“Boys VS. Girls” Gallery 202B Side Exhibition

Curated by: Antonina, Cara, Deanna, and Lilyanna

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Toys and Gender Expectations

“We react harshly or impatiently to the extremes of gendered behavior we encounter when it does not match our espoused values” (Holland, 19). Children enjoy the pleasure and freedom of play, it is a natural activity for children to experience starting at young ages. Play is how children explore and make sense of the world around them, and being exposed to toys and clothing made for the opposite gender could even help a child understand that gender better as an adult, but many adults are against the exploration of other gender norms and expectations. Most children are not allowed to express themselves because of the boxes society has put them in. Examples of this include “Boys don’t play with dolls; girls can’t play fireman; girls don’t have short hair” (Holland, 19). 

Parents are not the only ones holding children in their designated blue or pink box advertisers are just as much responsible for these outdated expectations. In the Walmart ad there is an obvious divide between toys played by children. The boys on the right are playing with toy weapons, building toys, and a guitar; whereas girls on the left have a kitchen, an easy-bake oven, and dolls. This divide of acceptable “boy toys’ ‘ and “girl toys’ pushes children to gender expectations as they grow into adulthood. Personally, I think we have come a long way as a society that girls are viewed as equal to men and men can very much have a role within the household. It is about time that advertising agencies get with the modern-day program!

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Toys and the Body

As shown in the Walmart advertisement above, girls’ toys typically focus on caregiving activities, physical beauty, and household maintenance, while boys’ toys emphasize war, violence, and acting upon (rather than being acted up by) their physical environment. What might this mean for the ways that children interact with toys and their developing conceptions of their bodies?

Through these toys, girls are being socialized into modifying their bodies and boys are being socialized into modifying their environments. This pattern fits in with antiquated patriarchal notions of man as culture and woman as nature, and ultimately with the woman being the field upon which the man enacts his power. Over the past few years, there has been a small but marked shift in the toy industry of non-gendered toys and toys that oppose this patriarchal dyad. However, many of these toys tend to be more expensive then their gendered counterparts and are targeted to younger babies and toddlers.

One noticeable change is in the variety of STEM toys marketed to older girls in the K-6 age range, which is great but many of these kits have a focus on beauty as the outcome of their experimental processes. Is this meant to tap into girls’ supposed “natural” interest in their physical appearance, or is reinforcing the issues observed in the non-STEM girls’ toys by offering science that is directed at being more attractive? Must a girl’s interest in science be mediated through her physical, gendered body?

And lastly, what does it mean for boys that there are literally no boys’ toys aimed at supporting self-care or physical attractiveness for boys? What would happen if boys were marketed toys that encouraged them to nurture themselves through play? What would that even look like? Does it seem absurd that there would be toys that encourage boys to think of their physical appearance? And if so, what does that tell us about how contrived it is that such toys are marketed to girls?

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Boys Vs. Girls in Literature

As children are brought into the world and begin to grow, they start to understand identity. This can be done by seeing different toys, different colors, different television shows, and even different types of books. The line defining the different gender roles begins to become more “black and white” as children are represented and stereotyped differently in society. For example, it is common for a young girl to model being a mother (or nurturer) by caring for baby dolls. This is because in society we typically see the female figure as the caregiver. A young boy may be seen as being adventurous or more of a risk-taker because of the way society views the male figure. The stereotypes are also present in the literature adults read to/give to their children, as well as the literature that is on the shelves in the book store. Here is an image of different books that are marketed to one gender or the other. It is very clear what you “should” be reading based on if you are a girl or boy. The covers are also telling, as the girl ones seem to be more pink and purple, while the boy books are more blue or colors of nature. In the reading talking about gender roles, the author wrote, “Children at this point in the process of forming gender identity are seeking certainty; they are trying to find a rule or rules that will make them feel that they belong in the gendered world that surrounds them” (​​Holland 2003). Children are looking all around their surroundings and gaining feedback on where they fit in. This is prevalent in the literature that is prepared for them as well. 

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Changing the Narrative

In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts of America in Savannah, Georgia. Juliette Gordon Low had a complicated but privileged life. Her family and eventual husband were wealthy, but she was limited by her circumstances (she was infertile and partially deaf). As an upper class white woman in the Antebellum South, the inability to bear children rendered her utterly useless to society. Low lived at a time of strict gender roles for women; however, she had the social and financial capital to do something about it. Inspired by the ‘British Girl Guides,’ Low built the Girl Scouts on the founding principles of self-improvement and self-reliance, before women even had the right to vote. You can read more about the history of the Girl Scouts here.

In Low’s Girl Scout Handbook (1917), she emphasizes the need for women to be strong, useful, and independent. You can check out the original handbook here. Her beliefs were revolutionary at the time. The existence of the Girl Scouts showed girls an alternative to domestic, passive, and dependent lifestyles. In Penny Holland’s chapter called Boys Will Be Boys and Girls Will Sit Nicely, they argue that, “Children at this point in the process of forming gender identity are seeking certainty; they are trying to find a rule or rules that will make them feel that they belong in the gendered world that surrounds them” (Holland, P., 2003).

The Girl Scouts provide girls with possibilities to try out “masculine” hobbies, communication styles, and leadership roles while still being affirmed in their gender identity. By being an organization which provides opportunities not traditionally afforded to girls, the girls who partake have a chance to feel empowered and to develop a healthy sense of belonging to their gender. Do you believe there are youth organizations for boys which afford them the opportunity to expand into “feminine” hobbies, communication styles, and caretaking/interdependence roles? How does this connect with the gender identity development of boys versus girls in a modern world?  (Read more from the Girl Scouts’ website here.) 

*Two final notes on the history of the Girl Scouts…
1) From its foundation, Girl Scouts declared itself open to all girls. However, the reality of racial segregation (particularly in the South) blocked many girls from joining or having the same opportunities as the white Girl Scouts, such as summer camps. The first racially integrated Girl Scouts did not exist until around 1956. However, it was in 1913, a year after the founding of the Girl Scouts, that the first African American troop was established. In 1921, a Native American troop formed in New York. During World War II, Japanese American girls even formed Girl Scout troops while in internment camps in Utah and California. You can read about the history of racially integrating the Girl Scouts here and here. The Girl Scouts has a page on its website about its commitment to anti-racism here. 

2) While the lived experiences of non-binary, intersex, gender fluid, transgender, and gender queer youth certainly will vary considerably depending on the communities they live in, the Girl Scouts is officially an LGBTQ+ friendly organization. Many of the regional chapters of the Girl Scouts have more detailed sections about LGBTQ+ inclusion under their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion pages. 

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