According to “Learning and doing gender,” Joan Z says that “Gendered patterns of belief and behavior influence us throughout our lives, from birth until old age, in almost every activity in which we engage (P184).” Gender associates with all the human behavior and accompany with our whole life. We cannot avoid gender, and gender already exists when we were born. Gender differences were naturally appearing when we were children. For modern society, gender can figure out through clothes, toys, and books. Besides, gender embodied in social construct, socialization, and intersectionality.
First of all, it is easy to figure out gender in the kid’s clothing store. For the infant, clothes tend to some neutral colors such as white and yellow. According to “The pink dragon is female,” Adie Nelson indicates that “ Gender- neutral costumes were more common in ……and very young infants (P249).” Infants are lack of cognition of the world. For marketing strategy, parents tend to prepare clothes for newborns, but they cannot predict the gender of their children. Hence, customers prefer to choose neutral colors for their baby. For kids, clothing color and style are the way to express gender identity because gender is an overt trait.
“Building on Barnes and Eicher’s (1992,p, 1) observation that dress is one of the most significant markets of gender identity.” The demands and offering will increase when clothing distinguishes the sexes. Marketers use the personality differences between boys and girls to design various clothing type. Girls prefer to focus on color matching and fashion elements for clothes; hence, designers attract these female characters to design clothes. On the other hand, boys prefer to wear comfortable and appropriate clothes. Marketers earn profit through gender differences.
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Secondly, the types of toys can easily distinguish gender. Girl’s toys section includes decoration toys and plush toys. Boy’s toys section includes action and sports toys. Building on Joan Z, “Most children quickly understand the idealized ……and more focus on the relationship (P186).” The designers create toys with different functions through the innate characteristics of boys and girls. Children want to be attracted to their peers through toys. Toys play an important role in social influence. However, gender stereotypes limit children to choose what kind of toys to some extent.
Parents want their children to establish a correct world outlook, and gender identity rather than mix the sex characteristics. According to Joan Z, “ these expectations, and the way we treat young children ……culture is in defining idealized gender (P187).” Marketers also make some strategies through gender stereotypes. Parents place the high expectations for their children, so the appropriate gender toys influence children’s development.
Thirdly, books are one of the most critical parts influence children behaviors. Boys and girls are naturally interested in different types of things. Building on Janice McCabe, “Gender in twentieth-century children’s books” says that “ children’s books are a celebration, reaffirmation, and dominant …… meaning, and expectation (P212).” Books are the way to help boys and girls estimate cognitive awareness. Also, Boys and girls have different personalities. Boys are brave and adventurous, and girls are sensitive and elegant. According to Janice McCabe, “ The effects of gender schemas …… prefer stories about boys and men (P213).” Children tend to choose books through their gender characters. It is a way to shape children’s “gender attitude (P213)” for reading specific books.
Last but not least, gender has less impact on adults than kids. It is obviously can figure out gender for children. For the adult, the clothing colors, texture and style cannot precisely distinguish the gender. For example, some brands do not have color differences, and the designer only uses neutral colors for clothes such as “Alexander Wang. ” On the other hand, a part of adult likes wearing opposite gender clothing because people have their right to choose whatever they want. However, the gender elements still appear in adult’s clothing design.
To sum up, First, gender attitudes reflect a kid’s clothing, toys, and books. Building on Joan Z, “Socialization into gender …… throughout our activities (P188).” Human activities are related to gender and gender cannot separate into our daily life. Second, marketing strategies also close to gender attitudes and sex characteristics. Third, gender is expressed differently during different ages.
