Youtube, I tube, We all tube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VqsbvG40Ww

This video displays the reactions of various small children when proposed with simple gender role stereotypes. It is evident that many of the children are actively aware of what gender category they fall into and what is expected of both genders by society. One thing that is unclear from the video is whether the children are actually sure of their identity or if they are merely voicing society's expectations for them. This video is most likely not meant to target children, but to display how early these thoughts form in the minds of children to adults and others who are generally curious. While this video does a suitable job of illustrating the time in a persons life they become aware of gender roles, it does not do justice to the fact that some children merely repeat what they are told and do not actually believe what they are saying because if "grown-ups" say it then it must be true, right? This does not mean that all of the children who were interviewed in the video actually would feel comfortable identifying with said gender roles. The video does not do a good job of shedding light on what age children start to become aware that they might not want to fit into one of societies socially constructed genders and that they might be different. Is it really right to propose a template of how to live and act to individuals whose minds are so easily molded? Are children capable of defining these lines on their own? What would happen if no such guidelines were introduced and children were merely  left to define their personalities on their own?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srnaXW9ZgZc

This video contradicts the first video because the little girl does not want to fall into the societal gender role proposed to her. She questions, "Why do all the girls have to like princesses? Some girls like princesses and some like superheroes..." In the first video, the children all wanted to play with the toy that they felt they were supposed to play with, where as the little girl in the second video clearly does not want to follow the lead of so many girls her age. Now a girl who wants to play with superheroes instead of dolls doesn't exactly rewrite the book on gender identity or sexuality, but it shows how people don't always want to walk the paths that society wants them to walk. While it is entirely possible that the little girl in the second video had a different upbringing that the children in the first video, the message is the same. The second video is most likely meant to reach the average American, since it was aired on CNN news. Although CNN has been slotted as the televised "left" to Fox news on the "right", the target audience most likely was not the only audience to see the video, seeing as how the event made its way to youtube. The child in the second video demonstrates how society is moving in a way that opens up so many opportunities for all groups of people. Perhaps if the trend continues this way, the world will have more male fashion designers and more female comic book writers, not to mention countless  other occupational possibilities.