By: destiny Luttrell
When a child goes to pick out a toy they want at the store, often the parents steer them towards the toys that are “appropriate” for their gender. Most young girls only get to play with dolls, kitchen sets, and anything else that is remotely feminine, while the boys get to play with cars, action figures, and Legos. In many instances, this is the only way it was allowed to be. Boys played with boy toys and girls played with girl toys. The affect that this stereotype has on children can impact their future, making them believe they are only able to do what is considered normal for their specific gender.
If a girl plays with Barbie’s and all of the advertised Barbie’s are for careers such as a teacher, a lifeguard, a flight attendant, a ballerina, a model, a cheerleader, and many others along these lines, girls will start to get a certain image of women in their head. It begins to create this idea that they are limited to these options, that if they wanted to be a scientist, an engineer, a mathematician, that it wasn’t possible, because they were a girl and science was for boys. When in a store the dolls are advertised for girls in bright pink boxes with sparkles and glitter, while the Legos and science experiment kits are usually in blue boxes and in a separate aisle. Toys being divided by aisles that clearly show you which one a little girl should be in and which one a little boy should be in does nothing but continue to contribute to these stereotypes.
When I was growing up I was pretty lucky. While a lot of my friends grew up with parents who pushed the gender appropriate toys on them, my parents allowed me to be free to play with what I chose. I had Barbie’s and dolls like all the other girls, but I also played with Hot-wheels and Legos, building things endlessly, which was what the boys always did. Rather than limiting my choices and creating the idea that I was only capable of doing something feminine, my parents supported the idea of me being whatever I wanted to be. When I wanted to be an architect, they bought me drawing supplies, when I wanted to be a fashion designer I got sets that allowed me to do just that, and when I thought science was cool, I got a telescope. All of these toys affected me because I grew up with the mindset that I could be anything I wanted to be, no matter if the boys thought that I couldn’t do it or not.
Young girls always get told to stick to their feminine side and let the boys do the dirty work, while boys get put down if they aren’t as manly as someone expects them to be. The world we live in is full of these stereotypes that are nowhere near being true, as there are women who are in these fields and are successful. In response to these stereotypes we need to encourage children to play freely with whatever type of toy they choose, whether the girl choices a truck and the boy chooses a doll. I have two nephews, and when my youngest nephew asked me for a baby doll for Christmas when he was 3, I promised him I would buy him one. Christmas morning came and one of his favorite presents was the doll that he could push in the stroller that I had gotten him. While I did not see it as a big deal, his dad did, and seemed to be upset that I had bought that for him; since it was not the typical toy you would expect a boy to get on Christmas. However I encouraged my nephews to play with whatever they wanted, whether it was the Kitchen Set he asked for this past Christmas at age 4, or the dirt bike he wanted for his birthday in March. Rather than limiting their options, we need to allow them to have the freedom to choose what they want, in order to let them form into what they truly want to be, regardless of any typical stereotypes that come with it. I for one am glad my parents never limited me, or I may have never ended up as the Computer Science major that I am today.
If a girl plays with Barbie’s and all of the advertised Barbie’s are for careers such as a teacher, a lifeguard, a flight attendant, a ballerina, a model, a cheerleader, and many others along these lines, girls will start to get a certain image of women in their head. It begins to create this idea that they are limited to these options, that if they wanted to be a scientist, an engineer, a mathematician, that it wasn’t possible, because they were a girl and science was for boys. When in a store the dolls are advertised for girls in bright pink boxes with sparkles and glitter, while the Legos and science experiment kits are usually in blue boxes and in a separate aisle. Toys being divided by aisles that clearly show you which one a little girl should be in and which one a little boy should be in does nothing but continue to contribute to these stereotypes.
When I was growing up I was pretty lucky. While a lot of my friends grew up with parents who pushed the gender appropriate toys on them, my parents allowed me to be free to play with what I chose. I had Barbie’s and dolls like all the other girls, but I also played with Hot-wheels and Legos, building things endlessly, which was what the boys always did. Rather than limiting my choices and creating the idea that I was only capable of doing something feminine, my parents supported the idea of me being whatever I wanted to be. When I wanted to be an architect, they bought me drawing supplies, when I wanted to be a fashion designer I got sets that allowed me to do just that, and when I thought science was cool, I got a telescope. All of these toys affected me because I grew up with the mindset that I could be anything I wanted to be, no matter if the boys thought that I couldn’t do it or not.
Young girls always get told to stick to their feminine side and let the boys do the dirty work, while boys get put down if they aren’t as manly as someone expects them to be. The world we live in is full of these stereotypes that are nowhere near being true, as there are women who are in these fields and are successful. In response to these stereotypes we need to encourage children to play freely with whatever type of toy they choose, whether the girl choices a truck and the boy chooses a doll. I have two nephews, and when my youngest nephew asked me for a baby doll for Christmas when he was 3, I promised him I would buy him one. Christmas morning came and one of his favorite presents was the doll that he could push in the stroller that I had gotten him. While I did not see it as a big deal, his dad did, and seemed to be upset that I had bought that for him; since it was not the typical toy you would expect a boy to get on Christmas. However I encouraged my nephews to play with whatever they wanted, whether it was the Kitchen Set he asked for this past Christmas at age 4, or the dirt bike he wanted for his birthday in March. Rather than limiting their options, we need to allow them to have the freedom to choose what they want, in order to let them form into what they truly want to be, regardless of any typical stereotypes that come with it. I for one am glad my parents never limited me, or I may have never ended up as the Computer Science major that I am today.