In the Marketplace
For RA7 you will doing the assignment explained in your text (page 159) entitled In the Marketplace. Follow the
directions as listed in your text (I have also pasted them below). However, if going to physical stores is not
possible, you do not feel safe doing so, or you just prefer not to, you may visit the online sites of stores. Please
note in your write-up which method you chose (or if you did both).
Directions:
Browse through a toy store in a mall or the toy department in a large department store. Is there a “pink aisle”
filled with toys targeted at girls and a “khaki aisle” filled with toys targeted at boys, or does the store stress
ungendered toys? What themes and expectations are stressed in toys for boys and toys for girls, and how do
these differ? Play, among other things, is socialization and rehearsal for adult roles. What types of adult roles
are children rehearsing when they play with these toys?
Next, visit a children’s clothing store or the children’s department in a department store, browse through the
infant and toddler clothing and then go on to school clothes and teen fashions. Note the differences between
the clothing for boys and the clothing for girls: colors, patterns, styles, fabrics, prevailing themes, and common
accessories. What messages do the clothes convey about the meanings of masculinity and femininity? How
might wearing this clothing affect a child’s self-image, imagination, and behavior? How might the clothing affect
the way the child is treated? How might the clothing affect the types of activities the child is likely to pursue?
Think about styles and trends in adult clothing: Do they reinforce or challenge this early socialization?
Finally, the harder question: How does this socialization interact with the structures of careers, opportunities, and
inequality in our society? Are certain images and behaviors more likely to lead to financial rewards and
success?
Sample Solution
