Gender and Toys

Also just in time for this... I went to a Gender and Toys presentation at Toy Fair this morning.

The presentation itself was to release the findings of Richard Gottlieb and his group on the subject which were, to summarize broadly:

• Pink isn't as desirable a motivating factor in toy purchase as one might think.
• Few mothers want to buy their child a gun toy regardless of gender.
• The overwhelming majority of the survey population does not think that toy play determines sexual preference. 

The most interesting part of this study is that it is just beginning. Also announced in this presentation is a conference in Los Angeles in April on Girls, Toys and Media. This study, whose results are not yet publically available, is only the surface of an endeavor to really study the behavior of girls and toys with an eye toward the industry. The audience was also a great mix of Toy Industry leaders who actually care about the issue, not only because it's obvious that there are disconnects, but because failing to address it can not only be unsatisfying for those creating and marketing these items, but for consumers as well and that leads to a loss of profits.

As Gottlieb pointed out, the ultimate bad guy in the issue of toys is an idea of market departments in stores that dates back to the 1880s, and by cleaving so strongly to those departments, a lot of more nuanced  harder to quantify products haven't been brought to market because they don't quite fit. The grand conspiracy to keep girls off marketing and keep girls toys pink is less about some grand social engineering scheme, and more a sense of "oh I hadn't thought of that" and in so many industries, the next step is to be constantly challenging ourselves to think in ways we haven't before. 

Glee?

Glee began it's second installment of it's first season last week, and I feel the desire to weigh in on this show a bit. There's plenty of controversy about the show, if you haven't watched it or heard the music or been in a flash mob:

A high-school Spanish teacher becomes the director of the school's Glee club, hoping to restore it to its former glory. It's all a seemingly happy-go-lucky melange of high school stereotypes acting and interacting and singing songs that get your feet tapping and hearts melting,

but there's more...

Sue Silvester-
The evil cheerleading coach tries to undermine the glee club at every turn with blackmail and constant evil scheming;

Mrs. Scheuster-
the glee club sponsor's wife becomes hysterically pregnant and then spends the entire first season lying and manipulating the poor teacher to avoid telling him the truth, egged on by her sister;

Miss. Pillsbury-
the sweet obsessive compulsive guidance counsellor is in love with the glee club sponsor but instead of telling him, she accepts the gym coach's offer of marriage and lies to him about her feelings for the glee club sponsor for many episodes until she jilts him;

Quinn-
the head cheerleader (and president of the celibacy club) cheats on her boyfriend, the glee club's lead tenor and the football team's quarterback, with the ne'er-do-well rogue and becomes pregnant, and instead of owning up tells the quarterback that it must have happened when they were making out in a hot tub... then concocts a plan with the glee club sponsor's wife to have her secretly adopt the cheerleader's baby and lie to both the quarterback and glee club sponsor;

Tina-
the Asian girl fakes a stutter for her entire life and then admits it to her disabled friend in a wheelchair assuming that he'd understand because he's disable why she's lied about herself for attention;

Rachel-
the annoying drama queen nerd lead soprano is in love with the quarterback/lead tenor but doesn't say anything about it, instead, choosing a campaign of white lies and makeovers that keep either person from realizing that the other actually likes them;

Mercedes-
and oh, the African-American Diva shoplifts under the watchful eyes of an aging glee club star (April) who comes in to help coach the club for an episode, and instead of telling the quarterback when she finds out that the cheerleader's baby isn't his, tells everyone but him;

Now, I enjoy this show, it's really entertaining and has one of the sweetest portrayals of a young homosexual man and his father on TV. I've seen every episode, but... why is every woman in it portrayed as a liar?

The only one who takes responsibility for her behavior is the Quinn who decides to raise the baby herself, after all other options fall apart because of the web of lies. Though that seems at the moment to mostly means she's constantly chasing women away from the ne'er-do-well baby-daddy.

I want the rest of the season to show consequences but I'm not terribly optimistic about it based on how mendacity is an innate quality of women in Glee so far... and so far the Rachel and Ms. Pillsbury got the guys (temporarily) there were no visible consequences of Tina's or Mercedes' plots, and Mrs. Schuester is trying to lie and manipulate Mr Schuester's life through Ms. Pillsbury.

The male characters are pretty scrupulously honest and tend to come off as victims most of the time, despite their involvement in schemes.

Sue is even rewarded for her lying and scheming, actually, at least twice per episode up to this point, but I suspect that's because she's honest with herself about being a liar.

Am I the only one who has noticed this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

Gender Stereotypes: An Analysis of Popular Films and TV

The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media recently released a major research study on the representation of genders in G-Rated entertainment. Read the full Study here

Some of their recommendations:

1. G-rated movies and certain TV categories need more females as main characters, minor characters, narrators, and in crowds.
2. G-rated movies and certain TV categories need more characters of color, especially female characters of color as main characters, minor characters, narrators, and in crowds.
3. G-rated movies need to create more female characters with aspirations beyond romance.
4. G-rated movies need to create more women and girl characters that are valued for their inner character, too.

The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media works with
entertainment creators and companies, educates the next
generation of content-creators, and informs the public
about the need to increase the number of girls and women
in media aimed at kids and to reduce stereotyping of both
males and females.