Final Essay

Rearranging My Essay

I took apart my essay and rearranged it.

Draft 2:

To what extent does advertising construct our ideas about gender?

How much influence do children's toy advertisements have on our ideas about gender and how have these ideas changed over time

Thesis:  Advertisements aimed at children (predominantly those of toys) have a huge impact in the way we view ideas about gender. Gender stereotypes and what traits are socially acceptable have been ingrained into our minds from what we see and learn as children. This is where it all begins.

There are many theories about the way children learn. One of the most significant theories is the Social Learning Theory (1977) conducted by Albert Bandura, a Psychologist and Professor at Stanford University. The theory states that children learn through a process of social observation. Part of his theory suggested that there are certain models that children learn from. In terms of this argument there is one that is most relevant and this is the Symbolic Model. This a character- either real or fictional- that represents behaviours through television, books, films etc. Bandura states ‘Some forms of modelling are so intrinsically rewarding that they can hold the attention of people of all ages for extended periods. This is nowhere better illustrated than in televised modelling. Indeed, models presented in televised form are so effective in capturing attention that viewers learn the depicted behaviour regardless of whether or not they are given extra incentives to do so.’- (Bandura, Grusec, & Menlove 1966: 7). This therefore suggests that children’s advertisements have a massive influence in the way children will behave due to their observations of the Symbolic Models featured in these adverts. It is also evident that children are watching more and more television as time goes on. A text written by Jennifer J. Pine & Nancy A. Jennings titled ‘The Effects of Commercials on Children’s Perceptions of Gender Appropriate Toy Use’ (2005) supports this idea. They say ‘over the past three decades, children’s estimated exposure to television advertising has doubled from an average of about 2,000 commercials... to more than 40,000 commercials per year’ (from 1970-1990). The text also states that ‘heavy television viewers are more likely to express opinions and hold values similar to those represented on television’.  Therefore, children are more likely to quickly pick up and adopt the behaviours they see in advertisements.

Above is an advertisement for Lego, produced in 1981. The advert appears very gender neutral as it features both boys and girls and the clothing they are wearing isn’t stereotypical. The background colour is a neutral brown shade which I feel is quite warm. This sense of warmth is consistent throughout all of the adverts. Along with the children’s reactions to the toys they have built, this collectively gives you a sense of happiness, making parents more likely to buy these toys for their own children so that they can experience the same thing. The different Lego sets are classed as ‘Universal Building Sets’ which suggests they are designed for both genders.  In terms of the semantics behind the text featured in these advertisements, it is obvious that Lego are focusing on the idea of children simply making something, enjoying building whatever they feel like building and being proud of what they’ve produced. The adverts don’t contain any stereotypical traits that appeal to either boys or girls and therefore represent a good Symbolic Model that teaches children that they can be (or make) whatever they wish. This advert is a great example of what children’s toy commercials should look like.

In 2012, Lego launched a new line of toys- Lego Friends. The reason for this strategy was to appeal to more girls as around 90% of their customers were boys before 2011. The sets in this range involve less building and more role play. There are sets to build cafés, beauty salons, bakeries and various other locations which are all based around the stereotype that females are generally concerned with cooking, cleaning, and looking pretty. This is a huge contradiction to Lego’s original selling point of producing a gender neutral toy. There are many differences between the original advertisement referred to earlier and this one. First and foremost, the Symbolic Models (female) in the previous one are real children, wearing gender neutral clothing and looking very happy playing with their Lego toys whereas the Symbolic Models shown in the image above appear to be very pretty, slim animated young girls. This is an issue. The newer range of toys represent a bad image of what young girls should aspire to be like and suggest that they have to be conscious about how they look, what they do and it teaches them that they must be very feminine to fit in (most characters wearing skirts). The colour scheme in the new adverts is pink and purple whereas in the old advert they’ve used a neutral brown shade. Furthermore, in the image showing the Lego Friends set, they have included a male figure in the set up, suggesting they are trying to make the toy a little more gender neutral or trying to make it seem as though the toys aren’t stereotypical or predominantly aimed as girls although, the male Lego figure appears to be working the barbeque which is stereotypically a male activity. They have however shown a female character mowing the lawn which isn’t stereotypical. These toys convey mixed messages in terms of ideas about gender but there is clear evidence of the use of stereotyping as a way to draw in sales and appeal to young girls.

