Toy Commercials: Playing with Gender

[music]

Speaker: 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
in to 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!

Speaker: 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!

Speaker: 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 blowdrier?

That's so Barbie!

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Commercial: The Transformers war is here!

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

Speaker: 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!

[music]

Commercial: Want something your way?

You build it!

Introducing U-Build Battleship.

Speaker: 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.

Speaker: 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!

Speaker: 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 Matel.

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

Notice how they promote appearance,
and domesticity.

Commercial: Yes, with Susie 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.

Speaker: 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.

Speaker: 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.

Stewart is up, down, tumbling all
around.

Speaker: 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.

Speaker: 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.

Commercial: [music]

Commercial: It's for you Moschino Barbie!

Moschino Barbie doll, fabulosity totally
included.

Speaker: 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 Barbie's 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.

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