Week 5 Posting 2
Hello, everyone! I wanted to make a separate post for the 2001 Gross article, 2015 Grinberg article, and 2015 Powers article. I found the Gross article really interesting. It was funny because at the time I was indulging in a guilty pleasure, watching Glee (I know, it’s terrible). However, there were examples of what the article was talking about even in the episode I was watching. It was interesting since this article was written in 2001, and even in some of today’s television we are still having this issue of using gay and lesbian people for comedy. I also found the author’s idea that LGBT people are not stereotyped at all, they are completely invisible. I was happy that the author mentioned “queer-baiting”. That’s something I see a lot with musicians… “Well my song /might/ be about me kissing a girl, but that’s up to interpretation” (paraphrasing Demi Lovato recently hah). Not sure if girls or guys are doing it more but I guess it doesn’t matter.
I found the articles about marketing and complimenting very intriguing. I volunteer at a children’s hospital and a big part of doing so is purchasing and distributing toys to the kids. They are definitely separated based not only on age but by gender. I know they would let a kid pick whatever they wanted (not forcing gender roles and stuff) but it’s a reminder of how much just the packaging can influence who gets to play with what toys. I thought it was interesting that it is parents and the environment that are more likely to influence a child’s ideas about gender and gender roles than what toys they are playing with. The complimenting article also made me think about the time I spend volunteering. I was reminded of how quick I am to tell a little girl that I like her hair or her shoes rather than compliment her for her choice. I do know, from doing arts and crafts with kids, that they absolutely love when you compliment them on their color choice or creativity. I hope to be able to move more in that direction when volunteering. Did these articles make you more aware of purchasing toys and how your compliments can affect girls?
