Diversity In Education: Initial Impression And Observations At Toys
EDUC 382 Diversity in Education Final paper
Section 1
Professor: Ozlem Sensoy
Teaching Assistant: Somayeh Bahrami
Name: SONY (Tun, Htet Yan Aung)
ST.ID: 301075860
Date: Thursday, 31 July 2014
EDUC 382 Diversity in Education: FINAL
1. Initial Impression and Observations at Toys “R” Us
I visited a toy store named Toys “R” Us on 1110 Lougheed Hwy in Coquitlam, BC for this assignment. When I approached the store, the first thing I saw was a huge parking lot with some parking spaces for disabled drivers. The doors for entering the toy store had buttons for disabled people to access and enter the store. When I first entered the store, I noticed the store was very secured and had security cameras …show more content…
everywhere. The ceiling in the store was high, the floor was clean and the walls were painted with bright colors. The store logo also had very bright colors. The store had very bright lights and was not dim in any area. The atmosphere in the store feels very comfortable and family like. The store was overall very clean and tidy. Many seasonal toys are displayed on the shelves to attract customers. The toy boxes were very colourful and I also saw many colors of pink and blue around the store. There were also games for kids of different ages. There were many children of different ages in the store. Most children were with a female adult who I believe was their mother. Within the play areas around the store, I saw mothers reading books or playing toys with their children. Most young girls was playing with a pink toy and usually a princess doll with long hair and white skin. A few young boys between the ages of six to eight would be spinning the wheels of a car or airplane. Two older boys were looking at a famous video game, Call of Duty. I also noticed that most of the workers walking around in the store were female. I believed this was because the society generally believed that kids are safer with women. In most societies, the responsibility of childcare also belonged to women.
2. How Toys are Organized at Toys “R” Us
I walked through the toy store aisle by aisle to look at how the toys were organized. I see that most toys were organized by gender and in the color of pink and blue for girls and boys. The toys for each gender were placed separately on different shelves and different areas in the store. A large area of the store was pink and filled with toys for girls. I could easily see many large corporate brands such as Disney, Barbie and Lego placed around the store. A large number of Barbie or Disney princess dolls with pink cardboard boxes were placed on a few shelves. There were also many pink houses, accessories and kitchen sets besides the Barbie dolls. Next to these doll collections were beauty products such as combs and mirrors for girls. The area filled with toys for boys had blue toy boxes. There were many mechanical toys including trucks, cars, airplanes and toolboxes. Other popular figures in movies such as Transformers and Iron Man were also placed in areas where children can easily access. Close to the boys section I also saw many puzzles and toy sets that involved skill building and career themes. Toys for the same age group were also grouped together. The toys were organized based on the different skills for each age group. Some toys from the same brand or manufacturer were stored together.
3. The Presence of Dominant Groups and Absence of Minority Groups at Toys “R” Us
There was some level of social diversity in the toy store showing different group identities. Toys for girls are usually pink and include feminine parts such as princess dolls, self-grooming products or child caring items. Toys for boys tend to be more masculine and involved muscular figures, robots or sports related items. Most group identities of the dominant mainstream culture were present. However, the representation of minority group identities was very minimal or not present at all. For example, most of the toys had a doll or figure with white skinned color and blonde hair. Only less than 10% of the toys had an image or figure with colour skin people. I also did not see any toys that had indigenous groups present. There were no Asian traditional toys or items related to the Middle East culture.
Most of the toys showed signs of the upper class and royalty. Girl toys often involved princess dolls, castles and luxury accessories. The princess or Barbie dolls almost always had a beautiful dress on and wore a crown. Toys for boys contain kingdoms and professional career kits that belong to the upper class. The clothes sold inside the store was also all high end Western styled fashion. Almost all toys and items in the store showed signs of the civilized Western culture. The dolls or images are all well-groomed and wearing Western styled clothing such as a long dress, suit or sportswear. I did not see any dolls wearing a Japanese kimono or Turban. The career represented in the toys was mostly professional roles found in the Western mainstream society. I could clearly see lots of doctor kits and images of successful business man. Expensive toys were also put in one place where the upper class group can access together. Nothing was sold in the store that was for the poor.