Toy manufactures are now using gender as a driving force to create more business for themselves.  Lego is a perfect example of this.

TOY HISTORY

Gender equality is something that has been a massive issue for a very long time. Society’s views on gender have evolved significantly over time and we are now living in a place where women have been socially accepted as being equal to men (in most cases). A lot has changed over the last 30 years due to women’s right to vote in 1928 as well as The Sex Discrimination Removal Act 1920, The Equal Pay Act 1970 and The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 which are just a few examples of the key events and legislation that have bought us to now. However, it is evident through the advertisements shown that although attitudes about gender have evolved; this isn’t reflected in the media. These attitudes seem to have stayed the same or even gotten worse in the way that stereotypes of men and women are now being used more heavily and as a main focus in some cases. For example, a lot of adverts directed at males in the present day feature cars, muscle and women as a sexual objects. Women’s advertisements seem to still focus on looking pretty and cleaning/cooking. Therefore, it is clear to say that advertisements are not a true indication of attitudes to gender at the time. Furthermore, as children’s advertisements seem to mimic themes in adverts directed at adults, this means that they also include stereotypical features, though not in as extreme ways as the examples given earlier. This is clearly represented in the Lego example given previously. Therefore, children will grow up with the idea that these stereotypes are the social norm and this will shape their ideas about gender roles. They will then carry this with them as they grow older and this in turn may affect ideas about gender in society (outside of the media), taking us back to the position we were in many years ago.

However, research shows that we can quite quickly change children’s views about things through the media. Alice E. Courtney and Thomas W. Whipple say that ‘advertisements using reverse stereotypes affected children’s attitudes, at least in the short term. This suggests advertising has the power to educate and bring about change, as well as reinforce the status quo.’ (‘Stereotyping in Advertisements Viewed by Children’ 1990). An experiment carried out by Pike and Jennings in 2005 reinforces this. In the simplest terms, 62 children were shown advertisements featuring toys and were asked to say at the end when shown the toys; whether they thought they were aimed at girls, boys or both genders. All of the toys being shown were classed as gender neutral before the experiment began. Some advertisements were altered digitally to replace some of the boys faces for girls. These were shown to half the group as non-traditional adverts and the originals shows to the other half as traditional adverts. Both groups were a mixture of boys and girls. The results of the experiment were as follows- ‘children in the non-traditional condition reported more often than those in the traditional condition that the toys were for both boys and girls’ (‘The Effects of Commercials on Children’s Perceptions of Gender Appropriate Toy Use’ 2005) This therefore supports the idea that children can be influenced very easily and so if advertisements simply used fewer stereotypes and looked at being more gender neutral, this would have a significant effect on children’s ideas about gender.

CONCLUSION Lego should have thought about the way in which they could reach out to girls in a way that keeps the toys gender neutral. Rather than bringing out new lines that follow stereotypes about women they should have focused on making their adverts more gender neutral and showing that girls can also play with the original Lego bricks. +

In terms of attitudes towards gender in the present day, it is evident that we have evolved in the sense that both genders are seen as more equal to one another due to equal opportunities for women. Many adverts support these ideas in that they go against stereotypical traits and some even use this as a central theme. An example of this is the Sport England ‘This Girl Can’ advertisement which goes against stereotypes of women that suggest they can’t be into sports and have to have the perfect body. However, the use of stereotypes is still being used in many adverts, including those aimed at children.

