Dollhouses Weren T Intended For Play

Imagine going into a toy store and looking at how the toys are organized. Most places label the aisles “girls” and “boys”. Another way the division is visible, is by color; pink is what tends to pop out first, and this is the aisle where the dolls are. These methods are just the beginning of how dolls are sorted by gender. Next comes the clothes and the different roles that the dolls play. Gender bias with dolls plays a significant role in the world of a child by affecting their learning, behavior, and image of themselves.
Gender bias through a child’s toy can have a large effect on their behavior. Children model the behavior of adults around them, something from TV, or even a toy. A young boy has the imagination to see his action figure in
Cooley discusses how dollhouses were used as a learning tool for young girls. Often, the doll was made to resemble the girl. Mothers used the dollhouse as a way to teach their offspring how to run and control a household. This method was how girls were taught to become the “lady of the household” (Cooley, 1). I think that these ideas are still used today, but in a new way.
Barbies are one of the dolls in today’s world that can be seen as both a positive learning tool and a negative way of how girls see themselves. To children, especially young girls Barbies are seen as role model, the Barbie is something that children can look up to. Barbies have a wide range of jobs; including: astronaut, nurse, veterinarian, police officer, chef, surfer, princess, fashion designer, rock star, olympian, and many more. Instead of Barbies only teaching the idea of running a household, the doll has opened up a whole new field of different things that a young girl can aspire
Action figures can leave a lasting impact on young boys in the way that they see themselves through the stereotype, the stereotype being that boys should be strong. Action figures also have a particular impact on their body image. Boys often think that they should be the superhero of the story and this can affect their actions in their adult life. For girls, their idea of body image can come from dolls. The way that their hair, clothes, and bodies should look can come from toys like Barbies. Toys have a uniform design, meaning the toys have the same body