Holly O’Connor - Cop 2 - OUGD501
To what extent does design within advertising/media have an affect on children’s gender choices and stereotypes?
This essay will discuss the extent to which advertising has an effect on gender stereotypes, gender choices and behaviour within young children. There are many opinions and theories from differing academics and creatives within the industry; mainly based around the ideas that either gender is already ingrained within them or on the other hand it is society and the people around them that shape their view on gender. The discussion will explore these different opinions on gender theory, specifically within children and will look at expert theories and existing pieces of design and imagery which support or contradict these opinions.
Gauntlett argues that both sex and gender are just ‘social constructs’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002), whereas Paoletti in ‘Pink and Blue’ argues that sex ‘denotes the biological differences’ and gender refers to the ‘cultural differences’, based on these ‘biological differences’. (Paoletti, J, 2012). This suggests that the meaning of both sex and gender are subjective and their meaning has to be taken in context. As David Gauntlett writes in ‘Media, Gender and Identity’, ‘Gender and sexuality remain at the core of how we think about our identities’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002). This identifies a plethora of theories which try to explain how gender shapes our identity and how it develops our individuality and personality.
There are two main arguments within which there are further arguments and theories. Biological determination is the view that people's behaviour patterns are the result of their genes and inheritance. ‘Women and men are fundamentally different, they were born that way’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002). On the other hand there is social constructionism which suggests that people's personality and behaviour are not pre-determined by biology, but are shaped by society and culture. This is similar to and is basically a version of the Nature vs Nurture debate. To support the view of biological determination, Gauntlett suggests that some psychologists actually believe that ‘chromosomal and hormonal differences’ determine the differences between male and female behaviour, (Gauntlett, D, 2002). Whereas research within the BBC documentary, ‘No More Boys and Girls’ supports the view of social constructionism as Dr Javid Abdelmoneim states ‘don’t believe that biology alone can explain these differences, they lie in the societies we live in’, (No More Boys and Girls, BBC, 2017).
A theory which supports the nature and biological argument is Cognitive Development Theory which is discussed in ‘Pink and Blue: Telling the girls from boys in America’, Paoletti shares Swiss psychologist, Piaget’s idea that ‘The child is the agent of his own identity through a process of learning and acting gender rules’ (Paoletti, J, 2012), therefore they aren’t affected by media or society. Similarly this theory is also discussed within ‘Media, Gender and Identity’, however Gauntlett takes a negative stance stating that this theory implies that it is a ‘natural and necessary part of a child's development, that they have to cultivate a masculine or feminine identity’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002) which could create ideas of failure and create a form of gender identity disorder. In contrast artist and designer Cas Holman believes that although it’s helpful to have role models ‘you can create your own’. (Design in Practice, 2016).
On the contrary, there is social constructionism which follows the nurture side of the debate. Again there are many different ideas and theories within this argument itself, one of those being Freud’s idea which is introduced by Gauntlett, ‘that a developing child will identify with their same sex parent’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002). Similarly Paoletti discusses Maccoby’s viewpoint that ‘gender roles are cultural in origin, shaped by social interactions’, most importantly among peers, parents and siblings, (Paoletti, J,2012). Another opinion is that the parent’s role is important in a child’s development of gender, as stated by Paoletti, that ‘adults interact with infants based on their assumed sex’ (Paoletti, J, 2012). Similarly Dr Javid Abdelmoneim suggests that although parents believe it’s in their child’s nature to act a certain way in reality ‘it came from them, from the toys, clothes they’re buying and the way they act.’ (No More Gender, BBC, 2017).
Another idea is that people tend to follow expectancy theory, which is discussed by Sheehan in ‘Controversy in Contemporary Advertising’ that ‘certain individuals will begin to act that way because it is expected of them.’(Sheehan, K, 2003). Which is similar to Gidden’s self identity argument which is discussed in Gauntlett’s Media, Gender and Identity, that ‘People's everyday actions and other people's expectations are what make up the social forces and social structures’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002). This could suggest that it is people, social structures and the interactions experienced and learnt within these have a more prominent role in gender stereotyping and decisions than the media.
The other side of the argument for social constructionism is not only society and the people around us, but more specifically the media and advertising. On one hand ‘advertising is subconscious’, writes Kim Sheehan in her publication ‘Controversy in Contemporary Advertising’ (Sheehan, K, 2003). Which from the meaning of subconscious, suggests that advertising influences one’s actions and feelings. Although mass media has become a central part of modern life, Gauntlett’s opinion states that it’s ‘unlikely that the media has a direct and straightforward effect on its audiences’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002). Therefore to what extent can advertising and the media in general have an effect on what decisions children make about gender, the choices of what they wear and what toys they play with.
