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Feb 3

Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are (book cover)

 

Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” has long been one of my favorite books from my childhood. This classic children’s book, which was published in 1963, is about a mischievous young boy named Max who gets sent to his room by his mother to be punished for being too rambunctious. In his room, Max’s imagination takes him to the land “where the wild things are”, where he becomes “king of all wild things”.

Although this book is a mere thirty-seven pages long, with most pages filled by elaborate illustrations, the underlying messages and reinforced gender roles are extremely clear nonetheless. The book reinforces the gender roles discussed by Elizabeth Segel, as the protagonist is a young boy, and the subject matter is that of action and adventure. In addition, Sendek’s book directly exemplifies Segel’s assertion that “the boys’ book was, above all, an escape from domesticity and from the female domination of the domestic world” (70), as Max tries to escape his mother’s control by running away to an imaginary land where he is the king.

Despite the presence of these familiar themes, the book has prompted some negative feedback, as many people wonder if the book is truly for children. Furthermore, Sendak’s statement in an HBO interview,  “I don’t believe in children. I don’t believe in childhood”, has prompted some people to debate whether the story is some sort of psychoanalytic masterpiece about a boy’s anger and emotions, or merely a bunch of colorful illustrations designed to catch the attention of children. However, whatever the author’s intended meaning and motivation was behind the story (and Sendak is deliberately making it ambiguous), it seems that certain aspects of Max’s personality seem to resonate with all who have read and enjoyed the book , which is a testament to how much the line has been blurred between what is appropriate for adults and what is appropriate for children.

 

Feb 3

Christmas is all about family’s happiness

While I was reading “Modern Childhood, Modern Toys” by the Gary Cross, Cross argues that Christmas gifts are used as a tool to show parents’ wealth. Cross’ argument bothered me because what I experienced, I had different perspective about Christmas in America.  I felt that American’s Christmas culture is more focus on the children. When I came to America for the first time, I lived with families who have very Americanized life style and values.  My host mom ‘Debbie’, started to make Christmas wish-list for her children as days of Christmas was getting closer and closer. We shopped together for children’s gift. When Debbie tried to find perfect gift for her daughter, Debbie didn’t buy the gift to show her wealth. And also she didn’t care about what her neighbors thought about her family. She was excited to pick up her daughter’s gift rather than thinking that what their neighbor might say about them. On Christmas morning, her daughter un wrapped her gift and on her face she had the biggest smile and my host parents were happy that she liked it. This was my experience about Christmas in America and many commercial films cover this scene of family on Christmas morning.

In the Wal-Mart commercial film for Christmas 2010, children are using various ways to wake up their parents. They jump on the bed, shake their parents and they even try to make dad drink water to wake him up. In CF (commercial film), Story delivers message about how children are happy and trilled about Christmas gift and also how parents are happy to see their child excited about gift.

At this point, I disagree Perri Watts’ opinion on February 3, 2012 “Christmas: Is It Really About the Children?”  Perri said “Today, Christmas gifts are not necessarily about making the child happy, or giving them the toy they’ve been waiting for all year; it’s about keeping up with the Jones’ and making sure everyone in the neighborhood knows that you are wealthy and financially stable enough to give your family everything they want and more.”  Even though the price of gift might vary depends on family’s wealth and financial stability, happiness  of unwrapping Christmas gift in the morning for children is just same as parents picking gift for their kid. And Christmas is all about family’s happiness.

and children love~~~ their gift

 

Feb 3

LEGO Contributing to Gender Roles

According to the article New Legos Aimed at Girls Raise Questions (Chris O’Brien, San Jose Mercury News, Jan. 2012), Lego brand has introduced a new line of products, Lego Friends, that is directed towards girls. While Lego’s products have remained general neutral in the past, they have always appealed to more male consumers than females. However, the company decided to veer toward products that would attract more boys, such as fantasy and escapist based kits, when sales began to drop a few years ago. Recently, Lego has been working on putting out a product directed towards girls. After conducting a study to see what girls like in toys, they discovered that girls prefer a more “reality-based” toy that creates a setting in which they can see themselves as the characters. Though the author does agree that his daughter is interested in the Lego Friends line, he ultimately argues that she, along with other girls, are happy with the traditional product lines that Lego has to offer.

"City Park Cafe" selling for $29.99 as of February 2012.

While this product has great potential to boost Lego sales, the company made several errors when designing the product, each of which involves gender roles, which we have discussed during multiple lectures over the course of the semester. First, Lego made the bodies of the girls different from the traditional, bulky build of the classic Lego person. The figure on these girls shows a thin waste as well as breasts on the figure. Some argue that this will lead to an increase in lower self-confidence in girls. Also, the Lego Friends line includes a cafe and beauty parlor, which goes back to the traditional female stereotype of women centering life around cooking while simultaneously maintaining good looks. John Baichtal, co-author of the recent book, The Cult of LEGO, thinks there is still time to improve the product line and suggests adding more professions, such as science and technology professions. Finally, the Lego Friends kits require a significant amount of less building than the previous Lego kits. This causes the consumer to wonder if Lego felt they needed to dumb down the product for a girl product, which does not please the consumer.

This article clearly relates to multiple class discussions we have had as it focuses on the gender roles that toy makers place on their products and how the consumers view the products. While the company may be doing what it thinks will boost their sales, they often lose sight of what exactly they are marketing and turn to the classic stereotypes. Likewise, as companies begin to put out these products, some of the consumers (in this case, the parents) will buy into the product as that they believe will be “normal” for the gender of their child based on previously established gender roles.

 

Feb 3

Jane Austen’s Fight Club

Hey everyone!

