From: Umi
From a very young age, boys and
girls are taught to be different in their own ways. For example, boys are
taught to be more aggressive and fight for things they want. On the other hand,
girls are meant to stay in the corner, not fight back, and take all the pain
with more emotion and less action. Another difference between boys and girls is
the type of toys they play with. Boys play with action figures, cars and trucks
while girls play with teddy bears, barbie dolls, and play house with kitchen
wears.
As read in
one of my readings called “The two cultures of childhood,” “children have
learned to avoid being seen playing with toys associated with the other
gender.” (Rudman 2015). I chose this subtitle because it portrays how two
different gender cultures separate us from a very young age. My 4 years old
nephew, Affan, loves to play with cars, trucks and all the toys that are
specified just for boys. He absolutely hates seeing toys that are associated
with girls. In this picture, I gave him a teddy bear but his instant reaction
was “Put it back, I don't want it” while making a sad expression.
The color pink on the teddy bear
identifies the bubbliness it has which is mostly associated with girl culture.
I’ve taken the picture from a centered angle with the focus on my nephew
touching the teddy bear’s nose because it shows his aggression toward the teddy
bear as he holds its nose to throw it away. He was taught to be more manly even
though he is only 4 years old; he is strictly not allowed to play with barbie
dolls, or even just a simple teddy bear.
Toys on the couch, such as police
cars and a tow truck, are examples of how most of his toys are associated with
boy culture. The background of this picture has dirty couch stains with the
cover falling off, which symbolize the messiness a young boy can make. But when
it comes to girls, they are more clean and keeps their toys in place. Affan
looks down at the teddy bear with hatred in his eyes that his school friends,
surroundings, and the media taught him to show toward objects that are
associated with girls.
One of the biggest impacts of
differences in gender roles comes from the media. For example, video games are
associated with boys and playing with baby dolls and taking care of them is
associated with girls. If we could step back and educate our kids to think
differently about the other gender oriented toys, we could prevent the stigma
that are associated with gender roles.
Work Cited
Rudman, Laurie A., et al. "The
Two Cultures of Childhood." The Social Psychology of
Gender: How Power and Intimacy Shape
Gender Relations. The Guilford Press,
2015, 59-63.
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3 comments:
You did a good job at explain the creative techniques of background, framing space and the similarity/differences. I would like to add a little more to it. As for the colors I like how the tones are dark and grey tones. This shows darkness and emotionless as what boys do. I like how he's focused and isn't showing fearless. As what boys tend do.
The creative techniques in this photo are amazing, I liked the way you used symbolism, background, and gaze, to emphasize the gender roles we learn at a young age. When I first look at your photo the message is clear and the way you displayed it was great. I liked the way you used the backgrounds messiness as a symbol of how boys are messier than girls because their play is more destructive and aggressive, while girls is more contained and nicer. I also liked the way you displayed your nephew’s aggression through the way he was looking at the bear and the way he was holding the bear by the nose. However, there are some creative techniques you can edit to emphasize your message. If the camera angle was taken at a lower perspective, it can make your nephew look stronger and more aggressive because the audience would see him as being above the doll and overpowering it. Another technique that can be edited is framing/space, if you were to get closer making your nephew take up majority of the photo it will make him seem more powerful and masculine because he is the primary focus on the photo. Your use of the techniques are original and thought provoking and displayed the overall message well. I do wish the photo was clearer, so the toys in the back are easier to identify. However, your photo was amazing, and I also hope that one day we can all be educated and eliminate gender roles.
Hi Umi!
I like your photo of having a young boy play with an item that young girls typically would play with. It shows how young kids should expand outside the bubble of what the society has created for young girls and boys. I agree with your centered angle; however you could have also had the camera positioned down on the young boy to show how society would look down on that behavior. The background mess is a good way of differentiating boys to girls because it shows the gender norms of boys being messier compared to girls being clean and organized. Another technique you could have used is gaze. The child’s direct focus is at the bear which is showing the relationship between the child and the toy which could show a form of him being scared, rather than him looking straight into the camera showing him being brave and facing society norms. I like how you incorporated the color of the bear into your writing. Pink is typically a feminine color according to society. The bear has a pink ribbon around its neck showing how the bear is girly and dainty. Boys normally would play with a toy that has lighter colors such as pink and yellow because those light colors are associated with girl items to show them being fragile and dainty, whereas dark colors such as blue, black, and green are associated with boys because it shows manliness. This photo is a great example of how boys and girls should expand outside of the gender norms that society has created for them.
From: Hayley
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