"Why Boys Don't Play With Dolls" was written by Katha Pollit, and focuses on the idea of societal stereotypes. The quote, "We don't have a choice, really, about whether we should give our children messages about what it means to be male and female- they're bombarded with them from morning till night," best illustrates Pollit's man purpose. From birth, children are crafted with a pre-determined identity. A pink nursery room is associated with a baby girl, whilst a blue nursery is associated with a baby boy. If the parents choose to leave the identity a mystery, a median color of pale green is often chosen. How is it that we can choose a childs identity, before they're even capable of communicating?
In a way, I'd say Pollit's argument is slightly inaccurate, as it was published around 20 years ago. Society has made great strives towards gender equality and/or diminishing gender stereotypes, especially within the past several years. For example, popular toy companies such as Lego have made changes by selling gender neutral toys, which have led to an increase in sales. Little girls are watching TV shows such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars. McDonalds no longer has a boy or girl toy that comes with you Happy Meal. Regardless of these changes, I agree with Pollit that gender stereotypes are unfair and quite frankly, downright disgusting when it comes to children. I believe that her intended audience were the future mothers and fathers of that time, as well as the current ones, as these are the people who can make the changes.
Pollitt, Katha. "Why Boys Don't Play with Dolls." (1995): n. pag. Web.
In a way, I'd say Pollit's argument is slightly inaccurate, as it was published around 20 years ago. Society has made great strives towards gender equality and/or diminishing gender stereotypes, especially within the past several years. For example, popular toy companies such as Lego have made changes by selling gender neutral toys, which have led to an increase in sales. Little girls are watching TV shows such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars. McDonalds no longer has a boy or girl toy that comes with you Happy Meal. Regardless of these changes, I agree with Pollit that gender stereotypes are unfair and quite frankly, downright disgusting when it comes to children. I believe that her intended audience were the future mothers and fathers of that time, as well as the current ones, as these are the people who can make the changes.
Pollitt, Katha. "Why Boys Don't Play with Dolls." (1995): n. pag. Web.
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