Friday 13 January 2012

My Posts: Riley on Marketing



This girl is only six, and already she understands the fundamental gender flaws in children's toy products. Because toys shouldn't be gendered, in my opinion I think children should have the opportunity to play with all toys. Boys can play with dolls, girls can play with trains, toys shouldn't have a gender. All toys are important in cognitive development, we shouldn't be convincing children that certain toys aren't appropriate for them in terms of gender, we shouldn't be conditioning children as it creates a culture of subtle bullying. All it takes is that one comment on the playground, the one 'trains aren't for girls' or 'dolls aren't for boys' and we've already created a culture of gender stereotypes being propagated by six year olds.

Wake up toy companies! If a six year old 'gets it' then why can't you?

3 comments:

  1. Yes, I wish they would stop dressing all dols in frilly pink clothes and dress them more like normal kids would dress - shorts and tees and a variety of colours!

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    1. I agree with the pink overkill for girls. A little more variation would be nice. But the boys section seems to be improving; there seems to be more care-orientated toys every year.

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  2. I still wish the toys deemed 'female' weren't pink. Pretty annoying.

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