However, it is evident that not all television adverts in the 1900’s were like this. Stereotypes in advertisements directed at children were a common theme due them reflecting the same ideas portrayed in those for adults. Julia T. Wood, a Professor of Communication Studies at The University of North Carolina says ‘All forms of media communicate images of the sexes, many of which perpetuate unrealistic, stereotypical, and limiting perceptions.’ in her article ‘Gendered media: The Influence of Media on views of Gender’ (1994).  These perceptions are that men are the cultural standard and that women are subordinate. Some common stereotypes of women suggested in Wood’s article are that they are passive, dependant, pretty housewives. Common stereotypical features of men include; active, uninvolved in human relationships, powerful, and the breadwinners. The article: ‘Stereotyping in Advertisements Viewed by Children’ written a few years before Wood’s- in 1990- supports the idea that children represented in advertisements follow the same stereotypes as the ones listed earlier. The authors Janet Hoek and Wendy Sheppard state that ‘products advertised to girls focused on themes of popularity and beauty, while boy orientated commercials tended to concentrate on power and speed’. 

Essay Draft 1

I'm kind of struggling with my essay at the moment. I seem to have written about everything I wanted to talk about and I'm roughly 1,000 words too shorts. I am going to hand this in as a draft and hopefully the feedback I receive will help me on where to go with it. 

First Draft:

To what extent does advertising construct our ideas about gender?

How much influence do children's toy advertisements have on our ideas about gender and how have these ideas changed over time

Thesis:  Advertisements aimed at children (predominantly those of toys) have a huge impact in the way we view ideas about gender. Gender stereotypes and what traits are socially acceptable have been ingrained into our minds from what we see and learn as children. This is where it all begins.

There are many theories about the way children learn. One of the most significant theories is the Social Learning Theory (1977) conducted by Albert Bandura, a Psychologist and Professor at Stanford University. The theory states that children learn through a process of social observation. Part of his theory suggested that there are certain models that children learn from. In terms of this argument there is one that is most relevant and this is the Symbolic Model. This a character- either real or fictional- that represents behaviours through television, books, films etc. Bandura states ‘Some forms of modelling are so intrinsically rewarding that they can hold the attention of people of all ages for extended periods. This is nowhere better illustrated than in televised modelling. Indeed, models presented in televised form are so effective in capturing attention that viewers learn the depicted behaviour regardless of whether or not they are given extra incentives to do so.’- (Bandura, Grusec, & Menlove 1966: 7). This therefore suggests that children’s advertisements have a massive influence in the way children will behave due to their observations of the Symbolic Models featured in these adverts. It is also evident that children are watching more and more television as time goes on. A text written by Jennifer J. Pine & Nancy A. Jennings titled ‘The Effects of Commercials on Children’s Perceptions of Gender Appropriate Toy Use’ (2005) supports this idea. They say ‘over the past three decades, children’s estimated exposure to television advertising has doubled from an average of about 2,000 commercials... to more than 40,000 commercials per year’ (from 1970-1990). The text also states that ‘heavy television viewers are more likely to express opinions and hold values similar to those represented on television’.  Therefore, children are more likely to quickly pick up and adopt the behaviours they see in advertisements.

Above is an advertisement for Lego, produced in 1981. The advert appears very gender neutral as it features both boys and girls and the clothing they are wearing isn’t stereotypical. The background colour is a neutral brown shade which I feel is quite warm. This sense of warmth is consistent throughout all of the adverts. Along with the children’s reactions to the toys they have built, this collectively gives you a sense of happiness, making parents more likely to buy these toys for their own children so that they can experience the same thing. The different Lego sets are classed as ‘Universal Building Sets’ which suggests they are designed for both genders.  In terms of the semantics behind the text featured in these advertisements, it is obvious that Lego are focusing on the idea of children simply making something, enjoying building whatever they feel like building and being proud of what they’ve produced. The adverts don’t contain any stereotypical traits that appeal to either boys or girls and therefore represent a good Symbolic Model that teaches children that they can be (or make) whatever they wish. This advert is a great example of what children’s toy commercials should look like.

