Gender

Gender is something that not easily defined. Gender is shaped by our environment and the situations we are in. Our society starts out early defining what it means to be a boy or girl.

1. I found these "guide" books, for the young boy or girl, on how to navigate those early years. For the young girls there is "The Girls Book of Glamour: A Guide to Being a Goddess". This book is full of how to's. "How to be a hand model", "How to put on a fashion show", and even "How to exit a limo gracefully". There is a huge absence of how to's in reference to school or scholastics. Although, the boy's how to equivalent "The Boys Book: How to be the Best at Everything" includes "How to build a raft", "How to start a survival fire", and even "How to master math". From these how to guides we learn that girls are supposed to be girlie and know "How to make your body glitter", but boys are supposed to know "How to fly a helicopter".

2. While looking at the Halloween costumes I saw a theme in both the costumes for girls and the ones for boys. Boys could from many different superheroes and girls can choose from every princess ever.
Girls remain "feminine" and dainty, while the boys express their "masculinity" and strength.






3. I found this to be a reoccurring theme in the pajamas department. Girls, again, can choose this lovely pink dress with princesses on it, and boys can choose to be a superhero. It can be Halloween everyday.





4. The biggest differences lie in the toy department. Even the paper they use to line the isles are gendered. Boy toys get blue paper, and girls get pink. Girls can choose from tons of dolls and, although boys can choose from dolls, or superheros, the girls dolls can choose from baby dolls that they can mother or older dolls that they can dress up.
Boys get action figures and which often come from movies/shows where the characters are involved in conflict or war. We show the boys that the way to play with their toys is to involve them in play that simulates this.

5. Girls, even now can get a jump start on their domestic responsibilities with these lovely pink "toys". Girls can choose from kitchen toys, irons, vacuums, and even cash registers.
Good idea to enforce the thoughts that girls belong in the kitchen, and that domestic work is women's work.

6. Although these pictures are pretty much common place at every public restroom, I find these to be another sign of gendering our children. These signs indicate there are two genders, women and men. There is no in between. These signs reinforce the ideas that we teach our children and our children learn through their environments and situations. This is what it means to be a girl, and this is what it means to be a boy.