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Feb 3

No Ruffles!

Girly Lego figure.

When I was eight years old I was the flower girl at my Aunt’s wedding. It was all fun and games through the rehearsal and doing my hair. It was all fun and games until they brought in the dress.

I slumped down to the floor, pulling my favorite move, “no bones”. I kicked my feet, and slammed my fists into anyone who came at me with the giant ruffly puff of fabric.

The wedding was delayed by an hour.

I was an eight year old girl, whose girl friends played with barbies and their mother’s high heels, while I through my barbies into the fan and chose the woods with the boys instead.

Even with all the progress in equality for race, sex and orientation, there are still gender roles that play a big part in raising a child. It is seen everywhere, Disney princesses, Comic Book movies and now even Legos.

With the release of Lego’s new “Lego Friends”, came a backlash of 50,000 petitioners saying enough is enough.

A letter from Callie the ten year old daughter of Melissa Wardy, who started the Pigtail Pals clothing line directed towards breaking the gender role standards, states “There are plenty of smart and creative girls out there eager to play with Legos. Do you want that to be ruined, by giving th

em only a beauty salon to create?” 

As a former tom boy, who still plays with my brother’s Star Wars lego set, the idea of distinguishing a difference between the “boy” and “girl” way to play with what are basically glorified building blocks with endless possibilities is RIDICULOUS.

Feb 3

Jigglywhat?

The pink, temperamental Pokémon character I identified with most as a child

As a child I wanted to do everything my brother did, including playing the video games, watching the TV show, collecting the cards and obsessing over the movies/stuffed animals/anything relative to Pokémon. I obviously was not interested in the “supposed different interest of girls and boys.” (Course packet page 69) It was a boy’s game that I did not openly admit to liking, however my parents never denied me the joy of playing. They actually were all for this considering my brother and I fought like cats and dogs. Our bond in Pokémon would temporarily control the madness and entertain both of us at the same time; they saw no problem with killing two birds with one stone. Like many parents they were concerned “about whether their children were being entertained enough.” (Course packet page 6)

“Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world…” earning the second spot in top game franchises. Pokémon was originally intended to be a video game and therefore is affiliated with Nintendo, however it has spread into a plethora of products not necessarily centered around video games.

Their products range in price depending on what exactly you want; As far as games go, the Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS run a little under $40. Right now on Amazon a Pokémon videogame for a gaming consul costs almost $100.

"This one’s for the ladies in the house (or dudes if you’re into it, Pokébra judges no gender!), these adorable bras are custom made, meaning every boobie of every size can be successfully captured by this nerdiness. It’s a shame that during all his years on the air in prepubescent purgatory Ash was never old enough to touch a boob. I’m pretty sure a bra like this would have made his awkward teenage years more memorable."

When I decided to write about Pokémon I had a conversation with a friend about the topic. I was having trouble remembering the name of my favorite Pokémon character. I knew it was pink and temperamental; finally the name came to me, Jigglypuff! There are some ridiculous Pokémon products that have emerged and are for sale right now. These products include a Pokébra, Pokémon Jets, Pokéball Beret, Yellow Pikachu Lightning Nike Sneakers, PokéDex iPhone Case, Pikachu Boxers and more. I thought that it would be a difficult topic to write on since it had been so long since I had been a Pokémon fanatic. I was proven wrong with my first Google search. I have learned that although I eventually grew out of that awkward stage of my life, it seems as though others continue to dwell in this fantasy.

 

Feb 3

Nintendo Game Boy(Girl)

As a child growing up in the ’90s, I spent the majority of my free time grasping my Game Boy as if it were the only thing of value in my life. Introduced to the U.S. in 1989, Nintendo’s Game Boy quickly became popular among kids of all ages who enjoyed the convenience of playing video games anywhere, anytime, with this hand-held creation.  The original Game Boy was released at a price of $89.99 and ran on 4 AA batteries that provided hours of playing time; in 2003, Nintendo ceased production of the original Game Boy and other portable gaming consoles have since taken its place.

