Walk down the toy aisles in any store and you'll see a clear distinction between the girl's and boy's section. One area with a pink theme is bombarded with glitter, dolls, princesses and household-based toys. Now move on to the blue-themed area that is filled with action figures, guns, and cars.
Simply, these gender-stereotyping toys are sending the wrong messages to children. Products that are aimed towards girls are reminding them what they are capable of and that is wearing pretty dresses, admiring themselves in front of vanity mirrors and taking care of household work. The message is pretty clear: girls are only good for domestic roles and making themselves look good. On the other hand, boys are given a sense of patriotism and are encouraged to be superheroes and athletes; it makes them seem active, daring and sporty.
However these messages can negatively affect the way we think. It pollutes the minds of children by giving them the idea that girls and boys are so fundamentally different that there are no toys available that both genders will be able to enjoy. Back in the 70s and 80s, toys were unisex but nowadays they are categorized specifically for boys and girls. Take Legos for example. They used to market to both sexes until they created two completely different Lego universes. They've added a Lego Friends line which is there attempt to market towards girls. Lego Friends points out the assumptions that society has on girls with the most common being that they are genetically programmed to like pink and participate in home-decorating activities.
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Now I firmly believe that the media has a lot to do with the gender inequality that plagues our culture. It's apparent to me that women are badly represented in the media while men are praised by society. In movies for example, the male is usually the hero whereas the female is a damsel in distress waiting for her "Prince Charming" to save her. I think society tries to enforce the idea that men will always be superior over women. Instead of being stuck on that old ideology, our society should start gravitating towards gender equality. (343)
