I stumbled across this article:
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/02/09/Dr_Phil_No_Girls_Toys_for_Boys/
It reminded me a little bit of the article we read for this week's course content:
http://spotlight.macfound.org/blog/entry/gifts-for-girls-activities-encouraging-stem-dont-need-to-be-pink/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+macfound%2FiQaL+Spotlight+on+Digital+Media+and+Learning#When:16:23:00Z
The Advocate article discusses how Dr. Phil told a parent on his show to not be alarmed by her son's interest in barbies and girl's clothing and to not be worried that this meant tha her son was gay. He furthermore encouraged her to expose her son to more boy's toys. It seemed to me that this article was opposing the STEM article we read, which encouraged nuetral gender toy options, as well as alternatives to stereotypical "girl toys." I also thought it was interesting that Dr. Phil told the woman not to be worried that this was a precursor to her son being gay, as if this was something she could be worried about. This article shows how media via television can expose an audience to gender-stereotping ideas and therefore proliferate negative gender conotations.
I ran a home child care business when my children where younger. I had a 'dress up' box full of clothes, costumes, and outfits of all kinds; cowboys,wigs,doctors, firefighters, princesses, fairy's, cooks, animals,regular clothes.. etc. The girls would dress up as firefighters and doctors just as much as the boys would dress up like princesses and mommies. I would never discourage any child from wearing what they wanted. Just because the boy was wearing a princess outfit did not mean he would be gay just as girl wearing a cowboy outfit didn't mean she would be a masculine girl. It is all meant to be for fun and playing!! The kids watch all kinds of movies and tv shows showing different types of people and the kids just want to be like their favorite character. It is adults who plant the ideas in the children's minds about negative gender connotations.
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