My photo focuses on “Toy And Activity Preferences” as the textbook discusses on page 60. The subjects of the photo are a young boy and a young girl, both wearing the colors most stereotypical to their genders: pink and blue. I chose not to show their faces, because the struggles related to play happen to all children, not just the two portrayed in the picture. The photo was taken from above the subjects and angled down, to allude to the fact that society is watching their choices and always ready to intervene and tell them whether they are right or wrong.
I had my subjects bring in a few of their favorite toys, and they perfectly represent how toys marketed for girls tend to be “soft and smooth” (pg 60), while toys for boys tend to be “hard and sharp” (pg 60). I chose to keep the natural colors in the photo (not in black in white or dulled) to show the difference in coloring between boy’s and girl’s toys. Boy’s toys tend to be in blue and red and black and gray, while girl’s toys tend to be pink and purple and white. I arranged the toys and subjects in such a way that a viewer could easily see the divide between toys that are meant to be for boys and those that are meant to be for girls, creating a line straight down the center of the photo.
The female subject is reaching across that divide into the “boy” section while the male subject stays on his own side, portraying how girls can sometimes move into boy’s play groups and become a tomboy, without major reprimand from peers and society. However, boys are frowned upon moving into the girl’s play group. The female subject also has a magazine on her lap open to a page that reads, “Break the Rules” suggesting that this is the reason that she has decided to show interest in a boy’s toy. The phrase is used ironically however, because the magazine (portraying society in this case) actually reads “Break the (Beauty) Rules” and is not encouraging her to break rules related to gender.
3 comments:
From: Katelyn
This photograph stood out to me, as this is a current problem in society. As a child care teacher I witness this everyday while the children are playing. As parents and caregivers stress to their children that they shouldn’t play with something the child begins to think they aren’t allowed to play with it. The textbook talks about how cross play doesn’t occur often but when it does it only happens 5% of the time. As a teacher I believe this is false. I typically see girls and boys playing together about 80% of the time. In some of the classrooms we have more girls than boys or more boys than girls. The children become accustomed to what they have so they begin to cross play. Boys play with girl’s toys and girls play with boy’s toys and society looks negatively on it. I’ve seen parents come in and get very upset that their son is dressed up in a dress and girl heels. I believe parents shouldn’t look negatively on their children when they play with toys of the opposite sex. I think toys should just be categorized as “toys.” I don’t like the idea of a divided line between boys and girls.
From: DG
This was one of my favorite photographs of the bunch. What particularly stood out to me was the girls pink outfit matching the toys conforming to female gender roles and the boys outfit doing the same. Studies have shown that when girls step apart from the female stereotypes and pursue interests that boys usually have, it is more socially accepted. She would be labeled as a “tomboy” or being a strong, independent female, but if were boys were to take interest in particularly feminine behaviors or interests, it would be looked upon so poorly. They would be labeled as a “fag” or “sissy” among various derogatory slurs. I don’t think there is anything wrong with boys and girls challenging gender stereotypes. I think it should be embraced that they challenge those ideals in a society where it is so looked down upon.
From Hope
This photo reminds me a lot of this day and age of the 21st century. When I was growing up, it would have been un heard of for a child to have an iPad type of toy or a cell phone. I remember the first "cell phone" I ever got was from the dollar store and it only made one sound, causing me to use my imagination. Now, children are becoming more free willed and allowed to decide things based upon what the media and culture is telling them to do. This photo is a prime example of that. The photographer chooses to have the camera looking down on these children giving them a feeling of being watched. The girl is holding a magazine filled with cultural norms while reaching for a boys toy and the boy is playing on a laptop. The girl holding this magazine while reaching for an object that does not directly coincide with what she is reading is a very controversial thing to do. However, it shows that the little girl is being given a choice and the choice she has chosen doesn't always have to go along with that is being taught.
Post a Comment