Conforming Our Children

After observing the interactions of families at a local toy store, it is possible to say that society's standard for gender roles are even enacted in young children. The stereotypes are introduced to them by way of family members and the media. These influences teach children that they are supposed to like and dislike certain things to be considered "normal".

For the most part, the boys shy away from the forbidden pink zone. The boys seemed to be disinterested in the dolls and skipped the aisle all together. They appeared to be more interested in their action figures. There was one boy who happened to be looking at a Ken doll, until his older sister directed his way to "his side" of the store. Likewise most girls stayed away from the "boy zone", though some of the girls seemed very interested in some of the cartoon action figures. One girl recognized a certain doll from a television commercial and asked for it. Her mother who just happened to be holding a Barbie turned down the girl's request. The fact that she was influenced by a television commercial shows how the

For the most part, boys did not freely go into the "pink zone" and the girls stayed out of the "boy zone". Generally society's standard of gender types are being upheld. Children seem to learn from an early start, from sources such as older family members or television commercials to conform to society's stereotypes.

media plays a part in this stereotyping. There seemed to be more girls in the boy's aisles than boys in the girl's aisles. This may be because society is more accepting of girls with a truck than of boys with a Barbie. The reason may also just because the toys for boys have more to do with action, which to some is an attractive characteristic when picking a toy. There were certain toys that that attracted the attention of both boys and girls alike, such as Legos and stuffed animals. Both of these toys can either be considered for a girl or boy. There is really no gender stereotype for such toys. In the end, most children did follow their gender stereotypes.

Another thing that attracts children to a certain product is the packaging. The pictures and colors on the cardboard boxes entice these children to want a toy. Another way the packaging can attract a buyer is when the product or toy is in clear plastic, so that they can get a better idea of what the toy is like. The girls were

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Approximate Word count = 893
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)