An argument for this is put forward by Dr Javid Abdelmoneim in the BBC documentary ‘No More Boys and Girls’, that ‘children occupy a world where society is giving them messages constantly about what it’s like to be a boy or a girl’ (No More Gender, BBC, 2017). Whether that be in the form of adverts, toy packaging, or clothing. Similarly Sheehan believes that ‘television is a vehicle of socialisation where children learn about social behaviour and gender roles and expectations’ (Sheehan, K, 2003). Along with this statement she proceeds to add that ‘children observe and imitate’ (Sheehan, K, 2003), therefore these two statements go hand in hand in arguing that children learn gender stereotypes from the media. The recent advertisements for Kinder support this view, as children will relate the colour blue to boys and pink to girls, also the toys inside are stereotypically specific to each gender.
This design promotes gender stereotyping and also reinforces the opinion of Dr Abdelmoneim that ‘children’s offers are limited when there is a world that only offers blue for boys and pink for girls’ (No More Gender, BBC, 2017). The argument against the backlash of comments about gender stereotyping, is the fact that Ferrero, the company which owns Kinder stated that ‘The products are not intended to reinforce gender stereotypes, and would merely allow parents to choose the most relevant product for their child’ (Bignell, P, 2013). However this statement confirms the theory that is discussed in ‘No More Boys and Girls’, that children’s gender stereotypes come from the parents as they are the main purchasers. This idea is also discussed in ‘Pink and Blue’ by Paoletti, the opinion that ‘Babies and toddlers have little choice in their clothing, which reflects the attitudes and beliefs of adults’. Although this is talking in the context of fashion and clothing it still reflects the opinion that the adult and parent plays a significant role in where children’s stereotypes about gender come from, (Paoletti, J, 2012). These views suggest that advertising has more of an impact on adults then rather than the children themselves, these stereotypes are then passed on. Similarly the relationship of advertising between parents and children is discussed in ‘Controversy in Contemporary Advertising’ that ‘ads that show opposite behaviour are just as effective, it’s actually more so the parents that see this as an issue’ (Sheehan, K, 2003).
From one extreme to another, designer Cas Holman has produced a gender neutral toy brand which focuses solely on play and interacting with each other. Holman’s opinion is that’ identity is something we design’. Similar to the idea that gender is a performance, discussed in ‘Media, Gender and Identity’, that because it can be seen as a performance it can keep changing and ‘gender and sexuality can therefore be reinvented in the here and now,’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002). Holman designs toys solely for play, as she believes that ‘becoming who you are is a playful process’. Therefore her logo is stripped back using gender neutral colours which reiterates her idea that ‘the toy’s purpose is to encourage children to be creators, problem solvers, to work cooperatively, and to illustrate their ideas in a practical and concrete way,’ (Design in Practice, 2016). These ideas coincide with the opinions discuss by Dr Javid Abdelmoneim, that by changing society and media, we are levelling out the skill difference through play.’ (’No More Boys and Girls’, 2017).
Continuing on from this idea that advertisements and media influencing children can actually have a harmful impact on their development and future prospects. As discussed in ‘No More Boys and Girls’, the idea that ‘If little girls play with certain toys, then it has a fundamental effect on how their brains develop’, this is similar to the view of David Gauntlett, that these adverts and packaging designs which are forced up on them ‘allow young people no opportunity to express their critical abilities, intelligence or free will’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002). This can be seen in the design of the ‘Nerf Rebelle’ gun which caused mixed opinions and reviews. Looking at the view of Cas Holman, ‘It makes me angry to see girl versions of other toys’ (Design in Practice, 2016) which suggests that she believes toys shouldn’t give too much away and that children shoals create the stories themselves. Similarly in a recent article on Co.Design, Yvonne Lin writes that ‘ids lose out because of gendered toys.’ ‘https://www.fastcodesign.com/3066443/how-to-make-toys-better-for-girls-hint-make-them-better-for-boys-too', further along in the article she writes that “All toys are gender neutral, what is not neutral is the way toys are marketed.” Suggesting that the way in which these products design and advertised is what has an effect on children. An argument against this from the toy design company Hasbro, who believe that ‘Rebelle promotes exercise and socialisation in a way that will hopefully appeal to girls who have no interest in sports as well as budding athletes.’ (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nerf-rebelle-sexist-heartbreaker-bow-blaster-hasbro_n_4408572).
