From: Katelyn
At a young age children begin to show differences in activities
and toy preferences. Segregation encourages both boys and girls to develop
separate social worlds by activities, interaction styles, and social roles
(Rudman and Glick, 59.) In this photograph that I captured from work, is a 2
year old little boy who is holding a baby doll pretending to feed the baby a
pink bottle. You can tell from the photo he enjoys playing with feminine toys
just as much as little girls do. Boys are brought up to be strong, tough, and
muscular. This photo shows you that boys can act in a "women's role"
such as being nurturing, caring, and sweet just as girls are brought up to do.
Just because society believes women are expected to be the main caregivers for
children doesn't mean that men can't do the same exact thing.
Children's toys generally show distinguishing qualities between
masculinity and femininity (Rudman and Glick, 60.) Boy toys are generally hard
and sharp whereas girl toys are soft and smooth (Rudman and Glick, 60.) Girls
pretend to shop, groom, and accessorize "action figures" whereas boys
tend to act physical and tough often using aggression. The textbook implies
that children rarely play with toys associated with the other sex, which
happens less than 5% of playing time (Rudman and Glick, 60.) You can see from
this photo that the boy toys (ramps, trucks, cars) are on the right and the
girl toys (kitchen, baby dolls) are on the left. The little boy who is dressed
in all boys clothing with short hair picked a "girl toy" over a
"boy toy." Before the photo was taken he was playing with the
opposite sex as you can see a little from the right. This photo not only shows
toy preferences but that he is practicing being a responsible future brother,
uncle, or father. NJ, only being 2 years old, knows that he has to hold the
baby with one hand and the bottle with the other.
I believe children's toys should not be categorized by girl/boy
because that encourages stereotyping at such a young age. The way I look at it,
children of all ages use "neutral toys" in a girl or boy way. For
example, a neutral toy like blocks can still be categorized. You can say blocks
are a girls toy because she builds a Barbie house. You can also call them boy
toys when boys are building ramps and buildings. Even neutral toys can be used
to show feminine or masculine characteristics. By the smile on his face you can
tell he finds interests in "girl toys" just as much as "boy
toys." You can tell that children don't categorize toys as "boy
toys" or "girl toys" if parents and adults don't encourage it.
1 comment:
From: Kayla Smith
This picture really captivated my attention for many reasons. Initially it was the shock factor of a little boy holding a baby doll. That is something that completely goes against gender norms or prescriptions. often times in our society children are faced with either negative or positive reinforcement for choices they make. This is something that would definitely bother us as society and in the end the child is the one who pays the price. The young boy in this picture has a look of joy and happiness on his face, he also looks comfortable playing with the doll baby. As stated he knows how to hold the baby as if it were a real one. I believe that gender should not play apart in the toys that a child decides to play with. Just by the look on his face proves that if a child is limited to toys options they will never know if they would like the other options they are limited to. The young boy is also looking directly into the camera which symbolizes confidence . More children should have the choice to play with the toys they please without being ridiculed or judged.
Post a Comment