Gender Socialization

Gender Socialization

As I entered the department store, immediately to the left was where the children’s toys were located.   From the front entrance of the store the toy department was the only section that was immediately visible.   I believe that the store was deliberately set up to advertise children’s toys.   Enhanced by television advertisements children are targeted by specific toys for both male and female gender identification.
For example, certain toys designed for boys consisted of themes that promote war, aggressiveness and competitiveness.   To me, these types of toys exemplify the view much of our society holds for the developing the mental attitude in little boys.   It is no wonder that our society is stricken with deviant behavior in young males from all sociological backgrounds.   Our society want our young men to be gentle and caring, yet the image that society portrays through toys created for small male children promotes violence.   Could this be one of the reasons that Domestic Violence is so rampant in America?
      As I walked down one of the main aisles across from the grocery department I noticed the girl’s clothing section.   This section was full of plenty of vibrant colors and clothing that had female icons such as: Hanna Montana, Barbie and Dora the Explorer. All of these female icons were elaborately displayed across the entire clothing section.   It occurred to me that during grocery shopping this display of girl’s clothing would draw the attention of young girls away from the task at hand.   I believe this display is set up to get young girls to nag their parents for flashy clothing and the latest fashions during a grocery shopping trip.   Our society has socialized little girls to like pretty clothing and this became quite evident to me when I noticed the location of the girl’s clothing department in this store.