There are examples of design which suggest that advertising and design can influence children in a positive way, for example the Moschino Barbie commercial. This advertisement suggests that Dr Javid Abdelmoneim’s statement that ‘Boys are seen driving vehicles, using building equipment, science and maths. Girls are seen playing with dolls, vanity products’ (’No More Boys and Girls’, 2017) isn’t always true and that there are some changes being made. In fact. On the other hand the commercial which includes a boy as well as girls playing with dolls, supports the views from ‘Controversy in Contemporary Advertising’ that ‘ads that show boys as empathetic and caring are just as effective as ads portraying them as independent and boisterous. and vice versa for girls’ (Sheehan, K, 2003). However it disproves the point made by Sheehan again that ‘when boys and girls play together, they generally play with boys toys’(Sheehan, K, 2003). This commercial is also an example made by the Advertising Standards Agency that "Challenging gender stereotypes can lead to creating brilliant creative advertising,”(ASA, Deceptions, Perceptions and Harm, 2017).
In summary, there are differing arguments and opinions which suggest that either children are influenced are influenced by the people, role models and exist stereotypes around them or on the contrary they are heavily affected by the media and specifically advertising. Sheehan supports the view of the latter suggesting that ‘children who watch more TV have a more stereotypical view of sex roles’ (Sheehan, K, 2003), which is supported by David Gauntlett’s stance that ‘The mass media can serve a valuable role in shattering the unhelpful moulds of 'male' and 'female' roles’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002). This shows a representation of how heavily influential the media can be, especially within children who according to Dr Javid Abdelmoneim ‘The brain is very plastic, mouldable and changeable,’ (’No More Boys and Girls’, 2017) , suggesting that these adverts and marketing choices have much more of an impact on children than adults. However David Gauntlett suggests that the media does have an influential impact although it’s a positive one ‘the contradictory messages of popular culture make the 'ideal' model for the self even more indistinct, which is probably a good thing’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002). The suggests that the media gives so many different messages now that it’s hard to influence just one decision.
In comparison there are arguments that suggest the initial opinions that it is more social structures and experiences with people which has an impact stereotypes, more specifically gender. This is supported by the Advertising Standard’s Agency opinion, which has been taken from their Depictions, Perception and Harms report where they have realised that advertising is ‘only one of many different factors that contribute to unequal gender outcomes’ (ASA, Deceptions, Perceptions and Harm, 2017). Similar to this, but focusing more on the initial meetings that children have with gender before even being exposed to or have an understanding of advertising and the media, in the BBC Documentary ‘No More Boys and Girls’, Dr Javid discusses the fact that ‘from the moment they are born they are aware of gender, from the clothes that they wear, to the language people use’ (’No More Boys and Girls’, 2017). Paoletti in ‘Pink and Blue’, supports this argument stating that children ‘learn to correctly assign gender using hair and clothing cues about a year before they learn genital differences’ (Paoletti, J, 2012). Which suggests that these experiences have already had an impact on their choices and decisions before the media even has a chance, although these decisions are initially made by parents.
To conclude, stereotypes, the media and gender are all very complex and difficult things to discuss as people have many different views whether that be personal or scientific. To answer the question, ‘To what extent does design within advertising/media have an affect on children’s gender choices and stereotypes?’, can be summed up by David Gauntlett; ‘Popular media has a significant but not entirely straightforward relationship with people's sense of gender and identity,’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002), this suggests that advertising within the media can have affect people’s decisions, however only to a certain extent as this is not the only thing that informs these decisions. Also everyone is different as Sheehan stats in ‘Controversy in Contemporary Advertising, ‘Individuals create advertising and so their personal development will affect the messages they create’ (Sheehan, K, 2003). Therefore not one individual takes away the same meaning or message from an advert, as ‘media messages are diverse, diffuse and contradictory’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002). People’s decisions ‘are a complex combination of previous experiences, opinions, values and suggestions’ (Gauntlett, D, 2002). Consequently, although advertising is part of that design making, it is not the be all and end all, quite a lot off gender stereotyping is already engrained within society. As Dr Javid suggests, children already ‘have set mind sets on what is acceptable for their gender from a very young age,’ (’No More Boys and Girls’2017) therefore the media and advertisements just enforce this.
