Unnecessary Assignment of Gender Roles

Plaissance brings up the notion that advertisements can have potentially detrimental effects on children due to the perpetuation of gender specific products and advertisements. He claims that "children internalize these roles and are not encouraged to explore roles—or even emotions—that are associated with the opposite gender" (Plaissance, 119). I wholeheartedly agree with this argument. From a young age boys are taught to like monster trucks and superheroes while girls are taught to like princesses and Barbie dolls. While little girls have a tendency to play with dolls and little boys have a tendency to play with action figures, the present way advertisers sell these products makes it seem like an expectation and a norm. 

This video from The Representation Project touches on this idea:

It introduces the notion that telling girls they have to be feminine and telling boys they have to be masculine will result in women succumbing to objectification and men believing that power means domination. Boys that are told they have to "act like a man" and are forbidden from playing with dolls will associate this concept of femininity as something bad or wrong, thus perpetuating the stereotype of the "manly-man." As for girls, when they are told they should "act more ladylike" and are discouraged from rough-housing, they learn to assume that they are weaker because they are feminine.

The Representation Project's mission is to "challenge and overcome limiting gender stereotypes so that everyone, regardless of gender, race, class, age, sexual orientation or circumstance can fulfill their potential." If applied to advertising, this mindset could help reverse some of the harm that commercialized gender roles continuously perpetuate. This ad from GoldieBlox does a phenomenal job of destroying the idea of "girly toys":

Luckily, major brands are starting to take action. According to an article from the Huffington Post, Toys 'R' Us U.K. has agreed to stop gender marketing its toys. The stores will include signs with children of both genders playing with the toys and will stop labelling toys as "for boys" or "for girls."

This is both a monumental and a simple change. If more companies would take similar action, maybe, just maybe, we could come one step closer to disparaging harmful gender inequalities.