This week, we’ll discuss the theme of socialization. More specifically, how toys and advertising affect gender socialization of children. Feel free to embed videos or add pictures to the discussion, if you have particular examples you want to use in your posts. Be sure to follow netiquette guidelines to ensure that clips or pics are appropriate for use in the class. Discussion:
Step 1: Google image search “girls toys” and “boys toys.” Then read this articleand this article. These pieces show some of the advertising aimed at children (and how it has changed over the years), and compare products “for girls” and products “for boys.”
Step 2: Use the questions below to start a discussion about toys, advertising and gender.
1) What did you notice in your Google image search? Did anything surprise you?
2) Did the type of toys you played with help socialize you? If so, how? Give examples.
3) How important are toys and advertising in shaping how we think about society and ourselves?
