Superstore and chain Target decided to remove labels from some of their items - specifically, items for children and youth. This is a big step forward with regards to challenging gender stereotypes and the construction of gender.
Considering that even adults have difficulty understanding gender, children have an even more difficult time deconstructing this complicated and loaded concept. Commercials, print ads, and the language we use is loaded with expectations for "girls" and "boys". Big boys don't cry. Girls wear pink. Boys wear blue. Girls fight with words and boys fight with fists. Girls play with dolls and boys play with trucks. Youth don't understand that they can challenge these concepts, because if they do, they'll likely get responses from their peers such as "you're a boy, you can't play House," or "you're a girl, you can't play on our soccer team." It takes small steps, such as removing "girl toys" from shopping aisles and replacing it simply with "toys" that make a difference. These changes do not go unnoticed. Kudos to you, Target. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/08/09/target-remove-gender-based-labeling/31375863/#
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