MAS 590 exam 2

Besides being used for play, what else do toys do/represent, according to Kahlenberg and Hein?

• allow children to develop a shared culture with playmates

• foster children imagination and creativity

• serve as conduits for children to acquire solitary behavior

• prepare children for adult roles and concerns

• serve as cherished items for both children and adults

What do toys teach children about gender?

demarcation between appropriate and inappropriate gender behaviors, practices, and values

When did the modern toy industry begin?

16th century, Europe

What happened a bit later regarding how people thought about childhood?

required a sheltered environment and special activities for educating them

What did Cross say about the gendered nature of toys—what is the difference between toys for boys and toys for girls?

boys:

girls:

boys: trains, cars, mechanized objects

girls: dolls and household items

Researchers in the 1970s looked at the way children’s rooms were decorated. What did they find?

boys:

girls:

boys: sports equipment vehicles, toy garages, animals, machines, military toys

girls: dolls, domestic items, floral furnishing

What are the gendered spheres reflected in boys’ and girls’ wish lists?

boys:

girls:

boys: work, careers, civic participation

girls: family, the home, childcare

Who tends to ask for cross-gender toys?

girls

What is gender constancy?

the realization that one’s sex is a permanent attribute not dependent on superficial characteristics

realizing that gender stays the same across situations

(a man puts on a dress he is still a man)

For whom is cross-gender conduct negatively rewarded?

boys

What does the term “action figure” (rather than “doll”) denote?

active, outdoor-oriented play of boys

What is kinetic design?

manipulation of legs, hands, and heads denotes masculine or feminine “movement”

What is the difference in kinetic design between Barbie and G.I. Joe?

Barbie:

G.I. Joe:

Barbie: posing and viewing

G.I. Joe: action movement

What happened with the G.I. Joe Nurse doll/female action figure?

unpopular among both boys and girls

What else besides the action figure/doll itself confirms gender roles & expectations?

text, images, color on packaging

What does Barbie’s myriad accessories and clothes teach young girls—and hence becomes a normal/expected part of being a girl/woman?

consumerism

What term from Mary Rogers refers to how Barbie and her many careers are depicted, which always brings Barbie’s persona/image back to her gender?

emphatic feminitity

What careers has Barbie had?

baby doctor, teacher, astronaut, vet, soldier, U.S. president

Even though Barbie’s careers are not necessarily gender-specific themselves, how does she look and how is she packaged that illustrates the answer to question 16?

fashion, appearance, accessories

What is notable about the title of the 2010 line of Barbie career dolls?

lowercase “i”

What were the Smartees?

limited-released line of individually naked fashion dolls designed to teach girls career requirements and responsibilities

Though the Bratz were ethnically diverse, what did they still reinforce to young girls?

consumerism

What term from Stuart Hall can be applied to toys as a conveyor of meaning?

In this sense, toys help to complete what process?

“sign-vehicles”

socialization

What did Kahlenberg and Hein’s study of television commercials for toys find regarding settings for girls’ and boys’ toy commercials?

boys:

girls:

boys: outdoor, wider range of social roles and opportunities presented in a masculine world

girls: set in a home, shopping mall, or dance studio

outdoor: backyards, gardens, shopping centers

What was going on in the commercial for the bowling game—what were boys doing and what were girls doing that subtly reinforced gender roles/expectations?

the boys played while the girls watched

To summarize, what do the research findings show us regarding what is communicated through toys/games and the mass media surrounding them?

boys:

girls:

boys: promote action, adventure, and competition and display aggression

girls: encourage more socially oriented activities cooperation, and domestic-oriented play styles

What other “toys”/“play” continues gender socialization?

computer and video games

Regarding gender restrictions communicated through toys and games, Bussey and Bandura point out that boys’ toys and games teach boys to avoid what in later life?

So what? Why is this even an issue we should be concerned about?

housework and childcare

learn that men don’t do chores and its for “girls” only

Why do computer games need to appeal to boys and girls? What is the application of computer games (computers) to real life?

show games are not just for or catered toward boys

VITAL

In what year was the first Disney Princess film released? What was it?

