We’ve posted before on the way that kids’ products, and the way they are marketed, often reinforces an active boys/passive-and-pretty girls binary. Rebecca Hains noticed that the Stride Rite store near her, as well as the Stride Right website, does so. For instance, girls can “sparkle” and “shine”:
The descriptions for girls’ sneakers on the website emphasize how they’ll help girls shine:
Boys are encouraged to identify with superheroes:
The descriptions for the boys’ shoes emphasize action and speed, as well as their ability to protect the feet of adventurous boys:
More examples of Stride Right marketing at Rebecca Hains’s blog.
Erica B.-K. found these onesies which, though sold by a site called uncommongoods, reflect rather common gendering:
Hiroshi H. noticed that the website for Specialized Bicycle Components divides bikes into ones for boys and girls, though the only noticeable difference was color:
And finally, Anne R. noticed that there’s a Tinker Toy set that, because it is pink and purple, is thus “designed especially for girls”:
As someone who loved Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs as a kid, I’m all for encouraging as many kids as possible to play with them, yet saddened if we are at a point where parents and/or children cannot imagine Tinker Toys could be for girls unless the package screams it at them. But I would kinda like to build that flamingo.
Comments 15
Karina — July 6, 2012
This is the kind of advertising that made it hard for me as a kid to ask for "boy" sneakers because I should have been looking in the girl's section. Thankfully my mom was great and never bought us (I have a younger brother) toys based on gender and just let us choose whatever we wanted.
Haven't people realized that the gender and sex binaries are stunting our personal growth and development?
I just posted on my own blog about teaching gender in early childhood in the classroom and the effects of gender stereotypes.
Love the blog, never miss a post. Don't know why it's taken so long to comment.
Thanks for the great work!
myblackfriendsays — July 6, 2012
I need a 3D Glitzy Pet in my life.
JL — July 6, 2012
Regarding the onesies, you should perhaps correct the post to reflect that they are made by a company called "urban smalls" -- uncommongoods is only carrying what their supplier makes. And I am sad to see that although they used to make one that reads "My mom's a geek" (I know this because I have geek onesies in both mom and dad versions from a year ago), urban smalls -- the manufacturer, not the retailer -- now only recognizes the geekiness of dads.
Snuhfoo — July 7, 2012
Thank you for the sexy vs sexual distinction. The idea that women should always look sexy, yet id they have sex they are sluts, has always seemed confusing and in conflict with itself. But when you differentiate sexy vs sexual it's actually scarily consistent.
mimimur — July 9, 2012
Kind of a side note, but ugh, I have so much hate for the geek/fox bably clothes. Just another reinforcement of the double standard of "giving the geeks a chance" if you're a beautiful woman, because dating women who aren't conventionally gorgeous first and foremost doesn't even cross their minds. And now it's super imposed on their kids!
teknohed — July 10, 2012
Gendered tinker toys? seriously?
Abra — July 11, 2012
My daughter, life-long *traditional* LEGO affacionado, would roll her eyes at the "designed especially for girls" (at 7, she's pretty fed up with the girls=pink, boys=blue). And even though he's pretty invested in the gender binary, I am pretty sure that my superhero-obsessed son would love to sparkle and shine because, regardless of gender, little kids like shiny, sparkly things. That is why even though they are about to come to fisticuffs over the new color of their shared room, they both really want shiny brass hardware and fixtures.
How ads help construct gender « Uphill — September 1, 2012
[...] This gendering starts at an alarmingly young age – boys are active, girls are pretty: “More gendered kids’ stuff“ [...]
Techan83 — December 25, 2012
I think this is just an America thing, in japan toys are for all genders and all ages thats why i want to go to Japan more social equalness
"I don’t identify with my body" | — March 14, 2013
[...] (Thank you, socimages) [...]
Penelope — November 17, 2013
For the case of specialized bike, the main difference, instead of color, is the frame building - you may notice the shapes of "parallelograms" are different. You may say that girls can ride a bike with higher seat too, but the difference are made according to the body built of adult men and women.
Nathan — January 27, 2014
I looked at the bikes a little closer, and the ones shown aren't the same model. Looking at identical models, the main differences are that the frame is a subtly different shape (which is very common and essentially standard in bikes), and the colour is pink rather than red. The rest of their bikes also feature the lower frame on the girls bikes, which is essentially just the standard thing to do, and it's also something a lot of women (like my mum) find necessary.
However, looking at both categories, they both include the HOTROCK 24 XC PRO and HOTROCK 20 PRO. These are identical on both listings (colour and shape), and I actually think that it's good that they list their higher level bikes on both, whereas a lot of companies would just put them as boys bikes.
Emily Winstead — December 7, 2018
Meh. This doesn't bother me that much. That's the beauty of a free market: if people will buy it, the companies will produce it. If you should be frustrated at anyone/anything, be frustrated at the families who buy the stuff. The companies are just fulfilling a demand. The fact that they are still selling this kind of stuff goes to show that the majority of little girls *like* sparkly things and want their parents to buy the products. I see it less as evil corporations pushing their antequated, limiting gender norms on little ones and more of the free market making a statement that these products make money because parents AND CHILDREN like them. Are pink Tinker Toys absurd? Of course. Do little girls like pink tinker toys? Oftentimes, yes. Sometimes, no. Buy your daughter regular Tinkertoys if you want. Allow your children to be free. Don't act like these products have a power over you that they simply don't.
Also, sadness for the person who idealizes Japan for more social freedom. Have you ever read about Japan? Ever?