I was recently reading an article closly related to this issue about gender and product sales, specifically with the animated TV show of the Young Justice League and the large female audience that follow it. The writer of the TV show was trying to add more female lead characters into the show or was being pressured to by fans, but wasn't allowed to because what it came down to was the the TV show was design to get kids to buy the action figures or products and girls don't usually go out and buy such things, or aren't expected to, so they aren't really represented on the show.
The Gender Agenda
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 On 12/23/2013 at 01:23 AM by Blake Turner See More From This User » |
In many modern societies, the words \"gender\" and \"sex\" have become unfortunately synonymous despite distinct definitions. Sex denotes the anatomical difference between a male and a female, whereas gender is defined as the roles a society places upon each sex. Gender refers more to masculinity and femininity, which both sexes can engender. Where the hell is this going? Why am I arguing semantics on a video game article? Well, if I didn't keep rhetorically interrupting myself on your behalf, you'd find out sooner.
Gender has had a large influence over consumer culture since the hyperbolic dawn of time \u2014 or at least the dawn of marketing \u2014 and it doesn't look to change. For children, products are designed with either males or females in mind, and these products often seek to mold children into their respective gender roles. Toys designed for boys often center around guns, cars, and tools in order to grow them into soldiers, mechanics, and carpenters, whilst toys for women ultimately boil down to teaching them to be pretty, to cook, or clean.
This attitude of selling products to a gender rather than an individual continues on into adulthood, where cleaning products are marketed towards women, and things like tools or cars are marketed towards men, despite the fact that these products are enormously useful to all sexes. This idea of a role is reinforced through products, as men are supposed to be strong, good with their hands, and great behind the wheel of a car. The \"ideal\" woman is expected to be maternal and domestic.
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In many modern societies, the words "gender" and "sex" have become unfortunately synonymousdespite distinct definitions. Sex denotes the anatomical difference between a male and a female, whereas gender is defined as the roles a society places upon each sex. Gender refers more to masculinity and femininity, which both sexes can engender. Where the hell is this going? Why am I arguing semantics on a video game article? Well, if I didn't keep rhetorically interrupting myself on your behalf, you'd find out sooner.
Gender has had a large influence over consumer culture since the hyperbolic dawn of time — or at least the dawn of marketing — and it doesn't look to change. For children, products are designed with either males or females in mind, and these products often seek to mold children into their respective gender roles. Toys designed for boys often center around guns, cars, and tools in order to grow them into soldiers, mechanics, and carpenters, whilst toys for women ultimately boil down to teaching them to be pretty, to cook, or clean.
This attitude of selling products to a gender rather than an individual continues on into adulthood, where cleaning products are marketed towards women, and things like tools or cars are marketed towards men, despite the fact that these products are enormously useful to all sexes. This idea of a role is reinforced through products, as men are supposed to be strong, good with their hands, and great behind the wheel of a car. The "ideal" woman is expected to be maternal and domestic.
This attitude is also readily apparent in the world of popular culture, and since this is a gaming website, we'll be focusing on that aspect of this discussion. The question must be whether or not this attitude is still relevant. For that, we need to delve into more sociological study! Don't you just love this?
As mentioned previously, gender and sex are completely different terms, so it stands to reason that that a female can be masculine and a male can be feminine. Sex does not define a person's personality, but society can. For instance, there was a study conducted on which toys children actually enjoy. The children were taken out of environments where they'd be swayed by what society dictates, and put in a neutral location. The results were that the male children actually preferred playing with baby shaped dolls, as their paternal instincts were still extremely strong. You could replicate this with hundreds of subjects, and receive hundreds of different results \u2014 because gender is more fluid than advertising leads us to believe.
The point I'm trying to make here is that men don't always naturally lean towards power tools, trucks, and cars, and that it's society that dictates that they should. Bringing this back to video games, this could easily mean that explosions, destruction, and general violence might not actually be what the male demographic wants, but rather what they are taught to want. And, as follows, what they think they want.
","engine":"visual"}" data-block-type="2">This attitude is also readily apparent in the world of popular culture, and since this is a gaming website, we'll be focusing on that aspect of this discussion. The question must be whether or not this attitude is still relevant. For that, we need to delve into more sociological study! Don't you just love this?
For the rest of the article, be sure to click HERE!
You can't ignore that fact that DNA and hormones affect the way we preceive the world around us. We are what we are. 
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