Running head: PINK AND BLUE ESSAY 1
Pink and Blue Essay
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PINK AND BLUE ESSAY 2
Pink and Blue Essay
Why Do You Think the US Tailor Advertisements towards Specific Genders?
In advertisements, gender targeting in America has played an essential role as
commercials aspire to achieve the most significant success. For instance, sex stereotype
advertising relies on the conventional roles of men and women within society. With specific
products or behaviors being marketed towards men or women. Business owners know that
directing products or services at certain genders may be a way to attract customers because it is
closely associated with an individual's self-identity (Eisend, Muldrow & Rosengren, 2023). The
advertisers have also taken advantage of the cultures of what men and women should be
interested in. Therefore, this is why there is still masculine and feminine marketing while gender
fluidity and non-binary concepts have come to the forefront of public awareness (Cannon, 2022).
The message that advertisers want to convey to their audience is emotional, and one way they do
this is by reminding people of the gender roles that have been established in society for years.
Why Ideas on Gender Have Changed Over Time
People’s perceptions towards gender have shifted over time because of changes in social
norms, embracing the issue of gender sensitivity and demanding equal rights for all genders. In
earlier societies, as per the norms, a man was supposed to earn for the family while a woman was
supposed to stay home and care for the children and the house. However, when women started
working and received their political rights, and demanded equality, gender roles became quite
unclear. The feminist movement's advocacy for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and the
college discourse about gender has become understood that people can be placed on different
planes within the gender spectrum (Brody, Greenhalgh & Sajjad, 2022). Technology and social
media, in particular, have also been helpful when it comes to people asking about their rights
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regarding gender identity and gender liberation. The cultural change left room for the
acknowledgment of Transgender, Non-Binary, and Genderqueer identities, meaning that gender
knows many possibilities now, and other signs can be associated with the general notion of the
shift in the understanding of the culture of gender, which is no longer static and binary.
Future Changes in Ideas on Gender Norms
People are still discussing the emergence of different gender identities, as it can be
presupposed that society may change the concept of gender in the future and accept newer and
different norms. Sex has always been a social construct, and as such, gender depends on
society’s values, and the current definition could be different from the past. The increasing
tolerance of non-binary and transgender people indicates that culture struggles towards the
recognition of genders beyond the dichotomy. The last few years have also seen more acceptance
of gender as a fluid concept, and several establishments are adopting pols that allow for such a
concept of gender (Lewis, Mehmet & Reynolds, 2024). However, this evolution would not have
happened without stiff fights from some quarters of the world. People who may resist such
changes are traditionalists who subscribe to the idea that there are only two gender roles.
Nevertheless, the rate of social transformation, inspired by novelties in terms of gender visibility
and advocacy, points to the fact that there will be a progressive addition of meaning to gender
norms. However, dialogue is needed to ensure this change happens in the people’s culture.
The Future of Pink and Blue
Pink is considered with girls while blue with boys yet this specific color code cannot be
permanent. Essentials like color associations of pink with females and blue with males were not
recognized until the mid-twentieth century, mainly because of marketing factors and cultural
influences. Due to the increased understanding of society that such colors are assigned to impose
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the concept that some colors are reserved for specific genders, there is a shift of people
challenging the concept (Nash & Sidhu, 2023). Parents today pick gender-neutral colors for
clothes and toys because they do not want to put their children into a gender box. Therefore, it is
important to note that with the current dynamics where there is a progressive effort to break the
social construct of gender roles, then the cliché of pink, blue and gender might fade with time.
Succeeding generations may grow up not identifying colors as so rigidly gendered which in
return will allow flexibility regarding the identity.
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References
Brody, E., Greenhalgh, S. P., & Sajjad, M. (2022). Gayservatives on Gab: LGBTQ+
communities and far right social media.=Social Media+ Society,=8(4),
20563051221137088. Retrieved From:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/20563051221137088
Cannon, C. (2022). Non-binary gender identity and algorithmic-psychometric marketing
legibility.=Feminist Media Studies,=22(6), 1529-1545. Retrieved From:
https://www.academia.edu/download/68868601/14680777.2021.1902367.pdf
Eisend, M., Muldrow, A. F., & Rosengren, S. (2023). Diversity and inclusion in advertising
research.=International Journal of Advertising,=42(1), 52-59. Retrieved From:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02650487.2022.2122252
Lewis, C., Mehmet, M., & Reynolds, N. (2024). A narrative review of LGBTQ+ marketing
scholarship.=Australasian Marketing Journal, 14413582241244486. Retrieved From:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/14413582241244486
Nash, J., & Sidhu, C. (2023). ‘Pink is for girls, blue is for boys’ exploring brand gender identity
in children’s clothing, a post-evaluation of British retailer John Lewis.=Journal of Brand
Management,=30(5), 381-397. Retrieved From:
http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/38245/1/Pink%20is%20for%20Girls%2C%20Blue
%20is%20for%20Boys%20.pdf
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