Boys, Girls and Toys - Oh my

For as long as any of us can remember, most of the products we buy have been linked to the gender we identify with. As a kid, I played with Power Rangers and G.I. Joe while my female friends played with Barbie and Bratz dolls. This is not surprising or deceiving to any of us, but what can be misleading is the marketing used to get us to buy these products. Think of a baby shower. You can easily tell whether the woman is having a boy or a girl by the colors they display, blue being for a boy and pink for a girl. However, it was not always this way, as the color pink used to be for boys while the color blue was for girls. Whatever the reason for the change may be, it does not have to define who you are as a consumer or as a person. The internet sensation Riley, a little girl who spouted off about how only superheroes are marketed for boy and only dolls are marketed for girls, makes an excellent point. There is a line that gets crossed when toy companies start taking opportunities away from children. Before we get all crazy and launch an all out rebellion against marketing agencies for telling us what gender to be, look at the facts. Companies who use gendered marketing almost always experience a profit increase. In the mind of a consumer, if somebody sees a person of the opposite gender buying a gender neutral product, they will likely assume that the product has a connotation of that gender, making them less likely to buy said product. By placing the words "for men" or "for women" on a product, the producers eliminate this barrier. Even though the products likely do the same things, in our minds they are just the right thing for us. Whose fault is that really? Are you really going to blame Dove for your ugly skin just because you didn't want to buy their product that has a girly bird on it? It's our fault as Americans for letting ourselves get so caught up in doing things the right way instead of doing them our way. Dove doesn't mind though, their line of "for men" products has garnered them an extra $150 million in revenue. So hey, if you want spend an extra $150 million a year on soap, keep giving in to gendered marketing.