Our seven year old granddaughter chose "boys' shoes" (sturdy and practical) this time as they are more robust and she is very active, climbing trees etc. The "girls' shoes" (pretty and impractical) she previously had wore out very quickly.
People often say that the choices girls and boys make are innate and, to some degree, that may be true. However, I think what is often forgotten is that these insidious role-defining messages are being sent out all the time, often with us barely realising it.
Some say advertising doesn't influence them and they are totally immune to the messages sent out. Why on earth would businesses spend millions of pounds on advertising and branding unless it had been proved to be effective?
These are extracts from an article in The Scotsman in 2005:
"CHILDREN as young as two can recognise two-thirds of popular brand logos, a new study has found. Psychologists have discovered that toddlers can recognise the emblems of famous brands including McDonald's, Shell, Nike, Mercedes and even Heineken. ..........
" ....The Dutch study, published in the Journal of Applied Development Psychology, involved 234 children aged between two and eight. The children were shown the logos of 12 brands, some of which were aimed specifically at children, such as M&Ms sweets, Duplo toys and Wall's ice cream, and others aimed at an adult market such as Shell, McDonald's, Snuggle fabric conditioner, Nike, Mercedes, Heineken and Camel cigarettes. The academics behind the report found that, by the age of two, children knew the symbols of between eight and 12 brands on average - even if they were not sure what products those firms sold. The report said: "Our study clearly shows that exposure to television has consequences for the brand recognition of even the youngest children."
Many girls and boys will be able to read the names of these shoes and, whilst they may not consciously be aware of the premise under which they are marketed, ie. boys - tough leaders, girls - pretty little airheads, there may well be a subliminal effect. For that reason, I certainly don't think it is a big fuss about nothing.