The Lego toys that had ancient themes always involved the Western history. For example, the armors, castles and weapons were mostly from the Medieval times. I did not see any toys that represented the ancient minority groups. The types of spears, arrows and armors used in the ancient Asian world were not seen in any of the toys. There were some toys that involved different religions but most were related to Christianity such as church models or priest figures. There were no signs of Buddha, Muslim or other Middle East religions among the toys.
All language books in the store were written in English and I did not see any books written in other languages. There were some toys that had a boy and a girl holding hands, showing heterosexuality. However, there were no toys that showed other sexuality. For example, toys that showed homosexuality or related to transgender people were not present. All of the toys I saw were for children with able bodies. None of the toys were designed for disabled children.
Overall, the majority of the toys in the store belonged to the mainstream dominant society groups with very little representation of minority groups. It is important to notice the absence of the minority group elements. As discussed in “What Does it Mean to be White?” the author discussed how the unspoken could be very powerful in marginalizing vulnerable groups. The author said that the resulting outcome could hugely impact the minority groups. With toys of the mainstream culture dominating, minority groups could identify themselves as needing to become the mainstream norm. For example, some may be pressured to undergoing plastic surgery to get white skin. Girls may see themselves as needing to follow the society norm by performing household duties instead of being career driven. This type of internalized oppression will make the minority groups feel obligated to behave like the dominant groups.
4. Toys with Discourses and Ideologies around Gender Imagery and Roles
Throughout the store, I saw many toys that showed discourses and ideologies around gender identities. The toys were mostly segregated into two different genders, boys and girls. Not only most toys were pink for girls and blue for boys, other items sold in the store including chairs, clothes, drums and bikes had the same color scheme. From the use of imagery to actual contents, the toys gave out messages of how each gender should be identified. I can see that the toys that involved activities also showed the different perceived gender roles in the society.
Throughout the store, I saw girl’s toys were almost all pink in color or used bright colors. They usually have images that showed warm or happy expressions. There were many toys for girls that were princess dolls with sparkly eyes, smooth skin, slim figure and wearing body revealing luxury fashion. The majority of princess dolls in the store were white, tall and skinny. Many toys had beauty accessories included such as combs and mirrors. In some way, this passes the message of an ideal image of a girl and the outlook they should try to achieve. The impact of these norms creates an expectation for girls to focus on their appearance through diet, fitness and fashion in order to achieve such ideal image. There were also many toys for girls that showed their expected role in the society as focusing on marriage and family. Many of the toys had images of babies with a girl or involved child caring activities. For example, there were baby dolls for girls that included a pink cradle and a stroller. Some toys had additional accessories such as toy diapers and milk bottles for babies. Girl toys mostly involved activities such as grocery shopping, baking and shopping. In these toy sets, the girls can play with shopping carts, kitchen tools and high-end fashion. These activities set the norm for young aged girls in terms of what their normal activities and behaviour should be. This could create a deep commitment in the girls’ mind to traditional family responsibility.
On the other hand, almost all the toys for boys were blue in color or used darker colors. These toys in general had a more masculine or aggressive emotion, showing violence or power. The figures were usually muscular or strong looking and involved in an active or risk taking activity. Most toys included images or actual toys of weapons such as knives and swords. Some toys had scenes of war images, with figures holding these weapons and fighting against each other. Many toys included images with activities that are more adventurous such as jumping out of a helicopter, riding a motorcycle and protecting a kingdom. Many toys for boys also included more mechanical and advanced components. There were tool kits and doctor bags for boys to develop early career directions. Many toys had wheels that allowed boys to be familiar with cars, trucks and airplanes at a young age. More advanced toys such as robots and space ships were placed in the boys section. This shows male superiority and sets boys in a higher hierarchical position even at a young age.
