Ever take a proper look inside your local toy store? Well, if so you'll be able to clearly distinguish two major categories in your toy store; "boy toys " and "girl toys. " For as long as we can remember growing up as a little boy or little girl, we would always want the toys that best fit our gender most, but what made us understand what toys is for what gender? How are we able to distinguish what a boy toy is and what a girl toy is? We learned through socially constructed media devices such as the television. Through the television children are molded into what is the "perfect normal adults " that is accepted throughout the society, and yes it starts with toys.
It was discovered by John Locke himself that babies are born with no preexisting knowledge when first coming out the womb, a "blank slate " this idea is called tabula rasa . When children view advertisements on the television a change is taken place in their minds and they adapt to what they are exposed to most, which is advertisers showing boys playing in the blue section slightly more aggressive, but having fun, and girls playing in the pink section smiling and also having fun. .
In order to understand how gender socialization and stratification are enforced in society through toys it is crucial to understand what gender socialization and stratification is exactly. These two definitions go hand and hand, "Gender socialization is the process through which members of society learn the values, norms, statuses and roles related to gender. " And "Gender stratification is a structured system of inequalities between genders. " So with this in mind, these two words are used to typically create the "perfect normal adult, " each gender is assigned a "role, " girls are too stay home, be a good mother and so forth and men are to be the providers, to fight and protect. Adviser are typically trying to mold boys and girls into separate entities, they typically like to send a specific subtle message to each gender through the television.
