Ever thought about the way we sort toys?
Well, you certainly don't have to think too hard for yourself — step into any toy store, and you’d be hard-pressed not to find the aisles sorted into Nerf guns and cars in shades of blue and black, and doll sets and bracelet kits in purple and pink.
And this phenomenon isn’t just present in children’s toys, but in make-up, clothing, hygiene, and plenty of other commercial markets as well, and it has a name:
Like how little girls are stereotyped to be dainty and sweet princess, and how little boys are rowdy and rough-housing warriors, gender-typing is obnoxiously obvious in children’s toys, whether it’s through the use of colour, type of toy, or the way the toys are marketed. And don’t get me wrong — there’s nothing wrong with a pink doll or a blue car.
But in a world full of stay-at-home dads and female soldiers, why is finding a doll marketed to a boy, or a Nerf gun marketed towards a girl, like finding a needle in a haystack?
Or rather, it can be defined as the purposeful act of segmenting a market according to the stereotypical interests of girls and boys (or women and men).