In this toy store, I noticed the segregation of gender to an extreme degree. From the color and feeling of toys to the actual content and activities within the toy, each gender’s behavioural expectation showed many discourses. These toys encouraged stereotyping and unnecessary division of gender roles in children’s playtime.
5. Child Caring Toy for Girls that Identify Their Role in the Society
These were the front and back picture of a toy I chose among the many toys for girls in the store that involved a child caring activity. This toy tried to standardize social norm and showed how an ideal female should look like and behave. The color of this toy is almost entirely pink. From the white girl’s shirt and pants to the stroller and the cradle, pink was used to show the femininity of the product. The feeling of the image was also very warm and calming. The image of the girl in on the toy box has long hair and a smile on her face. The mood of the image was peaceful and happy.
This toy showed a discourse of female expectation. A non verbal aspect of communication is present to tell girls what they are expected of. This included the need for girls to have the physical appearance of being soft and mellow. It also showed that child caring activities should belong to the female responsibility. This discourse shapes how girls think about their roles in the society as solely child oriented. These messages position girls in a lower hierarchical position in the society compared to men.
6. Sexism Messages Conveyed to Children by the Gender Segregation of Toys
Children would receive messages of sexism through playing with the toys in the store. The messages were conveyed from the images on the toy box and from the toy activities itself. Toy dolls for girls had shinny eyes, long hair, skinny and pale skin. The dolls all had a fancy gown and shinny accessories. With enough exposure to these dolls, the young girls would want to achieve an ideal physical appearance that is identical to the dolls they play with. The images on the toy boxes often showed signs of soft, mellow and gullible emotions. With activities mostly surrounding family activities, the girls were taught to be passive and be responsible for child caring, cooking and cleaning. This gave messages to the young girls in terms of what activities they are expected to perform in the society. Together, this created an identity for the girls as they play and see these toys at a young age, believing that this is the social norm. Therefore, these ideas make the girls naturally think that there is an expectation of them to achieve a feminine appearance and perform lowers status activities. The absence of masculinity and professional career images among the girl toys deprives their learning in this area
In the book “Is Everyone Really Equal”, the authors mentioned about parents failing to battle against the sexism existing in the society where messages are being conveyed through media, toy stores and even Happy Meal toys from McDonalds. The toys reinforced unequal power relations between genders at the group level. By playing with the princess dolls, the young girls will start to subconsciously feel that they should not show male traits. By making girls believing that their role is only limited to family responsibilities, the toys discouraged young girls to pursue higher education and develop a more ambitious career path. This will allow the current male dominant society to maintain the gender inequality already present. The toys embedded influential messages within the young girls and make it difficult for them to see the inequality. In this male dominant society, the design of the toys was perhaps made by men. The higher level decision to use the designs was perhaps also made by men. Therefore, the result of sexism among child toys adds to the large scale unequal social and institutional power between female and male.
All the social forces work together to influence the girls starting at a young age.
The set up of the store and the design of the toys filters their perceptions and affect how the children should be positioned in the society. These toys have an impact on the dreams and hopes on the young girls, making them believe that these painted images are the ideal. These nonverbal messages quietly embed into our values and affect our view of things around us. As mentioned in the book, “Is Everyone Really Equal”, the authors stated that one’s preferences “are never simply one’s internally-driven likes or dislikes”. To gain social acceptance, the girls are pressured to behave and make choices in the way that society defines as the norm. This adds to the already existing oppression of women that are strongly rooted into the society’s male dominant system. As boys are encouraged to play with toys that allow them to achieve higher education and career paths, they will more likely to be confident and believe that they are supposed to be successful in the society. In this male dominant society where all major institutions are controlled by men, this sign further increases their chances of maintaining this superior …show more content…
status.
