In the video presented, the adorably frustrated Riley is right- marketing does make it seem like girls have to buy "pink stuff," and the boys get to have the other colors. This has been seen for years, but does that make it right? Absolutely not. This is a picture of the typical dolls for young boys and girls, can you tell which is for which gender?
While girls are pushed towards Barbies and the idea that they should want to look/act like a princess, the boys are directed towards action figures such as GI Joe. The message to boys is that they need to be "manly," like guns, and not like pink.
Lets take a look at another set of dolls/action figures to see what message they give.
While superheroes have always been a big thing, the recent release of all the Captain America, Iron Man, Batman, and Spiderman movies have reenergized the idealism of superheroes. (Notice how all those movies I mentioned have MALE superheroes.) In just this set of 7 heroes, there is one woman: Wonder Woman. She is strong, tough, and fights crime just like the rest of the heroes. But wait, why is her costume the only one in which skin shows? While the male heroes get to have full protective suits, armor, and even capes, Wonder Woman is in what looks like a leotard with her breasts partially exposed and her long lean legs on display. This is the epitome of children gender marketing: even if a girl wants to be strong and a hero, she still needs to look good, and by good I mean sexy. Barbie, GI Joe, and superheroes may give different messages to the gender they are targeting, but they all have the same theme of needing to fit gender norms.
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