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[music]

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Speaker: This video essay will examine the
effects of television toy commercials on

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our society's perception of gender 
appropriate toys.

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At a young age, society tells us that we fit
in to one of two categories: boy or girl.

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Playing with children's toys is one of the
ways in which we learn our gender roles.

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Media, specifically toy television
commercials, help relay the message

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to society that there are specific toys
for each gender.

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Before we begin, let's take a look at 
how and why gender is constructed.

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By the age of 10, children have formed an
understanding of the personality traits

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that belong to each gender.

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Many people believe that gender 
construction is a blend of nature

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and nurture.

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It takes effort to process a lot of
information.

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To reduce this effort, our minds 
stereotype and categorize information

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into smaller units.

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Therefore, categorizing things as being
male or female makes it easier for

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us to process information.

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Once they understand the basic concepts
of gender, children remain very rigid

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in their ideas of gendered behaviors,
occupations, and toys.

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Studies have found that male characters
tend to dominate children's commercials.

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Commercial: Thunderbirds are go!

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We've located the distress call.

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We must get there fast!

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Speaker: Many of them have also found that
gender portrayals in advertising are often

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negatively stereotyped in ways that are
restrictive and demeaning.

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Commercial: Baby Alive!

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My baby's first cold!

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Let's use the bear thermometer.

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Good girl!

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I can give you medicine, and change
your wet diaper.

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You're better now, baby!

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Speaker: Segregating toys in this way can 
be detrimental to children who are

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still forming their identities.

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Other studies have found that female
toys often encourage girls to focus

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on their looks, whereas male toys 
encourage power and strength.

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Commercial: A glitter blowdrier?

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That's so Barbie!

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[music]

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Commercial: The Transformers war is here!

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And both sides can change from vehicle to 
blaster in an instant.

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Speaker: Finally, commercials featuring
females are usually for dolls and

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accessories, whereas commercials featuring
males are often for building toys and

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action figures.

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Commercial: It's a great big jet!

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[music]

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Commercial: Want something your way?

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You build it!

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Introducing U-Build Battleship.

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Speaker: Boys are encouraged to play
with cars, trucks, building toys, and

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science toys.

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Generally the toys promote strength
and power.

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Commercial: One system, you can build
up and customize your heavy-duty

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truck with tons of parts and drop the
motor into any mod machine.

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Tonka Mod Machines.

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Each sold separately.

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That's Tonka tough.

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Speaker: Girls are encouraged to play
with toys such as kitchen sets, and

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dolls that promote domestic and 
nurturing behavior.

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Commercial: Only you can help shy 
little Furberries come out and play!

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Commercial: It's the cake bakery!

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The easy way to make designer cakes!

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Bake your cake in the microwave in
30 seconds!

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Speaker: Let's take a look at some
older toy commercials to see how

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this all began.

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Historically, toy commercials have been
much more rigid in depicting what type of

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toys boys and girls should play with.

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Here are some older commercials for 
boys toys.

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Notice the absence of a female model
or voiceover.

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The nature of the toys being advertised, 
and the qualities they are suggesting

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boys should have.

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Commercial: This opens up the wild action
world of Port Apache.

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With Indians, Cavalrymen, shell shooting
cannons.

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Commercial: The most action you can
get, from Matel.

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Speaker: Now let's take a look at some
girl commercials from the past.

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Notice how they promote appearance, 
and domesticity.

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Commercial: Yes, with Susie Homemaker
you can entertain, wash dishes, clean

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house, launder, iron, bake all this, and 
always look lovely.

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Commercial: She keeps herself pretty by
using Sugar Plum.

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Speaker: Luckily, there have been many 
positive changes in toy commercials

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in the past 50 years or so.

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Recently, there have been more depictions 
of boys and girls playing with toys that

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are typically more geared toward the 
other gender.

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Commercial: So much fun, you'll want to
squeal, Little Live Pets, little mice.

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Speaker: There are also more depictions 
of boys and girls playing with toys

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together to indicate that the toy is
gender neutral.

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Commercial: Expressive, and unexpected.

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Stewart is up, down, tumbling all
around.

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Speaker: Some commercials have even
resorted to not using a model at all.

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And instead using hands to indicate that
a toy is gender neutral.

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Commercial: Build the shuttle.

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Place the new satellite.

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And prepare for liftoff.

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Speaker: Still not convinced that toy
commercials have an impact on

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society's perception of gender 
appropriate toys?

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Studies have indicated that children may
view more than 40,000 advertisements

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a year.

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That means that they are potentially
watching tens of thousands of

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gendered advertisements.

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There's research that indicates that
advertisements do indeed affect

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children's attitudes toward the 
brand.

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According to the American Psychological
Association, 50% of children remember

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a toy advertisement a week after seeing
it.

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Furthermore, it is thought that children
may focus more on the advertisements

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than on the television show itself.

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So why should we be concerned?

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Aside from the fact that it is dangerous
to restrict children to one rigid

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identity, research has also speculated 
that toy gendering could affect men

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and women's aptitudes and skills for 
different professions as adults.

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The toys that boys play with encourage 
a freedom of imagination, and teach

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spatial skills that are often necessary
for scientific careers.

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On the other hand, girl toys focus more on
nurturing skills, domestic skills,

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and appearance.

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Many theorize that this is one reason why
there are more men in scientific fields

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than women.

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While there has been some progress with
degendering television toy commercials,

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we still have a long way to go.

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Commercials continue to be gender
restrictive.

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The gendering is simply done in a more
modern way, giving the illusion that

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things have changed when they really
haven't.

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Take a look at these two Barbie 
commercials, for example.

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The first is from 1959, and the second
is from 2015.

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Commercial: [music]

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Commercial: It's for you Moschino Barbie!

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Moschino Barbie doll, fabulosity totally 
included.

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Speaker: Some may think that having a boy
in a Barbie commercial is progress.

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However, his mannerisms are still very
feminine by our society's standards,

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indicating that Barbie's are indeed 
feminine toys.

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In this way, it's not much better than the
Barbie commercial from the '50s.

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We must keep in mind that the 
advertisements are not entirely at

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fault, because gender is constructed by
our society.

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Advertisements simply perpetuate gender
stereotypes by attempting to appeal to

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consumers socially influenced desires.

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In other words, society creates gender 
stereotypes and advertisements

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perpetuate them.

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In order to make a change, we must figure
out why we haven't made more progress.

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Is it society that is resisting?

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Or are the toy companies?

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Or is it both?

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Whatever the cause, we must not
be discouraged.

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Things are improving slowly, but there's
still much work to be done.

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[music]