7. Intersectionality of Sexism and Racism
In the toy store, I saw an additional aspect of group identity, race. The majority of toys in the store had images of white colour individuals. Almost all dolls or figurines had white colours skin. Both boys and girls toys had very little representation of other races. In places where I saw toys with figures of colour individuals, they were often involved in activities with lower status. There were often images and figures of a brown lady presenting as a maid or other types of labour worker. Male figures of color tend to be presented with a higher level of aggression and anger emotions. The race of yellow or black colour skin groups almost did not exist at all. Sexism is not only in the white culture, but also even among other races. White men in general have the most power in the society. Both women and groups of color people are vulnerable in the society, often controlled by the decisions of the dominant groups. The toys showed that women of color are in the lowest position in the society, often representing the poor. I rarely see a figure of a colour woman in a professional role among the toys. This may create an internal oppression among the minority group. With the majority of dolls have light colour skin and features; people of color may feel the need to follow the norm by lighting their skin with cream or plastic surgery. In “What Does It Mean to Be White”, the author mentioned plot of Shrek 2 where the characters Shrek and Fiona was supposed to be white but became ugly and colour. The donkey in the movie was also more superior when it turned into a white stallion with a blonde mane.
8. The Development of My Identity Shaped by Toys
Socialization started before birth and continued as I entered the world of society.
Before I was born, my parents had already found out my gender and started shopping for male related products in preparing for my arrival. My parents designed my baby room with blue wall paper and most items purchased for me was blue or dark colour. Most of my baby clothing were specifically for boys with pictures of tools, moustaches, ties or tuxedos. Most of my toys were cars, trains or airplanes. None of the items purchased for me was pink in color or showed feminine traits. As I grew older, the toys I played with usually involved activities that had mechanical or analytical components. I often played with Lego building blocks to build castles and warships to battle against the evil. I also had boxes of problem solving puzzles that involved education and learning as I played with them. Many of my toys such as doctor kits also allowed me to understand and exposed to different career
paths.
My own identity had been shaped by toys and games I played and didn’t play with. By seeing masculine images all the time, I believed I should be acting more aggressive, active, strong. I had the tendency to think that boys are not supposed to like the color pink as it belongs to the girls. Without the experience of playing with feminine toys such as dolls, kitchen sets, and child caring items, I never saw these activities as related to myself, a male figure. From playing with toys that involve in career building activities, I have always believed that I need to achieve higher education and have a successful career in the society. As a male, I see myself as naturally be a leader and be a decision maker in an institution. I will eventually have a wife that can give birth to a few children of mine and stay at home, taking care of family responsibilities. I now understand that this is internalized dominance, “internalizing and acting out (often unintentionally) the constant messages that you and your group are superior to the minoritized group and thus entitled to your higher position” (Sensoy and DiAngelo 2011).
It is important to understand our own positions within the relations of unequal power. As a precious male baby in a traditional Asian family, I had many advantages that I now realize. I have always felt dominant and powerful around others. However, I now understand that I was given many opportunities to hold power compared to females in the family. My sisters did not get the same treatment as I did. They played with princess dolls and kitchen sets that trained them to be feminine instead of being ambitious in the career field. Internalized oppression is obvious among my sisters, as they believed I am more qualified for achieving higher education. They always treated me with respect and proper attitudes to ensure my satisfaction. As mentioned in “The Complexity of Identity: “Who Am I”, it is normal for the subordinate group to comply with the dominant group that has power. While my sisters performed house work for the family, my focus was to learn different activities and experience various adventures. It is this unequal of power among gender that allowed me to achieve what I have now, good education and confidence to success.
References
1) DiAngelo R. (2012) Chapter 9: How Race Shapes the Lives of White People. What Does it Mean to be White? Developing White Racial Literacy, NY: Peter Lang
2) Sensoy, Ö. & DiAngelo, R. (2011). Is everyone really equal? An introduction to key concepts in social justice education. New York: Teachers College Press
3) Tatum, B. D. (2000). The complexity of identity: “Who am I?.” In Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Hackman, H. W., Zuniga, X., Peters, M. L. (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice: An anthology on racism, sexism, anti-semitism, heterosexism, classism and ableism (pp. 9-14). New York: Routledge.
