Wednesday, September 28, 2016

September Blog Post: Mythologies in Toys


 In the reading about Mythologies written by Barthes, he unpacks how every day concepts can be alternately interpreted. In the section devoted to discussing about toys I found the concept of toys relating to adulthood most intriguing. The phrase written, “French toys always mean something, and this something is always entirely socialized, constituted by the myths or the techniques of modern adult life” (Barthes p.53). Barthes goes on to discuss how society has created toys to show little girls how to be good mothers with dolls and plastic cookware, and toys for young boys of army men and science experiments. These toys signify how young children will come to find there place in adulthood.

I always played with Barbies and my little kitchen set, but never once did I think that would alter my view on how I would grow or perceive myself. As a person there are social normalities placed around each gender. Socially, I am supposed to stay home and clean the kitchen, fold the laundry, vacuum the floors and have dinner on the table by five o’clock for when my husband gets home from work. The man is supposed to be seen as the supporter of the family; the one who essentially “brings home the bacon”. I will however, argue that times have changed and are still changing. We have had women in significant power roles the last couple of decades; as in Congress members, CEO’s, and possibly the next president of the United States. These positions could have nothing to do with the toys children were subjected to while growing up, or they could have had everything to do with them.

Have you ever thought about why you wanted a toy vacuum as a child? The answer is that you probably did not want a vacuum or a GI Joe action figures. In our culture, parents set the standards of toys and gender roles for their children. For example, when you’re first born you have no idea about color, but your parents look at you and say, “Oh it’s a boy”, then your room gets painted blue. Why does it get painted blue? Because the social normality in color choice for boys is blue. In all reality, you have no idea what color you like at a day old, what toys you prefer, what career choice you want, or even how you identify yourself as a person. Your parents set the standards right from birth. You are immediately put into a category of who the people surrounding you want you to become. And toys are a contributing factor to this right from the start.

It can be argued that children do have a choice in what they subject themselves too.  Which is true, children can choice to subject themselves to certain sources of media (television, music, internet) or play with certain toys. However, who do you think monitors those shows and buys the toys? The parents hold all of the power. By asserting this it confirms that parents have an agenda in how they would like their children to be perceived. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a young boy playing with a Barbie, but the parents might not want their child to give off a signal that they’re not following the social normalities. This is not to say that all parents make their children commit to specific gender roles, but for the most part you do not see a little girl getting a dump truck set for Christmas.

Times are always changing and this millennial generation is setting a new set of higher standards. Equality is what we strive for. Whether that is through buying our sons plastic pink kitchenware or by asking your boss about the wage gap. We are redefining how gender is perceived in world full of social normalities.  



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