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Posts tagged ‘gender’

Feb 3

Power Rangers for Everyone

Power Rangers in the 1990's

One of my favorite T.V. shows throughout my childhood was the Power Rangers. The series started in 1993 and shortly after become a nationwide phenomenon with many different toys and costumes for children. It started as a series in Japan and Americans then adapted in in 1993 to become a show on the Fox network. It has many different series that have played throughout the years but they all revolve around the same concept. Power Rangers is a superhero show that consists of a few young normal people who are trained to become super heros and fight villains. They transform and fight as a team wearing suits and helmets. For 3 years in a row I dressed as the pink Power Ranger for halloween and many other kids I know would dress up as Power Rangers and we would play fight at the playground. The costumes range in price from around $20-30.

The Power Rangers became a huge pop culture icon throughout the 1990’s. In class discussion, we tried to define pop culture and what can be classified as pop culture. I think pop culture can be different depending upon where you live and the society you are in, but is something that a large majority of people can identify with. The creators of Power Rangers were very smart when trying to decide how to target a broad range of children. By creating characters that appeal to both girls and boys the target market can double. If you look at a lot of toys or television shows geared for children they typically tend to appeal towards one gender or the other. Power Rangers used color and characters to appeal to both. Power Rangers was a big part of my childhood and created unity on the playground for boys and girls alike to wear their different costumes to school and fight the villains of the playground.

 

Feb 3

The New Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley

The New Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, The Case of the Dog Camp Mystery (2001) book cover (click for source)

When we were discussing our favorite female protagonists from childhood literature, somehow it slipped my mind- I used to be obsessed with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. I had almost every book from their series, The New Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, and I read them over and over, entertained by each mystery they undertook. I would look forward to the next release on the shelves at grocery stores. I remember each book had cards with pictures to be torn out. I had a large stack of them that I would flip through, admiring my idols.

Written by various authors, the series ran from 1998 to 2005 and was published by Harper Entertainment. While most of books in the series can now be purchased on Amazon for a penny used, their suggested retail price was $4.50.

These were girls’ books. The few boys who did venture to read the series risked looking feminine. This loss of masculinity is what keeps boys away from books and activities considered “girly,” as we discussed in class. While some of the individual titles like The Case of the Cheerleading Camp Mystery have an obvious appeal to girls, some of the titles like The Case of the Weird Science Mystery have a non-gender-specific appeal. Titles like the latter could have appealed to boys had the series not been based on two of young girls’ biggest icons. This supports Elizabeth Segel’s conclusion in “As the Twig Is Bent”

“…Many boys are missing out on one of fiction’s greatest gifts, the chance to experience life from a perspective other than the one we were born to—in this case, from the female vantage point.” (p. 76)

In contrast to the earlier books discussed in the Segel reading, the series doesn’t prescribe roles of domesticity and obedience to its adolescent girl audience. Instead, they are the heroes. They go on adventures. They solve crimes. They get the bad guy. And all before dinnertime.

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

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

My Size Barbie

My Size Angel Barbie (1998)

Growing up I would have to say one of my favorite toys was the My Size Barbie. My parents bought me my first one for my birthday when I was around five or six. I named her Kimberly after the Pink Power Ranger and I played with her practically everyday. Like normal size Barbies, My Size Barbie was produced by Mattel. Now I didn’t play with Kimberly the way that Mattel probably envisioned for little girls. I would play gymnastics with her and I eventually broke one of her legs off. My parents sent her back and I got another one and still played with her rather roughly. I tried researching when the first My Size Barbie came out but I could not find the exact year. However I ran into some people selling their My Size Barbies dating back to as early as 1992. My Size Barbie was 36 inches tall and came with two outfits so the little girl and Barbie could wear and trade outfits. Mattel no longer makes My Size Barbie so I am not aware of the exact prices especially during the nineties. On eBay currently they range from $70-$200 depending on the model. Growing up I was not aware of the gender roles and stereotypes that My Size Barbie was pushing on little girls, which is probably why I played with Kimberly so unconventionally. Barbie was and still is the icon for what the “ideal woman” should be, which is beautiful, skinny, social, and mainly just concerned with her image and nothing else. As Gary Cross points out, toys throughout the centuries have been made to reflect “conventional work roles” for both girl and boy toys (Cross 49). Cross also states that the rise of dolls for girls to play with happened due to families having less children which resulted in doll play that taught “child-care skills necessary for future maternal roles” (Cross 54). Almost all my friends who were girls growing up had a My Size Barbie  and whenever they played with her they would either be princesses or mothers. In conclusion gender stereotyping of toys may not effect every child in the same way, but they continue to instill the mainstream social constructs of gender.

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