Blog for 2/24

Chelsea Gamble

The media plays an important role in society and has been an influence on girls and boys, and men and women since it first began. An example of an ad from the media in Think Pink is, the cover illustration featured a blonde bombshell winking over her man’s shoulder, a blazing engagement ring on prominent display as she cradles his head. This type of ads gives girls the impression that this is what they are supposed to look and act like. That they are supposed to get married to a gorgeous man, and get a large blazing engagement ring. In “Tough Guise,” a reference to G.I. Joe’s was used and how the idea of these toy figures influenced boys in how they should look and act. Think Pink also references to the idea of G.I. Joe’s in that, the Montgomery Wards catalogue changed the actions figures name to “action figures” rather than dolls, because fathers and mothers didn’t like the idea of their sons playing with dolls. Similar to G.I. Joes were the toy guns, in the mid twentieth century boys had access to firepower galore. Think Pink states that, little boys could choose from a variety of firepower, from old-west style six shooters to M1 rifles. This idea is also brought up in the film “Tough Guise,” with the notion that boys should play with guns and firepower because they are tough and masculine men. Today the media shows signs of what little boys and girls should look like, act like, and aspire to be. But in the mid-twentieth century the ideas of what little boys and girls should be was reinforced constantly, through media, children’s parents, and everyone else in the society.