Two toys that clearly demonstrate the gender difference are Barbies, targeted to girls, and a GI Joe, targeted towards boys. Growing up, I only owned a few Barbie dolls, and it was not one of my favorite toys. I found it boring since all I could do was dress her up and play pretend. I realized that I did not look like Barbie with her blond hair and blue eyes. My brown hair and brown eyes were in stark contrast to everything Barbie represented. Another blog discusses how Barbies represented the ideal appearance and that girls should want to look like her. Similarly, action figures are symbolic of men who are strong and independent. One interesting point I encountered from my research was how dolls do not have detail on their body, such as genitalia. Bignell describes how Action Man has an absence of a genitalia but has “musculature and chin stubble”. Although these figures lack these parts, they are still represented as different genders from each other. It demonstrates that their gender identity does not rest on the defining features under their clothes. As a child, I was able to clearly grasp which dolls were girls and boys. They were clearly shown through the types/colors of clothes worn and the activities they performed.
Furthermore, one example that struck me was how Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, doesn’t fit this “ideal” man since he is not as buff and dressed in clothes that are different from those of action figures. He is seen as less masculine because he does not fit the stereotypical man. The interactions observed through both dolls demonstrate how gender expectations are imprinted into children at a young age. The way toys are marketed are very calculating because they are specifically designed to target boys and girls for different toys. When I was little, I remember walking through Toys R Us and being mesmerized by the aisles. The sparky pink dolls and dresses always caught my attention. For my brother, the blue monster trucks and action figures stopped him dead in his tracks. However, these were never in the same aisle: there was an aisle for girls’ toys and a different one for boys. Wagner-Ott explores how there is a gender split between toys and the massive role that manufacturers have in creating gender. They can decide the way a doll looks, dresses, and her hobbies. Barbie’s hobbies included playing dress up and house with a closet full of dresses and accessories. Action figures, such as GI Joe, are seen to save the world and do something important. These stark differences communicate to young children how girls and boys are not allowed to do the same things. For every 50-60 male action figures made, there is only about 1 female action figure. I never owned a female action figure. I had never grasped the fact that females could be seen as saving the world when I was a child.
