Gender Stereotyping: Childrens Commercials

Gender stereotyping is very evident is today’s advertising. Many walk by these ads without giving it a second thought. I will admit that I am one of them. It is so ingrained into our consciousness that we do not realize gender stereotyping unless we are looking for it. Why is this so? Is it really that hard to see it? My answer is yes. It’s difficult to see gender stereotyping in advertising if we’re not looking for it because it has been part of our culture since we were children. We have been exposed to this and have accepted this as a social norm.

One of the biggest examples of this is found in the way children’s toys are advertised on TV.

The Easy Bake Oven is notorious for being targeted at girls. Why? Kalie Meyer said in her article “Gender Steretotyping in Children’s Advertisements,” “Domestic Behaviors: Examples of this type of stereotyping include: Women excelling at cooking, cleaning, and child-rearing, while household repairs and yard work are best completed by men.” This commercial clearly places women in the gender stereotype that women stay in the kitchen.

There are a few ways that advertisers did this in the commercial.

Firstly, the commercial only had women in it. There were young girls in middle school dancing and smiling while interacting with the Easy Bake Oven. It showed them having a great time while baking cookies, cupcakes, and more. The clothing that was chosen for them was a pink t-shirt, skirt, and a polka-dotted apron. Not only do the colors scream “girl,” but the choice to have them wear an apron sends the message that girls are meant to be in the kitchen.

Thirteen seconds into the commercial, a middle-aged woman appears. It is assumed that this is the mother of one of the girls dancing. When she appears, she nods her head with approval and continues to work. The nodding of her head shows her approval of the idea of women being homemakers.

Secondly, the product is pink and purple. Although this product isn’t targeted at boys, the color chosen to make the product makes it strange for boys to approach the possibility of baking. The colors tell boys to stay away because it’s pink and meant exclusively for girls because they are better at baking and cooking.

Children’s toy commercials have no guilt in playing off of gender stereotypes. Today’s culture is trying to be more accepting of the choices of men and women to stray from typical gender stereotypes. It’s becoming more acceptable for men to be into hobbies and other things women are typically interested in, and the same goes for women. We are entering into an era where society is trying to break down gender stereotypes.