However, it is evident that not all television adverts in the 1900’s were like this. Stereotypes in advertisements directed at children were a common theme due them reflecting the same ideas portrayed in those for adults. Julia T. Wood, a Professor of Communication Studies at The University of North Carolina says ‘All forms of media communicate images of the sexes, many of which perpetuate unrealistic, stereotypical, and limiting perceptions.’ in her article ‘Gendered media: The Influence of Media on views of Gender’ (1994).  These perceptions are that men are the cultural standard and that women are subordinate. Some common stereotypes of women suggested in Wood’s article are that they are passive, dependant, pretty housewives. Common stereotypical features of men include; active, uninvolved in human relationships, powerful, and the breadwinners. The article: ‘Stereotyping in Advertisements Viewed by Children’ written a few years before Wood’s- in 1990- supports the idea that children represented in advertisements follow the same stereotypes as the ones listed earlier. The authors Janet Hoek and Wendy Sheppard state that ‘products advertised to girls focused on themes of popularity and beauty, while boy orientated commercials tended to concentrate on power and speed’.

In terms of attitudes towards gender in the present day, it is evident that we have evolved in the sense that both genders are seen as more equal to one another due to equal opportunities for women. Many adverts support these ideas in that they go against stereotypical traits and some even use this as a central theme. An example of this is the Sport England ‘This Girl Can’ advertisement which goes against stereotypes of women that suggest they can’t be into sports and have to have the perfect body. However, the use of stereotypes is still being used in many adverts, including those aimed at children. Toy manufactures are now using gender as a driving force to create more business for themselves.  Lego is a perfect example of this.  

In 2012, Lego launched a new line of toys- Lego Friends. The reason for this strategy was to appeal to more girls as around 90% of their customers were boys before 2011. The sets in this range involve less building and more role play. There are sets to build cafés, beauty salons, bakeries and various other locations which are all based around the stereotype that females are generally concerned with cooking, cleaning, and looking pretty. This is a huge contradiction to Lego’s original selling point of producing a gender neutral toy. There are many differences between the original advertisement referred to earlier and this one. First and foremost, the Symbolic Models (female) in the previous one are real children, wearing gender neutral clothing and looking very happy playing with their Lego toys whereas the Symbolic Models shown in the image above appear to be very pretty, slim animated young girls. This is an issue. The newer range of toys represent a bad image of what young girls should aspire to be like and suggest that they have to be conscious about how they look, what they do and it teaches them that they must be very feminine to fit in (most characters wearing skirts). The colour scheme in the new adverts is pink and purple whereas in the old advert they’ve used a neutral brown shade. Furthermore, in the image showing the Lego Friends set, they have included a male figure in the set up, suggesting they are trying to make the toy a little more gender neutral or trying to make it seem as though the toys aren’t stereotypical or predominantly aimed as girls although, the male Lego figure appears to be working the barbeque which is stereotypically a male activity. They have however shown a female character mowing the lawn which isn’t stereotypical. These toys convey mixed messages in terms of ideas about gender but there is clear evidence of the use of stereotyping as a way to draw in sales and appeal to young girls. Lego should have thought about the way in which they could reach out to girls in a way that keeps the toys gender neutral. Rather than bringing out new lines that follow stereotypes about women they should have focused on making their adverts more gender neutral and showing that girls can also play with the original Lego bricks. 

Gender equality is something that has been a massive issue for a very long time. Society’s views on gender have evolved significantly over time and we are now living in a place where women have been socially accepted as being equal to men (in most cases). A lot has changed over the last 30 years due to women’s right to vote in 1928 as well as The Sex Discrimination Removal Act 1920, The Equal Pay Act 1970 and The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 which are just a few examples of the key events and legislation that have bought us to now. However, it is evident through the advertisements shown that although attitudes about gender have evolved; this isn’t reflected in the media. These attitudes seem to have stayed the same or even gotten worse in the way that stereotypes of men and women are now being used more heavily and as a main focus in some cases. For example, a lot of adverts directed at males in the present day feature cars, muscle and women as a sexual objects. Women’s advertisements seem to still focus on looking pretty and cleaning/cooking. Therefore, it is clear to say that advertisements are not a true indication of attitudes to gender at the time. Furthermore, as children’s advertisements seem to mimic themes in adverts directed at adults, this means that they also include stereotypical features, though not in as extreme ways as the examples given earlier. This is clearly represented in the Lego example given previously. Therefore, children will grow up with the idea that these stereotypes are the social norm and this will shape their ideas about gender roles. They will then carry this with them as they grow older and this in turn may affect ideas about gender in society (outside of the media), taking us back to the position we were in many years ago.

