BOYS VS. GIRLS

This week in class, we discussed how the media effects boys and girls perceptions of themselves. Starting right when we are born, there is the separation of boys and girls. For example blankets we are wrapped in, in the hospital are pink for girls and blue for boys. We are shown to like different things and act differently at such a young age as well. In class we looked at a toy magazine for children. The girls are shown playing in the kitchen, playing with dolls, and to be calm and clean. In the boys’ section, they are shown playing sand pits (they have mud all over themselves), playing something active and related to sports, strong and aggressive.

When I was younger I grew up as a tomboy. I had an older brother so, luckily for me, instead of being told I must play with Barbies I was accepted as whom I was. I played with hot wheels cars and Nintendo 64. However, just last year I was asking several questions to one of my guy friends about his baseball game and he said, “Wow you really like sports… that’s kind of weird.” Most girls are transformed into thinking sports talk was for guys and girls should just sit on the sidelines of that conversation.

We also watched a movie called Killing Us Softly 4. It is a woman who discusses all the problems with advertising these days. In advertisements woman must be sexy, seductive, but still vulnerable. However, guys remain masculine and are perceived as the person running the show.

I never fully realized how much the media and advertisements shape our lives and what we must look like. For example this past Halloween every girl was saying how she has to look skinny and seductive this year. The media and advertisements have showed us that we must be perfect on the outside and a personality will not get you very far as a woman.