{"id":11601,"date":"2019-03-06T14:29:05","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T14:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/us\/?p=11601"},"modified":"2019-03-06T14:33:20","modified_gmt":"2019-03-06T14:33:20","slug":"why-brands-need-to-beware-of-gender-based-marketing-to-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/us\/why-brands-need-to-beware-of-gender-based-marketing-to-children","title":{"rendered":"Why brands need to beware of gender-based marketing to children"},"content":{"rendered":"
Stereotypes<\/span><\/a> are essential to the way human society functions. They help us navigate the world, see where we fit in and be able to predict actions and responses. They can also be incorrect and harmful.<\/span><\/p>\n It may be efficient to categorise our culture, but it\u2019s when people start to label these categories that we run into trouble.<\/span><\/p>\n We start to see a situation where the world says we should be one thing, but we really feel like something else.<\/span><\/p>\n Popular American toy, G.I. Joe, was created in the 1960s – in part – because adults discovered that boys were playing with Ken dolls <\/span>in secret<\/span><\/a> – this led to the development of the \u2018action figure\u2019 branch of the toy industry.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite toy stores pushing a clear gender-division in toys, the only thing stopping girls and boys from playing with toys designed for the opposite gender are social norms and the reaction of their parents. Some girls like to play with model cars; some boys like to pretend to be a chef – we\u2019re not genetically coded to like football <\/span>or<\/span><\/i> ballet.<\/span><\/p>\n The marketing of these products does have an effect. A girl may be able to play with her brother\u2019s Marvel action figures at home, but if she does the same thing around children outside of her family, she could be seen as different. In some cases, this may lead to pressure to conform, social exclusion, teasing or even bullying.<\/span><\/p>\n So, children start to police their own play, and may only express themselves honestly if they\u2019re around people whom they know they can trust.<\/span><\/p>\n Does it really matter if we have gendered children’s products and content?<\/b><\/p>\n It may seem like people are making a fuss about nothing when they complain about things like T-Shirt art, but when retailers sell shirts that say \u201c<\/span>I\u2019m too pretty to do homework, so my brother has to do it for me<\/span><\/a>\u201d, or baby grows that say \u201c<\/span>I hate my thighs<\/span><\/a>\u201d, they are contributing to a larger problem.<\/span><\/p>\n The messages we receive as we\u2019re growing up help to shape our interests, our personality and our ambitions. <\/span><\/p>\n