However, research shows that we can quite quickly change children’s views about things through the media. Alice E. Courtney and Thomas W. Whipple say that ‘advertisements using reverse stereotypes affected children’s attitudes, at least in the short term. This suggests advertising has the power to educate and bring about change, as well as reinforce the status quo.’ (‘Stereotyping in Advertisements Viewed by Children’ 1990). An experiment carried out by Pike and Jennings in 2005 reinforces this. In the simplest terms, 62 children were shown advertisements featuring toys and were asked to say at the end when shown the toys; whether they thought they were aimed at girls, boys or both genders. All of the toys being shown were classed as gender neutral before the experiment began. Some advertisements were altered digitally to replace some of the boys faces for girls. These were shown to half the group as non-traditional adverts and the originals shows to the other half as traditional adverts. Both groups were a mixture of boys and girls. The results of the experiment were as follows- ‘children in the non-traditional condition reported more often than those in the traditional condition that the toys were for both boys and girls’ (‘The Effects of Commercials on Children’s Perceptions of Gender Appropriate Toy Use’ 2005) This therefore supports the idea that children can be influenced very easily and so if advertisements simply used fewer stereotypes and looked at being more gender neutral, this would have a significant effect on children’s ideas about gender. 

My Essay Plan

Question:

To what extent does advertising construct our ideas about gender?

How much influence do children's toy advertisements have on our ideas about gender and how have these ideas changed over time.

Thesis:

Advertisements aimed at children (predominantly those of toys) have a huge impact in the way we view ideas about gender. Gender stereotypes and what traits are socially accepted have been ingrained into our minds from what we see and learn as children. This is where it all begins.

Main points:

1. What were society's views about gender in the 1900's and how were these views expressed through children's toy advertisements. 
2. What are society's views on gender in the present day? Have we evolved?
3. Social Learning theories- how to children learn. What influences them the most in terms of advertisements directed at them. 
4. Do we need to change the messages being portrayed in our advertisements? What can we do to change this- solutions. 

Images:

http://images.mic.com/vwobaszp9mmuxbk12pgluyqfkwhbhi1pezxldkuhoj3uqfvkxvdb0vulqidtfinv.jpg

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11250366/Lego-letter-to-parents-in-1974-on-gender-equality-still-resonates-40-years-on.html

http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/Olivia-s-House-3315

Image Analysis 3

Lego Friends Set 'City Park Cafe'- 2012

• Lego noticed that most of the children playing with Lego were boys and so they decided to bring out Lego Friends in 2012 to appeal to girls. This completely goes against their original message and selling point in the 90's. 
• Characters happen to be very pretty, petite females that young girls will aspire to be like and will result in them wanting the set. 
• Only girls can be friends? Strange name for a product, not sure on the concept. 
• The example is a Cafe- represents stereotype that girls like cooking/ baking. Other sets in the range include a Horse stable, a Butterfly Beauty Shop, a Puppy/ Bunny House, an Ice Cream Stand and there's many more, most of which are based around other stereotypes of girls. 
• Researched into the new range more. There are 7 boy characters, and 27 girl characters (including 5 main girls) spread across the sets. In one set, the example on the packaging shows the only male character working the barbecue. Which is stereotypical again. 
• Colour scheme is purple in pink- aimed at girls. 
• The sets aren't about building things as Lego was originally. More about the idea of role play, which is the central theme in a lot of toys aimed at girls (dolls etc.).
• Lego have completely changed their products and their ideas. 

Image Analysis 2

Note to Parents featured in Lego Set- 1974

• I feel like opinions on the use of stereotypes in children's toys is neutral- I don't think most people would approve of them which makes this little note to parents a really clever selling technique. It says what everyone wants to hear.
• However, I feel as though this note would have a lot more of an effect if it were released more recently as gender stereotypes are constantly being used as the focus of many children's toys now. 
• Found an article about it that reinforces my point: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/24/lego-letter-from-the-70s_n_6212362.html - also shows some interesting transitions of toys from back then in comparison to their current versions.

