from: Paula
It was recently my nephew's second birthday. I noticed that all the cards were specifically for a little girl or little boy. All of the boy cards had some kind of sport, truck or super hero on them. All of the girl cards had some kind of pink princess, unicorn or a soft cuddly animal on them. Why should the people who make the cards dictate to our little girls that they should dress in pink and be little princesses. Who is to tell these little girls that they are not suppose to like sports, automobiles and super heroes. The little girls are taught to dress up in pretty pink outfits and there super heroes are Barbie and Strawberry Shortcake. I think it is ironic that there are no real sports cards for girls. I know I grew up playing sports more often than I ever played with a Barbie. Most girls play sports and if they do not, we should encourage them to. Every little girl should learn how to be active and maintain healthy life style. I think these cards are just another part in gender socialization of children.
1 comment:
I think that everyone has been in this situation before. For some people, it may not be hard going into a “Hallmark” and picking out a card according to a gender because they are so diverse. But for me, my year old girl cousin has no interest in ponies or princesses. Society would label her as a “tomboy” but, I see her as being herself. It is extremely hard finding a birthday card for her because she’s not like any other year old girl. Some places have labels so you are aware of which cards are directed towards a specific gender. In my opinion, you wouldn’t even need the boy or girl “labels” because it is so easy to point out whether the card was intended for a boy or girl. The assumption that only boys play sports and only girls like the color “pink” is totally untrue. This photograph caught my attention because I could relate to it and I think that it says a lot about our society. Our society sees past all of this, which is really pathetic.
Joshua Kim
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