Children’s television advertisements show girls and boys in gender-specific roles. Girls perform passive activities in which they emphasise orderly appearance or care of others. They are presented as gentle, loving and calm. Boys are shown in active situations dominated by competition, physical activity and combat, in which they demonstrate their skills and knowledge. Girls play in a calmer way and they express tenderness with caressing toys. Boys are more physically active and aggressive. In ads, they run and jump more, and they show aggression by throwing and breaking toys. They also show their active role by managing toys. Toys designed for boys are focused on problem solving, science and technology. Toys for girls, on the other hand, encourage girls to make-up and decorate. Fantasy toys also encourage them towards magic. In children’s advertisements, colours, music, and the pace of ads also differ. The colours used in ads match the stereotypical colours that we associate with each gender, as darker colours prevail in boys’ ads, while in ads for girls, brighter colours prevail, especially pink. Ads for boys are more action-oriented because they contain fast or combat music and are fast paced. In advertisements intended for girls, slower music plays, which encourages girls towards calmness. The roles of children in advertisements match with stereotypical gender roles of women and men that are present in our society. According to stereotypes, women are expected to be more emotional and caring, while men are expected to be aggressive and dominant. The content of advertisements can significantly influence the development of gender-specific roles in boys and girls and influence the deepening of gender differences between them.
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