Friday, May 29, 2009

A Look at the Gendered Socialization of Boys through "Boys' Toys"

Children start learning what is expected of their gender at a very young age. The day they are born, the hospital outfits them in a gender specific color. Boys are automatically given blue hats, booties, and blankets; girls are dressed in pink. Even though babies do not realize this at birth, the colors represent normative gender roles. From this day on, multiple aspects of society affect the gendered socialization of children. Parents play a major role in the socialization of their children based on how they treat them. However, it also depends on what parents provide for their children, specifically toys. There is an obvious distinction between what parents purchase for their daughters and what they purchase for their sons. Products marketed to boys contribute to their gendered socialization by representing normative characteristics and activities that boys are expected to identify with.


I found evidence of this while shopping for my younger brother, Jacob. He basically shares the same interests as other 17 year old boys. However, I thought it wise to ask him what he wanted the most. Jacob’s top item on his list was a Nintendo DS, but he also stressed how much he enjoys playing outside. From this information and a few other hints, I decided on four other gifts: WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 for Nintendo DS, a Crossman Pulse M70 Full Auto Electronic Airsoft Gun, a Wilson NFL Pro Replica Official-Size Composite Football, and an Airwalk Series 3 Skateboard. Newman asserts, “Decades of research indicate that “girls’ toys” still revolve around themes of domesticity, fashion, and motherhood and “boys’ toys” emphasize action and adventure” (112). Jacob’s wish list certainly supports this idea; it contains items that are opposite what most 17 year old girls would ask for. Even before I went shopping, I was certain I would find these items in the “Boys’ sections” of the gaming and toy departments.


It could be argued that the Nintendo DS is the only toy on the list that may be considered gender neutral. It comes in a variety of colors that appeal to both boys and girls. However, Jacob made it clear that he wanted a blue one. There are also a multitude of games produced for the Nintendo DS, everything from shopping to racing. Unfortunately, this handheld game happens to be state of the art technology, and it carries a hefty price tag to prove it. The price made this item a tricky purchase because I only had $176 to spend on all of Jacob’s presents. Lucky for him, I am used to being a thrifty shopper due to our family’s income. I was able to purchase a used Nintendo DS for $80. It’s safe to say that a new Nintendo DS was unattainable. The one gender neutral toy on the list was a success, until I had to select a game.


WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 transforms the Nintendo DS into a gender specific toy. In this game, normative male characteristics are seriously exaggerated. Every male wrestling character is big, strong, muscular, intimidating, and extremely aggressive. The game teaches boys what is expected of them and what they are supposed to look like as they become men. Glorifying the wrestlers for violent fighting has a negative effect on the gendered socialization of boys; it shows boys that it is okay to fight. Not only do video games like this one show boys how they are expected to behave, the games also teach boys about their attitudes toward women. The only women included in this particular game are scantily clad and have seductive stares. Newman warns, “The gender messages in such games may have a detrimental effect on boys’ attitudes toward girls and women and on their conceptions of appropriate male behavior (91). The female characters in the games make boys expect all women to look and act that way. It also shows boys that they too can treat women the way the wrestling characters do. It is unsettling that a $20 video game can teach a young boy how to act and how to treat women.


The Crossman Pulse M70 Full Auto Electronic Airsoft Gun is a completely different type product, but it still promotes aggression and violence. Even though the toy gun is merely an imitation, it still signifies the negative ideas associated with real guns. Toy guns are marketed to boys, and this teaches them that society typically attributes the possession of guns to males. When playing with guns, boys demonstrate aggressive behavior. On the surface, this interaction between boys is just non-lethal fantasy play. However, it teaches boys to “shoot” each other and play “dead” when shot. This type of play provides boys with a lot more information about real world guns and violence than one might initially realize. Before they are old enough to legally posses a firearm, boys have already learned enough to develop their own thoughts on guns and the violence associated with them.


The NFL Pro Replica Official-Size Composite Football represents a somewhat more constructive outlet for the aggressive tendencies boys demonstrate. Football is a male-dominated sport due to its aggressive, physical nature. Messner found that, “sex-segregated activities such as organized sports as structured by adults, provide the context in which gendered identities and separate “gendered cultures” develop and come to appear natural. For the boys in this study, it became “natural” to equate masculinity with competition, physical strength, and skills (128). Organized sports, like football, give boys the opportunity to learn about their own gender by interacting with other boys. The team setting also allows them to develop acceptable relationships with each other, like brotherly love. Most importantly, organized sports teach boys that they are expected (by both society and other boys) to be active, strong, and competitive.


The Airwalk Series 3 Skateboard represents an activity that is not necessarily an organized sport for children, but it still teaches many of the same values. Skateboarding is a gender specific physical activity that is dominated by boys. According to Newman, “From an early age, they [children] are like “gender detectives,” searching for cues about gender, such as who should and shouldn’t engage in certain activities, who can play with whom, and why girls and boy differ” (113). From a young age, children learn that skateboarding is an activity that is more appropriate for boys to engage in. Parents feel more comfortable buying their sons a skateboard because skating can be a dangerous activity. Boys are expected to play rough and come home with scraped knees, girls are not. Skateboarding emphasizes the differing socialization of boys and girls because it did not need to be set up as a gender-separated activity, it just became one.


Toys play a major role in helping children understand normative gender roles. It is clear that toys marketed to boys teach them to be aggressive, violent, strong, and competitive. This is evidenced by the “boy toys” on Jacob’s wish list. Toys that are marketed to girls teach them to behave differently and demonstrate characteristics opposite those of boys. The differences in the toys and the values they promote reveal a gender dichotomy. Parents take part in the gendered socialization of their children by providing them with toys that support normative gender roles. By purchasing these items for Jacob, I am contributing to his gendered socialization.



Works Cited

Messner, Michael A. “Boyhood, Organized Sports and the Construction of Masculinities.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. Sage Publications, 1990. 120-137.

Newman, David M. “Learning Difference: Families, Schools, and Socialization.” Identities and Inequalities: Exploring the Intersections of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. NY: McGraw Hill, 2007. 106-145.

Newman, David M. “Portraying Difference: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality in Language and the Media.” Identities and Inequalities: Exploring the Intersections of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. NY: McGraw Hill, 2007. 71-105.



Images (in order of appearance)

Nintendo DS. Gamestop, 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009 from http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=22260

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009. Gamestop, 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009 from
http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=70973

Crossman Pulse M70 Full Auto Electronic Airsoft Gun. Walmart, 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009 from http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8031615

Wilson NFL Pro Replica Official-Size Composite Football. Target, 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009 from http://www.target.com/Wilson-Replica-Official-Size-Composite-Football/dp/B000WF5D46/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_2?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=1MEC2W8WETCVKSDHY51M&pf_rd_p=447415501&pf_rd_i=B001J4MTR8&pf_rd_s=left-5&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201

Airwalk Series 3 Skateboard. Target, 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009 from http://www.target.com/Airwalk-Series-3-Skateboard-Blue/dp/B001J4MTR8/sr=1-3/qid=1243467789/ref=sr_1_3/184-6332351-2210728?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&index=target&rh=k%3Askateboard&page=1