Image Analysis 1

Lego Advertisement-1981

• Gender neutral- features both boys and girls
• 'universal building sets' 
• Different sets for different ages- appealing to more than one audience.
• Clothing is not stereotypical- children are wearing blue and pink in one image but some kids just like those colours- the stereotypes had to have come from somewhere! Child in the middle not stereotypical at all. 
• Focuses on the idea of children just enjoying playing with toys, making whatever they want to and being proud of it. Text doesn't feature anything stereotypical to appeal to a particular gender. 
• This idea of pride is a unique selling point which makes Lego stand out- to parents- amongst other toys.
• Neutral colour scheme.
• All the children look genuinely happy- doesn't feel like they're acting or trying to persuade you forcefully to buy the product. Parents will buy to make their own children as happy as the children in the advert look. 

Text Analysis 4

'Stereotyping in Advertisements Viewed by Children'

Janet Hoek & Wendy Sheppard

http://marketing-bulletin.massey.ac.nz/V1/MB_V1_A2_Hoek.pdf

Key Points:

• Children are vulnerable and advertising to them could be seen as taking advantage of this- making them desire things.
• Children learn through observation.
• Television advert characters may act as model's for children that they then learn from.
• Advertisements that use reverse stereotypes succeeded in altering children's attitudes and views on gender in experiments conducted by Courtney & Whipple, suggesting that advertising has the ability to change people's views.
• More males featured in advertisements looked at in experiment
• Gender neutral adverts featured most activity.
• Aggressive behaviour found in boys.
• More male voice-overs than female.

Key Quotes:

• 'Critics argue that advertising directed at children takes advantage of their vulnerability, and makes them want things they do not need.'
• 'they express concern at the effect advertising may have on children's habits and preferences, the role it plays in influencing their sex role and occupational expectations'
• 'Children's behaviour is influenced not only by the instructions they receive from others, but also by their observations of how people in their environment behave.'
• 'products advertised to girls focused on themes of popularity and beauty, while boy-oriented commercials tended to concentrate on power and speed.'
• 'advertisements using reverse stereotypes affected children's attitudes, at least in the short term. This suggests advertising has the power to educate and bring about change, as well as reinforce the status quo.'- a total of 234 advertisements recorded over a week, 40% for toys. 

Text Analysis 3

'The Effects of Commercials on Children’s Perceptions of Gender Appropriate Toy Use'

Jennifer J. Pike & Nancy A. Jennings (2005)

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/45638/11199_2005_Article_1195.pdf

Key Points: 

• Children are watching a ridiculous amount of television recently.
• Lots of stereotyped advertisements being shown which is concerning.
• Cultivation Theory- The more TV people watch the more likely they are to believe and follow social reality that is shown.
• Social Learning Theory- learning through observation.
• The two mentioned theories explain how the media construct everyone ideas about gender.
• Children watch more TV than adults so they may be more susceptible to accept the world portrayed on television as real life. 
• Used to be more boys in adverts, however research from the 1990's showed more equal amounts of boys and girls- content still an issue though. 
• Stereotypes shown in adverts shape children's perception of gender and what is socially accepted.
• Non-traditional image (such as girls playing with toys aimed at boys) can change their ideas about gender.
• Pingree (1978) experiment found this to be true. Children shown non-traditional advertisements were more likely to say both genders were the target for the toy whereas those shown traditional adverts most said the toy was aimed at boys. 

Key Quotes:

• 'Over the past three decades, children’s estimated exposure to television advertising has doubled from an average of about 20,000 commercials...  to more than 40,000 commercials per year' - from 1970's to 1990's.
• 'heavy television viewers are more likely to express opinions and hold values similar to those represented on television'
• 'they may be more susceptible than adults to adopting a television world view, particularly as it relates to the social construction of gender and gender roles.'
• 'exposing participants, adults and children, to counter-stereotypical portrayals led to less traditional gender role attitudes. If brief exposure to nontraditional images creates change in children’s beliefs, imagine what prolonged exposure could do for children’s beliefs and their behaviors.'