1937

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

How many products are in today’s Disney Princess line of merchandise?

over 25,000

How much money did the Disney Princess line of merchandise generate in 2008?

$4 billion

What Disney Princess movies are studied in this article?

earlier:

middle:

later:

earlier: Snow White (1937), Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959)

middle: Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995), Mulan (1998)

latest: Princess and the Frog (2009)

Past research on Disney films provide us with what general findings regarding gender role portrayals, especially of the women/princesses?

male and female characters were portrayed stereotypically, cartoons produced after 1980 showed less stereotypical gender behavior than those produced before 1980

What do the authors say this study adds to the research literature on Disney films?

providing a systematic, quantitative comparison of the main characters’ attributes, actions, and outcomes in a thematically unified highly popular grouping of Disney films

What two theories/approaches do the authors describe as the foundation for this study?

constructivist approach: proposes that children develop beliefs about the world based on their interpretations of observations and experiences

cultivation theory: exposure to television content helps develop concepts regarding social behaviors and norms

What three hypotheses do the authors pose in this study?

#1 - princesses would show more traditionally feminine than masculine characteristics

#2 - The prince would perform more rescues than the princess and the princess would be rescued more often than the prince

#3 - the gender role portrayals would become more egalitarian over time

What is the research method used?

qualitative content analysis

What elements of the films in this sample were coded?

1. gendered characteristics of the prince and princess characters

2. the performance of climactic rescues by the characters

3. romantic resolution for the prince and princess characters at the end of the movie

Characteristics coded as masculine

• curious about the princess

• wants to explore

• physically strong

• unemotional

• athletic

• independent

• brave

• leader

Characteristics coded as feminine:

• physical weak

• shows emotion

• affectionate

• sensitive

• helpful

• victim

• asks for advice

• fearful

What were the five most common characteristics of princes found in these films?

1. shows emotion

2. affectionate

3. physically strong

4. assertive

5. athletic

What were the five most common characteristics of princesses found in these films?

1. affectionate

2. assertive

3. fearful

4. troublesome

5. athletic

Regarding the role of gender in rescue scenes, the princes performed most of the rescues except in which two films?

1. Pocahontas

2. Mulan

Which of the Disney Princess films featured the princesses doing domestic work?

1. Cinderella

2. Snow White

3. Princess and the Frog

How many of the films in this study show the prince doing domestic work?

0

Which Disney Princess film do the authors say was the first to challenge traditional gender roles?

The Little Mermaid

Which film do the authors say offers more androgynous characteristics for both the male and female main characters who each works hard to achieve their goals—but still concludes with a romance?

Princess and the Frog

The princess ends up with the prince in these movies, except for __________________ who might technically be single at the end but still is romantically involved with a man. So, how many of these films conclude WITHOUT a (heterosexual) romance? _______

Pocahontas

0

Describe your OWN study and how you would go about systematically analyzing this topic.

What would be your research question?

What would be your research approach?

have Disney movies created princesses with more masculine features?

go through movies and mark their features

What university committee/service project does Leonard advocate he, Sheldon, and Howard serve on?

convincing women to work in science

What other text does Sheldon cite here (intertexuality)? Actually, this text is often referred to in this series:

Star Trek

What type of society does Sheldon say this other text exemplifies?

egalitarianism

Leonard points something out, but actually the character inspired little girls. Do you know the character’s name? (this shows the power of popular communication)

black receptionist (Nichelle Nichols)

We already see some themes of masculinity in these male characters. What have you noticed?

Xbox, objectifying women

What does Leonard advocate regarding the peer-review process?

use initials instead of full name

Sheldon mentions some real-life women authors who have used initials instead of first names in order to get past gender bias in the publishing/writing world:

J.K. Rowling

How is the computer game character depicted?

revealing clothing, big breasts

What does this say about the male gaze? (to whom are video games targeted, generally?)

video games are targeted toward male gaze

Sheldon finally takes Leonard’s pleas seriously. What does he say about getting more women into science?

reach out to girls in middle school

Who else attends “girls’ night”?

What does this say about this character regarding gender/disregard of gender expectations?

