At a young age boys are exposed to various types of toys that impose gender roles on them. Toys made for boys tend to be about winning or fighting. They also tend to physically be more hard, rough, and sharp, compared to girls toys which are fluffy, smooth, and soft. The title of my photo: “A boy’s collection” can be interpreted as a collection of video games and toys a boy is proud of. In which he could show off to others as a way to brag or one up them, revealing their competitiveness. The background of my photo is white. Representing the young and innocent age in which toys begin to influence boys. The main focal point of my picture is the video games. They are the biggest and take up the most room compared to the other toys. Video games are associated with masculinity and are the main toy boys are expected to like and play with. Video games also teach them how to be competitive, aggressive, and have an individualistic attitude. Both video games in my photo teach boys that in order to win at something they must fight, compete against each other, be aggressive, and that they can win on their own without help. The spinning top, or beyblade, also teaches them to be competitive and to defeat others. The toy cars, in which there are two kinds. The army toy cars and the racing toy cars. The army cars represent the way toys teach boys about war and killing. The race cars teach them to aim for 1st place and to defeat others. All the toys in my photo teach boys that they have to strive to be above others. By means of aggression, competitiveness, and mercilessness.
2 comments:
From: MG
I like how all of the toys are arranged neatly and evenly, with equal space between them and perfectly straight. This can represent that this collection of toys is exactly what society wants and expects: the "perfect" choice of toys for a boy. If the toys were thrown haphazardly, it might suggest that the person they belong to is not happy with them and what the represent. The amount of toys can also be significant because, at least anecdotally, boys tend to play with less toys than girls do, and girls often have many more toys that need more little pieces to go with them. The color of the toys is important as well: most of the picture features colors that are black and white, which highlights the few colors that are actually there. Red and blue, two of the main colors in the photo, are stereotypically though of as "boy" colors, and there is an abscence of any colors that might be considered "girly" in this boy's toy collection. The starkness and blandness of the colors almost made me not click on it (being a girl) which I find interesting. Subconsciously, I guess I'm attracted to the brighter and livelier colors that girls are taught to enjoy!
The choice of toys represents masculinity in its own way. For example, look at the video game smash brother, this game teaches you about fighting. You try to pick the strongest character to fight your opponent with to beat them. You use your hands and other objects such as turtle shells or hammers to hurt the other person. Just like in the movie tough guise, if you don't fight or show manly skills, it means your less of a man. Take a look at the army truck, its at the top above the video game. The army also involves fighting, using guns bombs and grenades. Most men go into the army to become a man. The background for these toys are white, which means pure and innocent, but how pure are you if your fighting and hurting other people? (A)
Post a Comment