♪ [music] ♪
NARRATOR: 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 gendered behaviors, occupations, and toys.
Studies have found that male characters tend to dominate children's commercials.
COMMERCIAL: Thunderbirds are go!
We've located the distress call. We must get there fast!
NARRATOR: Many of them have also found that gender portrayals in advertising are often
negatively stereotyped in ways that are restrictive and demeaning.
COMMERCIAL: Baby Alive!
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!
NARRATOR: 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.
COMMERCIAL: A glitter blow-dryer? That's so Barbie!
♪ Look at that glitter. Change the color, Change the style ♪
COMMERCIAL: The Transformers war is here!
And both sides can change from vehicle to blaster in an instant.
NARRATOR: Finally, commercials featuring females
are usually for dolls and accessories,
whereas commercials featuring males
are often for building toys and action figures.
COMMERCIAL: It's a great big jet!
♪ In the sky! Walk the runway! Yeah, we rock it! ♪
COMMERCIAL: Want something your way?
You build it!
Introducing U-Build Battleship.
NARRATOR: Boys are encouraged to play with cars,
trucks, building toys, and science toys.
Generally the toys promote strength and power.
COMMERCIAL: 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 sold separately.
That's Tonka tough.
NARRATOR: Girls are encouraged to play with toys such as kitchen sets, and dolls
that promote domestic and nurturing behavior.
COMMERCIAL: Only you can help shy little Furberries come out and play!
COMMERCIAL: It's the cake bakery! The easy way to make designer cakes!
Bake your cake in the microwave in 30 seconds!
NARRATOR: 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.
COMMERCIAL: This opens up the wild action world of Port Apache,
with Indians, cavalrymen, shell-shooting cannons.
COMMERCIAL: The most action you can get, from Mattel.
NARRATOR: Now let's take a look at some girl commercials from the past.
Notice how they promote appearance and domesticity.
COMMERCIAL: Yes, with Suzy Homemaker, you can entertain, wash dishes, clean house,
launder, iron, bake all this, and always look lovely.
COMMERCIAL: She keeps herself pretty by using Sugar Plum.
NARRATOR: 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.
COMMERCIAL: ♪ So much fun, you'll want to squeal, Little Live Pets, little mice. ♪
NARRATOR: There are also more depictions of boys and girls playing with toys together
to indicate that the toy is gender-neutral.
COMMERCIAL: Expressive and unexpected. Stuart is up, down, tumbling all around.
Minions!
NARRATOR: Some commercials have even resorted to not using a model at all
and instead using hands to indicate that a toy is gender-neutral.
COMMERCIAL: Build the shuttle,
place the new satellite, and prepare for liftoff.
NARRATOR: 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 de-gendering 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.
♪ Purse and hats and gloves and more and all the gadgets gals adore ♪
COMMERCIAL: It's for you Moschino Barbie!
Moschino Barbie doll, fabulosity totally included.
NARRATOR: 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 consumers' 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 done.
♪ [slow jazzy music plays during credits] ♪