Toys in Target

     This week, I went to Target and looked at their toy aisles for children.  Ever since I was little, Target has kept their boys and girls toys separate and the aisles look vastly different.  Usually the most defining characteristic between toys in various stores is the colors used; pink equals girls and blue, green, and earth tones equal boys.  As I walked into the "girls' aisle", I automatically saw that pink dominated the color scheme of the toy packaging, although it was not as blinding as I have seen in the past.  There were Disney princess dresses, Disney princess dolls, and many other dolls and small accessories.  

     Of course, the aisle also had Barbies and the accessories that go with them like the Barbie cars.  All of the toys in this aisle are traditionally feminine; dolls, dresses, etc. 

     I thought it was funny that there were Goldfish with pink and bright blue packaging at the end of the aisle.  (Because we all know girls need their food to be wrapped in pink.) 

     I then moved on to the "boys' aisle", where I saw many different types of toy cars with different brands.  Some were connected to the "Fast and Furious" movie franchise, some were Hot Wheels, and many others were from less well-known brands (to me at least).  The color scheme of this aisle seemed to have more soft blues and greens, orange, and earth tone colors, rather than the bright pinks and blues from the girls' aisle. 

     Many of the toys in this aisle were connected to the Marvel Superheroes.  There were action figures, play weapons, and masks.  These toys are all considered traditionally masculine. 

     I understand why stores choose to divide their toys by gender.  It seems that they do it because they believe that most parents and other shoppers think it is easier to find what they are looking for if the toys are organized this way.  This is because many consumers rely on the gender norms to guide them to a "girl" section for princess things and a "boy" section for toy cars.  The only way I could see it being negative is if a child wanted a toy that did not conform with these norms, they may be discouraged from getting it because it is not considered the right gender section for them.  For example, what if a girl wanted to get a toy car or a super hero action figure?  She may notice that the sections are separate or be told that "those are boys' toys", and that she needs a Barbie instead.  It would be frustrating to get a toy that you did not want just so that you would look "normal".  I remember that I loved to play with my dolls and I was attracted to traditionally feminine toys, but I also played with hot wheels cars and I was not very interested in Barbies.  I think many kids play with toys that do not necessarily fit into gender norms, but it does not seem that stores like Target have caught on yet.