Blog 1: Gender - a School Bag
Prompt 1:
Every year around when cherry blossoms start blooming, a new school year starts in Japan, and there is a lot of ads about school supplies. Almost all elementary schools in Japan require their students to use a certain school bag called “Randoseru”, and I remember myself at the age of six being so excited to use the bag like my older sister. Here, I am not picking a certain advertisement or commercial, but instead, I am going to focus on the system of gender binary at an early age in a different culture. The link below is one of the advertisements from a well-known company.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gIhsX0nreo
Prompt 2:
I’ve been observing the increase in the color variety of the bag unlike when I was in an elementary. It was usually and almost always a red bag for girls, and a black bag for boys based on an assigned gender at birth. Although new students nowadays can choose a color from a lot of choices, there is the pattern that gender binary defines colors into males and females, and you can observe the notion from how those companies advertise. The picture above shows a great example of how colors divided by gender in the middle. Brighter and pastel colors for girls and darker colors for boys, and also, the girl with long hair wears a skirt and the boy with short hair wears pants. It definitely tells how a “normal” girl and boy look and act like based on their sex, and obviously, there are only two genders.
Prompt 3:
When I started elementary to middle schools, that was the time when I unconsciously felt like I was being put in a small box of people’s expectation towards my gender. Moreover, that was the point where I started changing my gender expression. It didn’t immediately reflect how I acted and dressed at the time in an elementary school, but it progressively shaped the notion of the gender binary. The education system in middle school sharply defined that females are supposed to be feminine/girlish and vice versa. Slowly, I had realized that I am a girl, so I must behave feminine. I was a tomboy who dressed like a boy and hung out with boys and my dad to go fishing, snowboarding, play catch, and build stuff, unlike my sisters. It was just a bag, but it was a bag I had to use every day for six years. None of the girls in commercials and at school were using a bag of “boys’ color.” Those norms gave me no choice but to follow the way where girls were supposed to follow.
Prompt 4:
Creators: Government/bag companies - I would say one of the creators is the government because it is where the fundamental of the education system is created. school is a place to teach children what is right and what is wrong, and by using the authority, the education system has been successfully shaping the idea of the gender binary. Also, how bag companies are advertising those bags is influenced by the norms of the gender binary. Ads are providing the norms of colors that girls can use and boys can use now. Actually, those companies’ websites are giving even an option of “choose by gender: boy or girl” in Japanese. For this cultural artifact, I agree with Adorno because media has power over receiver like what boys’ colors are and girls colors are.
Receivers: Parents/children - after receiving the information from their advertisement, parents and their children decide what color they can pick from. Let’s say if a girl using a purple bag in an ad, parents and their children see the color as it is now “accepted” for girls and not weird to use it
In the end, I’m not here to argue that it’s completely wrong to teach children the system of the gender binary. However, people need to be more aware that they as an adult have such a strong influence over children’s perspectives towards the norms of femininity and masculinity. Adults shouldn’t teach children things just because it is what it is.
- Akane Sakaki
Every year around when cherry blossoms start blooming, a new school year starts in Japan, and there is a lot of ads about school supplies. Almost all elementary schools in Japan require their students to use a certain school bag called “Randoseru”, and I remember myself at the age of six being so excited to use the bag like my older sister. Here, I am not picking a certain advertisement or commercial, but instead, I am going to focus on the system of gender binary at an early age in a different culture. The link below is one of the advertisements from a well-known company.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gIhsX0nreo
Prompt 2:
I’ve been observing the increase in the color variety of the bag unlike when I was in an elementary. It was usually and almost always a red bag for girls, and a black bag for boys based on an assigned gender at birth. Although new students nowadays can choose a color from a lot of choices, there is the pattern that gender binary defines colors into males and females, and you can observe the notion from how those companies advertise. The picture above shows a great example of how colors divided by gender in the middle. Brighter and pastel colors for girls and darker colors for boys, and also, the girl with long hair wears a skirt and the boy with short hair wears pants. It definitely tells how a “normal” girl and boy look and act like based on their sex, and obviously, there are only two genders.