Text Analysis 2

'Why Does Gender Matter? Counteracting Stereotypes With Young Children'

Olaiya E. Aina and Petronella A. Cameron (2011)

http://www.southernearlychildhood.org/upload/pdf/Why_Does_Gender_Matter_Counteracting_Stereotypes_With_Young_Children_Olaiya_E_Aina_and_Petronella_A_Cameron.pdf

Key Points:

• Early gender bias and stereotypes can affect children in different ways:
• shape their attitudes and beliefs in terms of relationships 
• it can hinder their education equality 
• role in the real world (work)
• affect their well-being (physical and emotional)
• Children develop their gender identity and start to understand gender from a very young age- 3-5 years old.
• Lots of influence such as media, popular culture, education, friends, family, books and toys- consumer products are stereotyped.
• Consequences- lead to believe they have to follow certain social norms in order to be accepted (even by parents and friends). 

Key Quotes:

• 'Stereotypes and sexism limit potential growth and development (Narahara, 1998) because internalizing negative stereotypes impacts self-esteem and ultimately, academic performance.'
• 'Not only are these products marketed for specific genders, but they are merchandised in stores by gender, creating segregated pink and blue aisles for shopping.'
• 'Children also have been shown to actively create gender identities through interactions with each other (Thorne, 1993).'
• 'Children’s gender-typed toy preferences are more likely to be exhibited when in the proximity of peers who approve of the gendertyped choices (Hughes, 2003).'
• 'Young children often reveal their gender stereotyping in their play.'
• 'Young children create and internalize their own meanings of gender, based on the social cues of the adults, environments, and media around them.'
• 'By equipping young children with positive messages of empowerment regardless of gender, in addition to the critical thinking skills to identify stereotypes, teachers and families can impart in children self-concept resiliency, even when faced with negative stereotypes (Small, 2003). Those children will then be less likely to perpetuate the stereotypes and can help end the cycle of prejudice.'

Text Analysis 1

'Gendered Media: The Influence of Media on Views of Gender'

Julia T. Wood (1994)

https://www.udel.edu/comm245/readings/GenderedMedia.pdf

Key Points:

• Men are the cultural standard, women are subordinate 
• Women and men are stereotyped and these have become socially accepted
• Media communicates these ideas through TV, advertisements etc. 

Key Quotes:

• 'All forms of media communicate images of the sexes, many of which perpetuate unrealistic, stereotypical, and limiting perceptions.' 
• 'women are dramatically underrepresented.'
• 'A second recurrent theme in media representations of relationships is that men are the competent authorities who save women from their incompetence.'
• 'using male voice-overs reinforces the cultural v&w that men are authorities and women depend on men to tell them what to do.'
• 'magazines aimed at women stress looking good and doing things to please others.'
• 'They want to sponsor shows that create or expand markets for their products.' - referring to best interest of advertisers.
• 'Advertising is very effective in convincing us that we need products to solve problems we are unaware of until some clever public relations campaign persuades us that something natural about us is really unnatural and unacceptable.'

Characteristics: 

Stereotypes of Women gathered from text- 

• Passive 
• Dependent 
• Incompetent 
• Dumb 
• Pretty
• Focused on home, family 
• Caring 
• Helpless
• Housewives 

Stereotypes of Men gathered from text-

• Active 
• Adventurous 
• Powerful 
• Sexually aggressive
• Uninvolved in human relationships 
• Confident 
• Heroic 
• Providers
• Cultural standard 
• Superior 

What do I want to focus on?

Possible themes:

How women are perceived?
How men are perceived?
Gender stereotypes?
Advertisements directed at children?
How adverts have changed over time to reflect societies views?

Children.
Ideas about gender are constructed from a young age?
Stereotypes- Pink for girls, blue for boys?
Have these stereotypes changed over time? Are they still being used?
Social leaning theories?
Adverts that go against stereotypes?
Other influences- toys and books?