 

Nintendo Game Boy Commercial from the late ’80s; uploaded to YouTube in 2006.

The Game Boy was something that kept me entertained for hours on end; I was constantly distracted by challenges and quests to save Princess Peach in Super Mario Bros. games and easily frustrated at my inability to complete all levels of Tetris.  All the games I had for my Game Boy had masculine undertones (Super Mario Bros., Pac-Man, Dr. Mario), and the console itself indicates that it’s a game for boys.  It’s highly apparent that this toy was meant to expand the adventures of young boys across the nation.  Regardless, this had no effect on me.  I didn’t see the Game Boy as strictly for boys, nor was I ever subjected to having to borrow my male cousin’s Game Boy because I didn’t have my own (I had three, actually).   In this way, I was one among a number of girls who were not restricted by the social construct that girls should play with dolls, exclusively, and boys should play with video games, exclusively.   I think because it was late in the 20th-century, the belief that “boys’ and girls’ toys reflected conventional work roles and the tools that went with them,” was becoming slightly irrelevant (Cross, pg. 49).  Both boys and girls were more interested in toys that entertained and challenged them personally, and less in toys that were specifically geared towards their gender.

Feb 3

American Girl Dolls

Molly, American Girl Doll

As a child, I loved playing with my American Girl Dolls. I loved dressing them for different occasions, making up stories about them, taking them everywhere I went, etc… When I was little there were only about 8 staple American Girl Dolls: Felicity, Addy, Molly, Kit, Josephina, Kaya, Samantha, and Kirsten. Each girl represented a certain time period or historical event. For example, Molly was my first American Girl Doll, and her story was set in America during World War II. The Dolls were each about $125, which included the doll, her book, and her accessories. The American Girl Corporation is still producing new dolls today, and they have now started making dolls that you can personalize to look exactly like you.

When we discussed the articles from the 1920s in class, the article my group read was about how American toys were seen as more practical, while the European toys were meant to be whimsical. I believe this still to be true when addressing the American Girl Dolls. These dolls were not only fun for girls to carry around and play with their friends, but they were educational as well. Each doll also comes with a book that tells her full story in their specific time period. My friends and I collected the dolls and shared the books so we could read about the other dolls we didn’t have. The books taught us about the different time periods and historical events that each doll was supposed to have lived in. They ranged from Molly’s World War II story to Addy’s Civil War slave story to Kaya’s Native American history.

These dolls also play a role in developing gender roles for girls. Clearly, these dolls were marketed towards young girls and not boys. It could be argued that these dolls taught the young girls how to care for others. The dolls also came with clothes for different occasions you could change them in to, such as gym clothes, sleeping clothes, and various party clothes. These dolls teach girls to take care of and protect others, instilling mothering instincts into the girls’ soon-to-be adult responsibilities.

Feb 3

Toy Horses

Plastic Toy Horse

As Gary Gross said “parents expected playthings that imitated current adult roles. [1]” With this mentality, there is no doubt why growing up with a farming father I was showered with agriculture animal toys. My favorite ones to play with were the plastic toy horses. With them, I would imitate everything my father would do in real life. I pretended to feed them by laying them on the grass so they could eat or dipping their head in the water so they could drink.

To me the rocking horse was pure amusement, but its creation was intended to provide additional benefits. Dating as far back as the 17th century, where King Charles I of England rode one as a child, toy horses were used to advance child development. The rocking horse would provide a form of exercise that helped build balance and coordination in the child. Additionally, it embedded in them the basic skills of riding a horse-mounting, proper seating and riding, holding on, dismounting. The model horse became so popular, adults practiced their use as well. Knights in the Middle Ages rode on wheeled horses to improve their jousting techniques just like children practiced their riding skills on rocking ones[2]. Unknowingly, I was gaining more than enjoyment out of my toy horses. I was improving my physical skills and preparing for the future role I was to hold in the farm. If I showed I could took good care of my toy horses, it displayed I had the knowledge required to take care of a real horse.

