When shopping, it is evident that the boys and girls sides of toys differ. The gendered packaging and marketing of toys defines gender and clearly limits the minds of young males and females. If you go on the Toys R Us website, you will find two categories: Boy's and Girl's Toys. It is unfair to separate males and females with what they can and cannot play with. The common difference between boy's toys and girl's toys as seen on this website is the difference of the top category: dolls and action figures. The first image below is significant because it portrays the mom in pink and the dad in blue. This is a major problem because young girls play with this doll set and are already being exposed to gender conformed roles. The image to the right of what is sold in the girls section is an action figure sold in the boys section. This is another major problem because like most action figures made for boys, weapons are included. This sends a message to young males that it is okay to be violent.
In the you-tube clip, "Riley on Marketing," a young girl named Riley describes how boys and girls can interchangeably like both princesses and superheroes. This young girl acknowledges what manufacturers fail at acknowledging. For decades, companies have been producing superheroes for males, princesses for females. Riley even mentions how companies try to "trick the girls into buying the pink stuff." While it is comical for Riley to go off on a tangent, she is completely correct. Companies align products for girls and have the majority of these packages in pink packaging. Girls should not only be limited to buying princesses, as Riley has explicitly stated in the video. The same goes for young males, if a boy wants to play with a doll, he should go ahead and play with a doll without having any questions asked.
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