Section 1
Professor: Ozlem Sensoy
Teaching Assistant: Somayeh Bahrami
Name: SONY (Tun, Htet Yan Aung)
ST.ID: 301075860
Date: Thursday, 31 July 2014
EDUC 382 Diversity in Education: FINAL
1. Initial Impression and Observations at Toys “R” Us
I visited a toy store named Toys “R” Us on 1110 Lougheed Hwy in Coquitlam, BC for this assignment. When I approached the store, the first thing I saw was a huge parking lot with some parking spaces for disabled drivers. The doors for entering the toy store had buttons for disabled people to access and enter the store. When I first entered the store, I noticed the store was very secured and had security cameras …show more content…
everywhere. The ceiling in the store was high, the floor was clean and the walls were painted with bright colors. The store logo also had very bright colors. The store had very bright lights and was not dim in any area. The atmosphere in the store feels very comfortable and family like. The store was overall very clean and tidy. Many seasonal toys are displayed on the shelves to attract customers. The toy boxes were very colourful and I also saw many colors of pink and blue around the store. There were also games for kids of different ages. There were many children of different ages in the store. Most children were with a female adult who I believe was their mother. Within the play areas around the store, I saw mothers reading books or playing toys with their children. Most young girls was playing with a pink toy and usually a princess doll with long hair and white skin. A few young boys between the ages of six to eight would be spinning the wheels of a car or airplane. Two older boys were looking at a famous video game, Call of Duty. I also noticed that most of the workers walking around in the store were female. I believed this was because the society generally believed that kids are safer with women. In most societies, the responsibility of childcare also belonged to women.
2. How Toys are Organized at Toys “R” Us
I walked through the toy store aisle by aisle to look at how the toys were organized. I see that most toys were organized by gender and in the color of pink and blue for girls and boys. The toys for each gender were placed separately on different shelves and different areas in the store. A large area of the store was pink and filled with toys for girls. I could easily see many large corporate brands such as Disney, Barbie and Lego placed around the store. A large number of Barbie or Disney princess dolls with pink cardboard boxes were placed on a few shelves. There were also many pink houses, accessories and kitchen sets besides the Barbie dolls. Next to these doll collections were beauty products such as combs and mirrors for girls. The area filled with toys for boys had blue toy boxes. There were many mechanical toys including trucks, cars, airplanes and toolboxes. Other popular figures in movies such as Transformers and Iron Man were also placed in areas where children can easily access. Close to the boys section I also saw many puzzles and toy sets that involved skill building and career themes. Toys for the same age group were also grouped together. The toys were organized based on the different skills for each age group. Some toys from the same brand or manufacturer were stored together.
3. The Presence of Dominant Groups and Absence of Minority Groups at Toys “R” Us
There was some level of social diversity in the toy store showing different group identities. Toys for girls are usually pink and include feminine parts such as princess dolls, self-grooming products or child caring items. Toys for boys tend to be more masculine and involved muscular figures, robots or sports related items. Most group identities of the dominant mainstream culture were present. However, the representation of minority group identities was very minimal or not present at all. For example, most of the toys had a doll or figure with white skinned color and blonde hair. Only less than 10% of the toys had an image or figure with colour skin people. I also did not see any toys that had indigenous groups present. There were no Asian traditional toys or items related to the Middle East culture.
Most of the toys showed signs of the upper class and royalty. Girl toys often involved princess dolls, castles and luxury accessories. The princess or Barbie dolls almost always had a beautiful dress on and wore a crown. Toys for boys contain kingdoms and professional career kits that belong to the upper class. The clothes sold inside the store was also all high end Western styled fashion. Almost all toys and items in the store showed signs of the civilized Western culture. The dolls or images are all well-groomed and wearing Western styled clothing such as a long dress, suit or sportswear. I did not see any dolls wearing a Japanese kimono or Turban. The career represented in the toys was mostly professional roles found in the Western mainstream society. I could clearly see lots of doctor kits and images of successful business man. Expensive toys were also put in one place where the upper class group can access together. Nothing was sold in the store that was for the poor.