Georgian Rocking Horse Hall Museum Washington USA

Initially, the rocking horse was made of materials such as barrel,  wood and cloth[3]. Due to the abundance of the material, the rocking horses were very affordable. Rich and poor alike could own one. For this reason, it became such a popular toy everywhere. Today toy horses are still abundant and being created in additional materials such as plastic, metal, and glass. Unlike the old days where the rocking horse was simply the bareback figure of the horse, today they closely resemble the real ones by being equipped with saddles, horseshoes, and riders gear. Children now are more prepared than ever to learn everything necessary to become great horse owners.

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[1]  Cross, Gary. Kids’ Stuff.  Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London: Harvard University Press, 1997 (pg49) 
[2] “The History of the Rocking Horse.” Casam LLC, Tampa, 2012
[3] Rolo, Jeffrey. “History of the Rocking Horse.” Alpha Horse, 2011

Feb 3

The New American Christmas

Gary Cross and his claim that parents over-indulge their children during the Christmas holidays in order to express their wealth to outsiders is definitely accurate.  Although I do so long to believe that Christmas is truly revolved around the spirit of giving, it is difficult not to notice the emphasis that has been put on what is being given.

Any other time of the year, it is seen as “spoiling” your child if you give them every item that they ask for. However, during the Christmas holidays, parents are able to shower their children in lavish gifts without anyone questioning whether or not the child really needed the item in the first place.  Even if families don’t necessarily have the means to pay for everything their children want, they are more than willing to max out a credit card or save all year just for this one particular day. Competition not only arises between kids comparing their Christmas gifts, but one of the bigger and maybe even more worrisome competitions is between the parents.

Advertisements such as the Kay Jewelers commercials are perfect demonstrations of how the media portrays the idea that women, especially mothers or wives, expect diamonds in some form or fashion during the holidays. These advertisements make the diamonds seem as if they are accessible to the everyday family. The same kind of advertising can be directed toward the younger generations as well. Best Buy’s “Game on Santa” commercials showed a mother buying her children Kindles and digital cameras. When children are exposed to this kind of advertising, how could they expect any homemade toy?

Now, with all of that being said, I do still believe that Christmas is still largely centered around spending time with the family, and I do not agree that this family time is ONLY for parents to pamper their children with presents. However, I think it might be time for American families to rethink the importance and meaning of the Christmas holidays.

Feb 3

Christmas Spending

Growing up in my family, the holidays were a huge deal. We would gather around the tree and spend hours opening presents.  It was everyone’s favorite day of the year, but not just because of the receiving of presents, a large part of the enjoyment was spending the day with my whole family which does not happen often and seeing the look on their faces when they would open a present that I put effort into looking for and making sure they would like.

Gary Cross’s view of the American Christmas and it being about the spending of money on presents to show off one’s wealth is I believe a bad way of depicting Christmas.  The act of giving presents to your child at least one day a year is a tradition that should keep going.  I believe the majority of parents give their kids presents with the expectation of making their child happy, and if those gifts somehow boast about the wealth of the parents then that is further down the list of expectations for the parents, at least this is how my parents felt.  According to The NY Times the act of giving gifts is important in the role of interaction and the bonding of a family.  Psychologists also believe that the giver of the gifts often reaps more “psychological benefits” then the recipient.  While it is okay to cut back on spending during the holidays, and not overly spoil your child with outrageous gifts, it is still important to keep the gift giving experience alive because if it were gone then you would be missing out on an important connection with your family.

While Christmas has become bigger and bigger during the last century and the act of gift giving has become more extravagant, I still believe that the main purpose of Christmas is still understood.  Even if the world is made aware of our wealth by our giving that does not mean it is a bad.  In 2006, Americans donated almost $300 billion to charities and without the wealth of our nation these donations never would have been made.  According to Tracy Ryan, an associate professor of advertising research at Virginia Commonwealth, “It [gift-giving] shows that a lot of the pleasure is in the giving, knowing you’ve taken care of someone.”

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