Raj

he doesn’t follow stereotypes

What does Amy recommend for a date, based on evolutionary biology?

Is this treated seriously by the episode’s writers?

unsafe environment

no

What does Raj finally do for his date?

library dinner date

What do you notice about how Penny’s past “experience” is depicted?

How could this be viewed both positively and negatively?

jokingly, even though its trauma

allows her to cope/ make fun of herself

While Leonard, Sheldon, and Howard are at the middle school on their service project, what are Penny, Amy, and Bernadette doing?

at Disneyland

Who is the most popular Disney Princess here?

Hmmmm…what does this say about the appeal of this character/fairy tale for women, if anything?

Cinderella

What famous female scientist does Sheldon talk about?

Oh, no. What is the reaction of the female children?

Madame Cure, died from radiation poisoning

not interested

Howard talks a good game which implies he’s more masculine than others see him, and reflects his self-importance of being an astronaut (which he actually was/is). How is Howard’s self-image brought down a notch?

he didn’t go to space, girls compare him to a pilot, the girls dont think its cool

What’s ironic about Amy and Bernadette talking to the class via phone?

they are dressed as princesses and putting makeup on

What does Amy point out regarding what young girls/women are socialized into believing starting at an early age?

that looks matter more than their brains

What does their trip to Disneyland and dressing up like princesses provide the women in this episode, like, literally?

a makeover

What is the reaction by Howard and Leonard to seeing Bernadette and Penny as princesses?

What is humorous about the depictions of these women’s “Prince Charming” in this episode—how do these characters contradict how Prince Charming is usually depicted?

they enjoy them dressed up

What does this episode say about the allure of Disney Princesses?

men enjoy women dressed up

How long has Jean Kilbourne been analyzing the gendered messages in advertisements?

40 years

Where do we see ads?

everywhere

What else besides the products do ads sell to us?

values, images, concepts, who we are and who we should be, normalcy

What do ads tell women is their most important quality?

how they look

What beauty ideal is conveyed by ads - whose version of “beauty” is considered ideal?

consumers

How are women of color often portrayed?

only considered beautiful if they have caucasian features

When humans are dismembered or turned into objects, what is the end result - what becomes easier to do to people?

violence, make them out to be an object

What part of women’s bodies do ads emphasize?

breasts

What aren’t women allowed to have/look like, according to images we see in ads?

aging

In addition to looking older, a woman who is _______ is the target of contempt in the current culture.

weight

What are the new dress size for women (if we really think about it, these can be taken to reflect their worth in society)?

0/00

Just as this is used to fix other “flaws,” what is used to make women look thinner in ads?

photoshop

Fashion models preferred by designers have now become so thin that what is happening?

dying

These days, when a woman says shes been “bad”, what does she mean

broke her diet, not something sexual

What is the result of telling women, especially, that they should be thinner — what happens to their self-image/esteem/view of their own bodies?

think they need to change their body

What is the message communicated by women’s covered mouths, according to Kilbourne?

silencing women

What is the difference in the body language of men and women in ads?

men:

women:

men: dignity & strength

women: passive, vulnerable, silly poses, little girls, childlike features

What has the constant use of sex in advertising done to the way we think about sex and its value?

made it into a joke and more unserious

What is the nature of the sex portrayed in advertising — whom does it privilege?

young and beautiful people

What has advertising done to pornography?

more normalized

What is ironic about the (postfeminist) idea of being free to be sexually expressive? Is it really empowering?

corporations and consumerism

What do the ads shown here tell women abut what they need to be in order to be successful?

be attractive

What two qualities are women supposed to have at the same time? (which Kilbourne notes is quite difficult)

sexy/ innocent

What happens when objects become sexualized?

people and products are viewed as the same thing

Advertising helps to reaffirm what it means to “be a man,” and we see a lot of ads that link masculinity with what?

violence

How are qualities labeled as feminine portrayed in advertising — are they valued or not?

contempt for femininity, not valued

How is battering of women depicted in ads?

What does this do to the idea of violence against women/violence in general?

sexual/ normal

that it is normalize/ desensitized