The Lego toys that had ancient themes always involved the Western history. For example, the armors, castles and weapons were mostly from the Medieval times. I did not see any toys that represented the ancient minority groups. The types of spears, arrows and armors used in the ancient Asian world were not seen in any of the toys. There were some toys that involved different religions but most were related to Christianity such as church models or priest figures. There were no signs of Buddha, Muslim or other Middle East religions among the toys.
All language books in the store were written in English and I did not see any books written in other languages. There were some toys that had a boy and a girl holding hands, showing heterosexuality. However, there were no toys that showed other sexuality. For example, toys that showed homosexuality or related to transgender people were not present. All of the toys I saw were for children with able bodies. None of the toys were designed for disabled children.
Overall, the majority of the toys in the store belonged to the mainstream dominant society groups with very little representation of minority groups. It is important to notice the absence of the minority group elements. As discussed in “What Does it Mean to be White?” the author discussed how the unspoken could be very powerful in marginalizing vulnerable groups. The author said that the resulting outcome could hugely impact the minority groups. With toys of the mainstream culture dominating, minority groups could identify themselves as needing to become the mainstream norm. For example, some may be pressured to undergoing plastic surgery to get white skin. Girls may see themselves as needing to follow the society norm by performing household duties instead of being career driven. This type of internalized oppression will make the minority groups feel obligated to behave like the dominant groups.
4. Toys with Discourses and Ideologies around Gender Imagery and Roles
Throughout the store, I saw many toys that showed discourses and ideologies around gender identities. The toys were mostly segregated into two different genders, boys and girls. Not only most toys were pink for girls and blue for boys, other items sold in the store including chairs, clothes, drums and bikes had the same color scheme. From the use of imagery to actual contents, the toys gave out messages of how each gender should be identified. I can see that the toys that involved activities also showed the different perceived gender roles in the society.
Throughout the store, I saw girl’s toys were almost all pink in color or used bright colors. They usually have images that showed warm or happy expressions. There were many toys for girls that were princess dolls with sparkly eyes, smooth skin, slim figure and wearing body revealing luxury fashion. The majority of princess dolls in the store were white, tall and skinny. Many toys had beauty accessories included such as combs and mirrors. In some way, this passes the message of an ideal image of a girl and the outlook they should try to achieve. The impact of these norms creates an expectation for girls to focus on their appearance through diet, fitness and fashion in order to achieve such ideal image. There were also many toys for girls that showed their expected role in the society as focusing on marriage and family. Many of the toys had images of babies with a girl or involved child caring activities. For example, there were baby dolls for girls that included a pink cradle and a stroller. Some toys had additional accessories such as toy diapers and milk bottles for babies. Girl toys mostly involved activities such as grocery shopping, baking and shopping. In these toy sets, the girls can play with shopping carts, kitchen tools and high-end fashion. These activities set the norm for young aged girls in terms of what their normal activities and behaviour should be. This could create a deep commitment in the girls’ mind to traditional family responsibility.
On the other hand, almost all the toys for boys were blue in color or used darker colors. These toys in general had a more masculine or aggressive emotion, showing violence or power. The figures were usually muscular or strong looking and involved in an active or risk taking activity. Most toys included images or actual toys of weapons such as knives and swords. Some toys had scenes of war images, with figures holding these weapons and fighting against each other. Many toys included images with activities that are more adventurous such as jumping out of a helicopter, riding a motorcycle and protecting a kingdom. Many toys for boys also included more mechanical and advanced components. There were tool kits and doctor bags for boys to develop early career directions. Many toys had wheels that allowed boys to be familiar with cars, trucks and airplanes at a young age. More advanced toys such as robots and space ships were placed in the boys section. This shows male superiority and sets boys in a higher hierarchical position even at a young age.
