At the beginning of this essay it will help you the reader to know and understand the differences in 4 terms. These terms are Race, Ethnicity, Sex and Gender. Race is defined as "a group of people who are believed to biological group sharing genetically transmitted traits that are defined as important." Ethnicity is defined as "people who share a common historical and cultural heritage and sense of group identity." Sex is defined as "the Biological role that each of us plays, such as in reproduction and nursing." Gender is defined as "learned behaviors involving how we are expected to behave as males and females in society." .
These rolls play a large part in our childhood as to how we will develop into adults. This can be in part contributed to the toys that we play with as children and the way that these toys are packaged, advertised and perceived by young children. Recently I went to Geoffery's a local toy store in the Meridian area. I selected six toys. Three of the toys were for girls and three of the toys were for boys. Although in my choices I did select on Action Figure for a boy that was a female and one action figure for a girl that was a male. .
The toys that I selected for this essay were: America's Finest EMT, G.I. Joe 26th Marine expeditionary unit, Barbie Princess Doll, Skate Date Ken, Power Wheels Barbie Jeep, and Power Wheels Boy's Jeep. .
The only violent toy is the G.I. Joe which includes a M136 AT4 Rocket Launcher and a Missile Tube. Two of the toys are patriotic, the G.I. Joe and the EMT, both boxes show the American flag. The EMT and G.I. Joe are for ages 5 and up, while the Ken and Barbie are for ages 3 and up. It is interesting to note that all the toys and all the boxes showed only white characters. These toys instill the values of masculinity, femininity, vanity, patriotism, and honor. The purpose of the toys is to expand the child's imagination. The only toys that are strictly for the outdoors are the Power Wheels Jeeps.