged more heavy duty jobs like building, fighting etc. I believe that this effects how gender is portrayed significantly and we can see this more in the three different dimensions of this theory, the individual, interactional, and institutional

Major companies put girl toys are more pink and colorful as for boys more deep colors and rebeles. Parents just follow others how they were raised what they got or siblings to help raise their child. Stereotypes the women stay at home take care of the kids and the men work , thats how its been told to us but it's not always true. Girls usually have a baby doll, tea cups, or some type of calm related items.

Boy toys are associated with words such as aggression and masculinity. Elizabeth V. Sweet, B.A. and M.A., discusses gendered toys over the years in “Boy Builders and Pink Princesses”. She discusses the language of toys and how they relate to gender and observes the relative use of masculine, feminine, and gender-neutral nouns and pronouns in association with toys. “For example, a weapon-wielding toy figurine symbolizes aggression. The traits that often manifest in toys tend to be heavily associated with gender in the larger culture—common gender stereotypes hold that women and girls are more nurturing while men and boys are more aggressive”(Sweet

For example, the KidKraft Vintage Kitchen represents an actual kitchen, this playset is made to help children become more familiar around the kitchen and the appliances such as pans, pots, ovens, and what other things that belong in the kitchen. However, these toys are not gender neutral, a certain gender is associated with certain toys. For example, the KidKraft is for girls, it teaches skills that gears them for future career such as a housewife. Another example, is the Baby Alive Dolls are marketed for girls three and up, these dolls poop, cry, crawl, they act like real babies; the purpose of this toy is to teach young girls, good mothering skills. Toys targeted for boys ages three and up are toys like the Step 2 Deluxe Workshop, this is marketed to teach boys have to be handy and be able to build things, and using tools such as a hammer, saw, and such.

There were many differences between toys for boys and toys for girls. Toys designed for boys involved more action, such as nerf guns and cars that kept boys moving and engaged. The toys designed for girls such as dolls and animals were used by girls in a more sedentary manner. While I felt differences existed between toys for boys and toys for girls involving the level of activity for the most part, there were some exceptions. Action figures

Throughout the review of literature, the view of the researcher has varied based on the types of play and the toys that children perceive to be based on one specific gender. Usually toys are either perceived as being associated with girls or boys, and rarely both. Miller (1987) found that when he experimented with 50 toys, 41 of them were rated as either boys’ or girls’ toys, and not suitable for mixed genders (Blakemore and Centers, 2005).

The toys that were being marketed to boys were typically toys that had to do with war, violence, or television shows that dealt with these topics. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures with weapons in packaging that illustrating the heroes fighting their way out of bad situations. Many of the packages also showed boys in the age range (or slightly above) of the target demographic playing with the toys.

Design comes big into play here. Children really notice the pictures and designs on the toys they are picking out. When the toy has a boy on the box playing with the product, it stimulates the child to want to purchase it. It also gives them an idea that another boy is playing with it. This idea also goes vice versa with girl toys.

It is thought that stereotypically girls toys encourage the development of social skills such as manners and empathy while stereotypically boys toys focus on motor skills and problem solving (actually put the source here if you can, I think there was an article in the NYT). Therefor, boxing children into arbitrary categories based on gender may be slowing their development in certain areas. Additionally “boys toys” are thought to enforce interest in the fields of math and science, both of which are fields that show large discrepancies in male versus female employment. (Tabuchi). To make matters worse, many of these toys seemed to be assigned a gender based on pipe dream of the 1950’s. A picturesque scene where a women with perfectly applied makeup and curled hair stayed home and cleaned the house for her husband who wears a suit and singlehandedly supports the family. It’s an image that's simply not representative of the U.S.

“Raise boys and girls the same way,” a phrase originally said by neo-conceptual artist Jenny Holzer, that urges parents as well as people to raise children without a heavy influence of gender stereotypes and let the child discover how they want to represent themselves. A large divide between little boys and girls is shown in the toy industry. The retail chain Target recognized the influence of the gender bias toys and the impact they have on children and parents and began neutralizing labels within the toy department. Toys should not be gender biased because gender stereotyping has wavered back and forth over the past fifty years. Gender-biased toys can have an impact on a child’s development, and the unnecessary labeling of toys has sparked a cultural shift in society.