In this toy store, I noticed the segregation of gender to an extreme degree. From the color and feeling of toys to the actual content and activities within the toy, each gender’s behavioural expectation showed many discourses. These toys encouraged stereotyping and unnecessary division of gender roles in children’s playtime.
5. Child Caring Toy for Girls that Identify Their Role in the Society
These were the front and back picture of a toy I chose among the many toys for girls in the store that involved a child caring activity. This toy tried to standardize social norm and showed how an ideal female should look like and behave. The color of this toy is almost entirely pink. From the white girl’s shirt and pants to the stroller and the cradle, pink was used to show the femininity of the product. The feeling of the image was also very warm and calming. The image of the girl in on the toy box has long hair and a smile on her face. The mood of the image was peaceful and happy.
This toy showed a discourse of female expectation. A non verbal aspect of communication is present to tell girls what they are expected of. This included the need for girls to have the physical appearance of being soft and mellow. It also showed that child caring activities should belong to the female responsibility. This discourse shapes how girls think about their roles in the society as solely child oriented. These messages position girls in a lower hierarchical position in the society compared to men.
6. Sexism Messages Conveyed to Children by the Gender Segregation of Toys
Children would receive messages of sexism through playing with the toys in the store. The messages were conveyed from the images on the toy box and from the toy activities itself. Toy dolls for girls had shinny eyes, long hair, skinny and pale skin. The dolls all had a fancy gown and shinny accessories. With enough exposure to these dolls, the young girls would want to achieve an ideal physical appearance that is identical to the dolls they play with. The images on the toy boxes often showed signs of soft, mellow and gullible emotions. With activities mostly surrounding family activities, the girls were taught to be passive and be responsible for child caring, cooking and cleaning. This gave messages to the young girls in terms of what activities they are expected to perform in the society. Together, this created an identity for the girls as they play and see these toys at a young age, believing that this is the social norm. Therefore, these ideas make the girls naturally think that there is an expectation of them to achieve a feminine appearance and perform lowers status activities. The absence of masculinity and professional career images among the girl toys deprives their learning in this area
In the book “Is Everyone Really Equal”, the authors mentioned about parents failing to battle against the sexism existing in the society where messages are being conveyed through media, toy stores and even Happy Meal toys from McDonalds. The toys reinforced unequal power relations between genders at the group level. By playing with the princess dolls, the young girls will start to subconsciously feel that they should not show male traits. By making girls believing that their role is only limited to family responsibilities, the toys discouraged young girls to pursue higher education and develop a more ambitious career path. This will allow the current male dominant society to maintain the gender inequality already present. The toys embedded influential messages within the young girls and make it difficult for them to see the inequality. In this male dominant society, the design of the toys was perhaps made by men. The higher level decision to use the designs was perhaps also made by men. Therefore, the result of sexism among child toys adds to the large scale unequal social and institutional power between female and male.
All the social forces work together to influence the girls starting at a young age.
The set up of the store and the design of the toys filters their perceptions and affect how the children should be positioned in the society. These toys have an impact on the dreams and hopes on the young girls, making them believe that these painted images are the ideal. These nonverbal messages quietly embed into our values and affect our view of things around us. As mentioned in the book, “Is Everyone Really Equal”, the authors stated that one’s preferences “are never simply one’s internally-driven likes or dislikes”. To gain social acceptance, the girls are pressured to behave and make choices in the way that society defines as the norm. This adds to the already existing oppression of women that are strongly rooted into the society’s male dominant system. As boys are encouraged to play with toys that allow them to achieve higher education and career paths, they will more likely to be confident and believe that they are supposed to be successful in the society. In this male dominant society where all major institutions are controlled by men, this sign further increases their chances of maintaining this superior …show more content…
status.