Prompt 3:
When I started elementary to middle schools, that was the time when I unconsciously felt like I was being put in a small box of people’s expectation towards my gender. Moreover, that was the point where I started changing my gender expression. It didn’t immediately reflect how I acted and dressed at the time in an elementary school, but it progressively shaped the notion of the gender binary. The education system in middle school sharply defined that females are supposed to be feminine/girlish and vice versa. Slowly, I had realized that I am a girl, so I must behave feminine. I was a tomboy who dressed like a boy and hung out with boys and my dad to go fishing, snowboarding, play catch, and build stuff, unlike my sisters. It was just a bag, but it was a bag I had to use every day for six years. None of the girls in commercials and at school were using a bag of “boys’ color.” Those norms gave me no choice but to follow the way where girls were supposed to follow.
Prompt 4:
Creators: Government/bag companies - I would say one of the creators is the government because it is where the fundamental of the education system is created. school is a place to teach children what is right and what is wrong, and by using the authority, the education system has been successfully shaping the idea of the gender binary. Also, how bag companies are advertising those bags is influenced by the norms of the gender binary. Ads are providing the norms of colors that girls can use and boys can use now. Actually, those companies’ websites are giving even an option of “choose by gender: boy or girl” in Japanese. For this cultural artifact, I agree with Adorno because media has power over receiver like what boys’ colors are and girls colors are.
Receivers: Parents/children - after receiving the information from their advertisement, parents and their children decide what color they can pick from. Let’s say if a girl using a purple bag in an ad, parents and their children see the color as it is now “accepted” for girls and not weird to use it
In the end, I’m not here to argue that it’s completely wrong to teach children the system of the gender binary. However, people need to be more aware that they as an adult have such a strong influence over children’s perspectives towards the norms of femininity and masculinity. Adults shouldn’t teach children things just because it is what it is.
- Akane Sakaki
I find it really interesting to see how gender roles play in different cultures. It is clear in the photo that boys should like the dark colored bags and girls would buy the pastel colored ones but what if a girl likes the dark ones better and vice versa? would people look at you strangely in school? The thought makes me genuinely sad because a color is just a color.
ReplyDeleteI remember one girl who switched from a red to a black bag. I don't know how things went between her family and the school, but I felt more natural since she always hung out, act like, and dress like other boys. I actually felt a little odd seeing her with a red bag because of her gender expression. As far as I know, it was adults who got more confused than children. The system of gender binary is deeply penetrated in Japanese tradition and culture. It is sometimes tiring.
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DeleteWow! Thats very interesting!! Thank you for responding :)
DeleteTo see objects be identified based off someones gender has become a worldwide common issue. Gender binary is shaping the mindset our youth showing us that lighter color bags are for girls and darker color bags for the boys. This is shaping the Japanese society in a way to show us that gender is structuring our everyday lives.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see that at such a young age kids are being set into the gender binary roles and with the simple usage of a color it makes such an impact on kids. I think it is also the parents who need to understand that by following through with the gender binary roles they are putting their kids in situations where they can only be one or the other, therefore not being able to express themselves how they want.
ReplyDeleteI really liked that you did something a little different with your blog. I didnt know this happened in japan. It amazes me that the media is so focused on setting binary roles to kids at such a small age. This is definitly an issue today becuase i feel like a lot of objects or thing are already categorized for a specific gender role. This is something that needs to be worked on.
ReplyDeleteHello Akane,
ReplyDeleteGreat post, especially focusing on a major topic that is controversial on today's society. Gender binary, plays a major role in the lives of children from the moment they are born. I agree we are given a specific sex from the moment our parents know from an ultrasound. In relation to your post, I find it very interesting how each school in Japan requires you to wear the same specific backpack. Throughout the years, I believe society is starting to realize that people change throughout time. Finding different interest whether it being more masculine or feminine. By the age of four or five children are aware of their sex, but parents are still in control of how we are dressed. Rather when we know what gender we rather represent, often times we are unable to be who we want to be known as. For example, like you stated you were a tom boy but had to act feminine because that's how you were suppose to act. Showing you how power intimidates people, that they rather act for who they are instead of experiencing judgment.