Ok so did not have time for dinner tonight so I went to McDonalds and while waiting in line I was thinking about happy meal toys. Sometimes McDonalds offers two different toys and as a customer you have to identify whether or not your child is a boy or a girl. This bugs me because why do we do this and not even think about it. When McDonald’s promotes a movie they give out one toy to every child in each happy meal. But when McDonald’s give out Barbie’s, Bratz, or Hello Kitty why is it that they give a different toy to a male child such as a G.I. Joe or a Hot Wheel. I know plenty of female children who would love to have a Hot Wheel. Take my little sister for example she is two but she loves cars and she even has her own bag full of Hot Wheels.
The media has put so many stereotypes on toys that it is not socially acceptable for a male child to play with a Barbie or Bratz. If a male child does chose to play with these toys for example they are taken away from the child or the child is told they can not play with these toys.
At work we have a two year old who love the dress up clothes and in particular the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader uniform but one evening when is mother came to pick him up she said he was no longer allowed to wear the uniform. If is hard to tell a two year old he can’t wear his favorite outfit but this is a good example of what is not socially acceptable.
There are so many stereotypes and stigmas about gender roles in the media and it just seems like McDonald’s follows the wave.
4 comments:
It's so funny that you mention this. I took a class last semester that really opened my eyes to this. It was Sociology of Gender and I think it should be a required class for every college student - if not younger!
My teacher was a feminist and she gave us a whole new perspective on how we're living life. She taught us we don't have to accept the gender roles that we're all forced into and that gender is a learned behavior - it's not something we're born doing. Little girls aren't born liking pink better than blue, green, red, etc - it's the parents who decide that their daughter will be subjected to pink and only pink. Children are taught from day 1 that they are to act their gender and no differently. Boys are allowed to be rough and dirty but if girls act in the same way they aren't being ladylike. Girls can play with dolls and play dress up but if boys do it then people automatically suspect that they're gay.
Why are we spending all of our time teaching our children how to act feminine or masculine and not teaching them good morals and how to be respectful? Is your son's sexuality really going to be affected by the clothes that he wears or the toys he plays with? Isn't it pretty clear that homosexuality is not a chosen behavior - it's how you're born. I thought that was something that was clear by now. But that's another story for another day - I just want to know why it is so important to people that we encourage our kids to act like a certain gender. Shouldn't we spend more time loving our kids and teaching them to love others? I know when I have kids, that's how I plan on raising them - where they can choose on their own what they like and they can know judgment will never be passed on behalf of their sexuality or gender. Life is too short to worry about something so superficial.
identification starts before babies are born, in how we fix up the nursery, the colors we use. When junior is born he gets a football, his sister gets a doll. It is apparent in the language, the play dates etc. Read Julia Wood, if you are interested, her books are utilized in several classes on campus.
Hey Nicole, did you miss the blog that was due on Wednesday?
I agree with Nicole. I have often thought this when driving through the McDonald’s drive through. I remember many times when I was little that I wanted the boy’s toy and not the girls. I remember telling my mom, “no mommy I want the other toy.” Then the conversation that ensued was awkward because the person on the other end would be like, “what you want the boy’s toy?” My mom would refer to the toy by name and not call it the boy’s toy because she did not think it was right to categorize toys based upon gender. I understand there are certain toys that girls and boys are more inclined to play with, but shouldn’t we give them a choice? Instead of asking what their gender is, why don’t they ask, “and which toy would you like?”
I think that it is interesting what Professor Wynn said about having these ideas and instilling these messages before children are even born, like with the nursery and the color of clothes. I think it is interesting now that some people are not finding out the sex of their baby and are choosing gender “neutral” colors like yellow. When did it become unacceptable for a girl to like blue or a guy to like pink?
Aside from instilling these ideas in children’s minds the images that McDonald’s toys are projecting these days are ridiculous. I went to McDonald’s last semester and the theme of the toys was American Idol. I got a Mighty Kids Meal and I told them I did not need a toy, but they still gave it to me. I was shocked when I opened it up. It was an American Idol contestant. It was a black girl with a huge Afro and big hoop earrings. I opened it and I said, “seriously are you kidding me?” I showed my roommate and then we talked about how sad and pathetic it was that McDonald’s was distributing toys that project black women in a very stereotypical way. A couple of months before this I was again at McDonald’s and I ordered a kids meal and I got some sort of Barbie or Bratz doll. The doll to my shock and horror was wearing a tiny little shirt that showed her whole belly and a skirt that barely covered her butt, with hooker boots. Is this what little girls should grow up playing with? Should little girls be given the impression that this is who they are supposed to become? I do not think so and you can better believe if I ever have a little girl she will not be playing with these types of toys.
There are so many preconceived notions about how children are supposed to behave and play based upon gender, what colors they are supposed to like and what toys are acceptable for them to play with. Instead of focusing so much on whether or not it is okay for boys to dress up or for girls to play with cars we should encourage children to learn more about aspects of the other. What we should be really concerned with is whether or not the toys, regardless of whether they are meant for girls or boys, are sending out good messages or whether they are upholding negative stereotypes and images.
Here is the link to a picture of the American Idol toy:
http://i17.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/ee/02/4a2c_1.JPG
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