7. Intersectionality of Sexism and Racism
In the toy store, I saw an additional aspect of group identity, race. The majority of toys in the store had images of white colour individuals. Almost all dolls or figurines had white colours skin. Both boys and girls toys had very little representation of other races. In places where I saw toys with figures of colour individuals, they were often involved in activities with lower status. There were often images and figures of a brown lady presenting as a maid or other types of labour worker. Male figures of color tend to be presented with a higher level of aggression and anger emotions. The race of yellow or black colour skin groups almost did not exist at all. Sexism is not only in the white culture, but also even among other races. White men in general have the most power in the society. Both women and groups of color people are vulnerable in the society, often controlled by the decisions of the dominant groups. The toys showed that women of color are in the lowest position in the society, often representing the poor. I rarely see a figure of a colour woman in a professional role among the toys. This may create an internal oppression among the minority group. With the majority of dolls have light colour skin and features; people of color may feel the need to follow the norm by lighting their skin with cream or plastic surgery. In “What Does It Mean to Be White”, the author mentioned plot of Shrek 2 where the characters Shrek and Fiona was supposed to be white but became ugly and colour. The donkey in the movie was also more superior when it turned into a white stallion with a blonde mane.
8. The Development of My Identity Shaped by Toys
Socialization started before birth and continued as I entered the world of society.
Before I was born, my parents had already found out my gender and started shopping for male related products in preparing for my arrival. My parents designed my baby room with blue wall paper and most items purchased for me was blue or dark colour. Most of my baby clothing were specifically for boys with pictures of tools, moustaches, ties or tuxedos. Most of my toys were cars, trains or airplanes. None of the items purchased for me was pink in color or showed feminine traits. As I grew older, the toys I played with usually involved activities that had mechanical or analytical components. I often played with Lego building blocks to build castles and warships to battle against the evil. I also had boxes of problem solving puzzles that involved education and learning as I played with them. Many of my toys such as doctor kits also allowed me to understand and exposed to different career
paths.
My own identity had been shaped by toys and games I played and didn’t play with. By seeing masculine images all the time, I believed I should be acting more aggressive, active, strong. I had the tendency to think that boys are not supposed to like the color pink as it belongs to the girls. Without the experience of playing with feminine toys such as dolls, kitchen sets, and child caring items, I never saw these activities as related to myself, a male figure. From playing with toys that involve in career building activities, I have always believed that I need to achieve higher education and have a successful career in the society. As a male, I see myself as naturally be a leader and be a decision maker in an institution. I will eventually have a wife that can give birth to a few children of mine and stay at home, taking care of family responsibilities. I now understand that this is internalized dominance, “internalizing and acting out (often unintentionally) the constant messages that you and your group are superior to the minoritized group and thus entitled to your higher position” (Sensoy and DiAngelo 2011).
It is important to understand our own positions within the relations of unequal power. As a precious male baby in a traditional Asian family, I had many advantages that I now realize. I have always felt dominant and powerful around others. However, I now understand that I was given many opportunities to hold power compared to females in the family. My sisters did not get the same treatment as I did. They played with princess dolls and kitchen sets that trained them to be feminine instead of being ambitious in the career field. Internalized oppression is obvious among my sisters, as they believed I am more qualified for achieving higher education. They always treated me with respect and proper attitudes to ensure my satisfaction. As mentioned in “The Complexity of Identity: “Who Am I”, it is normal for the subordinate group to comply with the dominant group that has power. While my sisters performed house work for the family, my focus was to learn different activities and experience various adventures. It is this unequal of power among gender that allowed me to achieve what I have now, good education and confidence to success.
References
1) DiAngelo R. (2012) Chapter 9: How Race Shapes the Lives of White People. What Does it Mean to be White? Developing White Racial Literacy, NY: Peter Lang
2) Sensoy, Ö. & DiAngelo, R. (2011). Is everyone really equal? An introduction to key concepts in social justice education. New York: Teachers College Press
3) Tatum, B. D. (2000). The complexity of identity: “Who am I?.” In Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Hackman, H. W., Zuniga, X., Peters, M. L. (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice: An anthology on racism, sexism, anti-semitism, heterosexism, classism and ableism (pp. 9-14). New York: Routledge.