Gendered Remix

Playing around with the gender remixer made me realize the different aspects of gender-specific children’s ads. I hadn’t really thought much about these ads before, but the very different aspects of gender addressed in this video was quite startling. The girls’ ads are much more docile than the boys’, often emphasizing tasks centered around the domestic sphere. Girls are expected to play with toys that involve caring for animals or children, cooking, or doing hair and makeup. Looking at these now as a young adult, I am actually insulted by these ads. As a female, I’m expected to be drawn to homemaking and beauty moreso than building rockets or pirate adventures. The juxtaposition of the different ads’ audio and visual really brought to my attention these glaring differences. Growing up, I was always the girl who played with Legos and built forts outside with sticks and leaves rather than the girl who played with Barbies. Because of that, I hadn’t ever paid much attention to the girls ads (not that I even have cable to see these ads).

It’s hard to grasp the concept that these ads still exist in the progressive nature of today’s society. Gender is becoming an increasingly grey area in regards to the traditional definitions of gender and sex, and pop culture is starting to adjust to these changes accordingly. Clothing lines are become more androgenous in nature, and more things that were traditionally “female”, such as makeup, are reaching out to include the male demographic. Living in the city, I find these efforts are more prevalent than back home in suburbia. Even then, I am shocked that these ads are still airing today given that women have progressed so far beyond the confines of the kitchen that society previously held them in. I’m assuming there’s a strong opposition against the toy companies by some LGBTQ groups. Hopefully these ads will change sooner rather than later.