Toys and Activities

From: Victoria

            At a young age girl and boys are encouraged to be different from their opposite sex. But in today's society, this can be shown by toy preference and their activities. Being a child in today's society you have a choice on what type of toys you can play with. Also, you have a choice of what type of activities fit your gender. The “Two culture” of Childhood suggests that children learn gender schemes from their social environments. As a result, “children have learned to avoid being seen playing with toys associated with the other gender” (The “Two Cultures” of Childhood). By this, boys are known to play with an action figure and any type of toy that has a sharp tooth, pointy end, or even read comic books that contain superheroes and villains. According to Flannery and Watson's son, (1993), “Action figures implies toughness; and aggression is a strong theme of boys’ play”. Whereas, feminine as nicer, softer, and more passive” (The “Two Cultures” of Childhood).

 In today's society, the potential power of words and images to counter gender stereotypes can open with what children see as a possible interest and activities for themselves. Therefore, those choices are significant to the child because it can influence the skills that the boy or girl can learn and the possibilities, they see for themselves. By this, both children had an option to pick from white and pink pony, or a comic book that contains superheroes in it and villain. As you can see, the boy in the picture followed his masculinity and picked the superheroes comic book. While the girl followed her feminine side and picked the white and pink pony. I feel as though my photography has captured how boys and girls pick from two toys that were brought to them for them to decide which toy to play with or even read.

The photo itself represents the general idea of a toy preference between a boy and a girl. Also, I used the creative technique for color in this photo. Whereas, the white and pink pony was chosen by a girl because of the color it displays. White and pink are considered to target a female audience while a red book with superheroes and villains on the front of the comic book is targeting a male audience. I also used the camera angle to represent today's society’s approval and devotion to such picking from only two toys that are presented in the photo. For example, the camera angle for the boy holding the comic book is taken from a middle angle. The angle of the photo is showing the front of the comic book to represent that he picked a masculine book. While the camera angle for the girl is at a far distance from the main object. (White and pink pony). Which represents that she picked a feminine toy to play with. And finally, I believe that society focuses its attention on male gendered toys. For example, if a female child played with male gendered toys than the female wouldn’t be looked down on as not following her gender toy preference. But if it was the other way around and a boy is playing with a white and pink pony he would be looked down upon and society as being a confused little boy. Therefore, the boy’s masculinity would be shamed. And today's society would him that playing with feminine toys is wrong.

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,