 Just thought I would share this funny video with you all considering the debate about Fight Club and its content being male vs female appropriate. I find it hilarious that it is almost word for word from the actual Fight Club trailer.

 

Jane Austen’s Fight Club – watch more funny videos

 

Feb 3

Cubby House Made of Blankets and Hand Me Down Toys

As a child growing up in a lower- middle class Mexican American family I quickly learned that the expensive and popular toys from televised commercials and magazines were rarely in our reach. From the readings in this course thus far, I find the arguments and excerpts to be guided towards an upper class audience.  The first reading was a chapter by Peter Stearns entitled “Anxious Parents: A 20th Century History,” outlining anxieties by parents to keep their children happily entertained. Stearns argues that to keep anxieties low parents would compromise boredom for the newest toys, summer camps, and even family vacations. I never attended camp during the summer and I can only remember taking one family vacation. The popular toys my siblings and I played with were usually hand me downs given to my mom from people she worked for. This is not to say that I had a sad, boring childhood.  My memories of growing up are filled with fun and crazy stories about building “club houses” out of blankets and playing hide and seek until it was dark out. I even remember having a blast taking turns pushing each other around in a battery operated pink corvette that was given to us without the battery.

Club house made of covers

As a child it never seemed to matter to me what I was playing with, as long as I was playing I was having fun.  I grew up in a household where parental anxieties were based around paying bills and putting food on the table rather than worrying about my siblings and I being bored. Because of this, I find that not only the issue of “parental anxieties” to be based on socioeconomic status but also the idea of gender favored toys and their regulation by parents explained in “Modern Childhood, Modern Toys”  by Gary Cross to rarely apply to lower income families.

 

There is a short story  titled “Barbie-Q” by a well known writer/poet named Sandra Cisneros that I believe has a strong connection to my post. You can read the short story by clicking the pdf link below.

Barbie-Q

Feb 3

Vicarious Consumption? Try Vicarious Happiness

When Gary Cross proposes that Christmas has sequestered from a time of celebrating the “nuclear family” (59) to a display of “vicarious consumption” through gift giving, I have to disagree. This view is vastly too cynical of the American people. A people that donated $290.89 billion to charities in 2010 (nps.gov), has companies such as Macy’s with their “Make a Wish, Believe” campaign, and that are emotionally moved by commercials that epitomize the  “giving” Christmas spirit (tear jerker warning.) The underlying motivation around Christmas is not to display how well off one is financially. The underlying motivation is too make those around you, and especially children, happier. Witnessing the jubilance in children around Christmas is guaranteed to make your life more blissful. This eagerness to make one’s children joyful may seem to accumulate in the form of “vicarious consumption” but that is because in some instances to make younger children happier it requires buying the most up to date gadget or toy. Therefore, the end result of the gift is a display of proof, that yes, you can provide your child with happiness but the primary motivation was not to “peacock” your wealth, it results as a byproduct. A good analogy would be when you drive your car. The intentions are good. You want to go to work and add to society. However, the result of fossil fuels going into the air still occurs. You cannot stop this end result and you accept it without conscious thought. The same is true with the byproduct, of  providing your children with merriment, being produced as “vicarious consumption”.

This argument is hard to see today sometimes because the advertisers try too engulf us into this competitive “buy everything before everyone else” mindset around Christmas. From Targets “Black Friday Holiday Sales” commercials, to Best Buy’s “Game On Santa” campaign, it seems as though the media wants us competing for all that is consumer goods. Say you are persuaded by these ads, is it even a bad thing? We have to remember, that Target and Best Buy are not just abstract companies. Companies are made of people. When the company sales go down, employees get laid off and then those employees cannot provide a Happy Christmas for their children. It is the companies job to drive sales in whichever way they feel is best for this purpose.

To conclude, I post one last link of a kid going nuts over receiving a new Nintendo 64. After watching this video, if you still believe “vicarious consumption” is the main motivator in Christmas purchases, send me a PM. I would love to engage in some insightful discussion.

(*Final Note-in the first paragraph I state that kids want the newer, up to date gadgets and toys. This is not a bad thing. This is a natural phenomenon in humans. Without it we do not have WordPress as a medium to even discuss such issues. The desire to want newer and better materials leads to innovation that in the end will help everyone for a “rising tide raises all boats”) Read more

Feb 3

Girls Drive Too!

As a child, one of my most memorable toy favorites would have to be the Hot Wheels toy line. Hot Wheels was made in 1968 by American toymaker Mattel. This would be the same toymaker responsible for several of American childhood favorites such as: Fisher price, Barbie Dolls, American Girl Dolls, and various board games.  The typical, current Hot Wheels toy vehicle could cost anywhere from $5-$50; with older, and more classic models, sometimes be worth much more money. This particular brand of toy cars was created after toys had become an acceptable means of entertainment for the American child, and not necessarily a personified teacher of practical jobs associated with rigid gender roles.

The fact that I am a female who took a particular interest in playing with Hot Wheels challenges a common gender stereotype perpetuated in toy lines: only men drive fast cars and big trucks. This plays into the discussion held during Week 2 of class when talking about the history of toys in America. Although, I did play with Barbies as well, I liked Hot Wheels and other toy cars much more.  My interest was also fostered by my mother who, as the mother of an only child, was more interested in me being happy than in what was that create that happiness.

In the Cross article Modern Childhood, Modern Toys, the author discusses in further detail the heavy distinction made between girl and boy toys throughout the course of toy history. One of the most current examples being the fact that nearly all girl toys are made in the color pink. Associating pink with femininity, and essentially saying that only girls should be allowed to play with THIS toy.

 

1967 Purple Chevy Camaro, Hot Wheels, Wikia.com

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