Gendered Perspectives of Toy products for Children

There is a variety of factors that would likely influence the way a particular individual perceives a particular object or product. An individual’s interaction with this subject product will always influence the way this person sees this product. In this research-based article, a particular product is analyzed on how its specific aspects affect the way a particular group perceives it. The control which forms an interactive description of children’s toys is also considerate of not only the users of the product but also the general public CITATION Hug16 l 1033 (Kathryn, 2016).
The research question aims at describing how the design of toys, the way it is packaged, and how its producers market it presents a relatively gendered perspective. It is imperative to understand what a gendered perspective is, from these I can form a basis for my discussion. Furthermore, the distinct parts of this article will be described in their relationship with the research question. In this independent research article, I will choose a variety of products from a particular toy manufacturer; I will also highlight how distinct the toys are with the different discourse analysis tools. A gendered perspective is a process in which the insinuations of both men and women in any strategic way of doing things is analyzed or assessed.
Part A
Disney is a giant manufacturer of toys for children as well a variety of other products including involvement in a significant role in the movie industry. In this research article we consider a particular toy in which we are to describe, the toy is Mickey and Minnie Mouse Plush.

This product is a set of toys in which it has consisted of a male and a female toy. The physical make-up of the toy is that it is attractive to the consumer of the product, which is the toy is suitable for children who for most cases play with these toys.
Mickey, Minnie, and Plush have packaged appropriately, the mode of packaging is required to adhere to particular descriptions. These reports include; the toys’ pictures should always be on the outer part of the packaging case, the text on the outer package should be catchy, it should attract the customer to not only view it but also get to know its features. The vocabulary tool and the Big D Disclosure tool are the two tools to which I can further analyze the above-named toy and its relations in describing a gendered perspective.
The Big D Disclosure tool is a tool aimed at disclosing a particular product’s feature to whoever individual who may wish to not only buy but use the product. The disclosure of a device’s properties enables the product’s users to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the tool vastly; this disclosure is also vital in promoting the toy, that is to potential customers new to it. A revelation of a toy’s features enables us to know what sexualities the toys may have been personified with; this creates some aspect of a gendered perspective to individuals who interact with the product in question or display.
The vocabulary tool is vital in describing a particular product; the way a particular text is labeled on an outer package of a product provides a big view statement about the product being concealed. The way in which a product is named therefore influences the general opinion of the product’s sexualities and how its gender was planned, that is in the case where the toys being manufactured have a variety of sexes.
Part B
Discussions are very valuable tools which enable individuals to exchange ideas about a particular subject. An exchange of opinions about a particular topic enables the discussing parties to have an informed report or revised opinion about this subject in question. As a basis of my research on the gendered perspectives of toys, I selected a particular two other individuals so that we as a group would conduct a group discussion on focus a particular issue. This focus group discussion was aimed at designing research statements that would be used in an enquiry on selected individuals; these people are too asked on a variety of questions about the subject topic that is, the effects of the design, marketing and packaging of children’s toy on their gendered points of view.
The questions that are to be designed should solely consider the thoughts as well as feelings of individuals who are to participate in the questioning process. The research questions to which we formulated as a group focused on determining particular facts are; what is your opinion on how toys by Disney are designed and packaged, and how does Disney’s marketing of its products (Mickey, Minnie and Plush) influence both the sales of the product as well as the gendered perspective by its buyers and any other potential customer. The group is critically concerned with a particular line of goods, which includes Disney toys, and their gender perspectives, the individuals to be questioned should also beware of these CITATION Gal15 l 1033 (Alberto, October 27, 2015).
Focus Group Discussion
The individuals or the participants who I carried out my Focus Group Discussion are Mike and Lineker. Together we took up the responsibility of discussing various products to which Disney produces and provides in its lucrative and competitive Singaporean market. Lineker had a good strategy which he had designed so that we could obtain adequate information about the new market, Mike, on the other hand, was to evaluate the relevance of the information collected and was to ascertain whether the information collected does satisfy the requirements of the Focus Discussion Group.
In the sample group, we examined, we received a couple of response where individuals aired their thoughts and feelings about the design and packaging and design of the product. According to these individuals, the design of the toy (Mickey, Minnie, and Plush) was based on the desired qualities of the consumer, that is children. Furthermore, the sexualities of the toys were to be male and female, the sexualities as responded are very important to how children interact with their toys. Thus the gendered perspective of the presence of male and female in a particular toy set was achieved.

Fig 1. Mickey, Minnie and Plush Toy by Disney
The reasons for good toy design by the individuals who were questioned were mostly based on the importance of generally having a presentable product that would be the specifications of any person who may use this product. Considerably, a questioned individual mentioned the benefits of imparting the knowledge of the presence of different sexes, and that is male and female to children who are actively growingCITATION Gal15 p 37 l 1033 (Alberto, October 27, 2015, p. 37). Exposure to this extent of knowledge would not enable them to understand who they are but also to increase as they are ideally required to develop efficiently.
Other participants who were questioned had other opinions on the way Mickey, Minnie, and Plush were designed, those whose opinions contradicted the toy set design stated that they would wish to have an alternative plan that would consider a moral well-being of children and also the children’s perspective on their sexualities. The packaging of a product always dictates the qualities of this product, for the case of the Mickey, Minnie, and Plush product, its packaging according to the questioned individuals should consider that the children need something attractive, something that is considerate of their age.
Although it can be viewed that children may buy the product, the packaging of the product should be appealing to the buyer that may be an individual elderly that children, more expectedly the parents or elder siblings of the children. The texts on the package of the product should be in a language easily understood by the target group, in this case, Singaporean parents. The texts should not be erotic, and it should not provoke any party at any cost be it religiously, politically or sexually.
Marketing is critical, and it ensures that a particular product or service being marketed gains adequate public awareness. Strategic marketing is vital in real business; product promotion should be considerate of different aspects of a product. These issues include; the target group, the cost of the product, its qualities regarding appearance and durability, and its availability. The product should not be expensive; it should be easily available in case an individual may wish to purchase it. Disney as marketers should consider what class they are to target in Singapore, a goal that would favor maximum sales should be considered.
According to the questioned participants, their need to purchase the set of toys by Disney was influenced by the way the set was designed. Arguably, Mickey, Minnie, and Plush are utterly attractive and worth being purchased by any individual who has a child and comes across it. People who expressed their desire not to buy the product stated that the way the product was packaged was unattractive to them, some cited that their need not to purchase the product was motivated by their inadequate knowledge about the product, that infers that the product had poor marketing strategies.
As described above, the design, mode of packaging, as well as marketing strategies generally, influence the way in which a particular product is perceived, gender perception being one of these perceptions. The way in which Mickey, Minnie, and Plush are viewed despite being toys is considerate of the above-listed aspects. What would come out the dominant of the above aspects will dictate the eventual perception of the set of toys.
Part C
The above-listed properties and what is required of a product after it has already been manufactured is considerate of a variety of factors; these are the roles in which the listed aspects play in benefiting the manufacturer. It is imperative also to describe how the implications of product design, product packaging, and product marketing have to the gendered perspective about both the product and its manufacturer. A design of a product is always considerate of the final shape or look to which this product will portray. Good product design considers what the target group or product consumers expect of the product and the ingenuity of the manufacturer in creating a new, and unique product.
A well-designed product will always meet the specifications to which the target group may have at one point stated. In the case where toys are to be manufactured, the implications of product influence on gendered perceptions of this product is uncertain. This is because different looks of a product have different effects on an individual’s view of this product’s sexualities and any gender characteristic that may accompany it CITATION Hug16 l 1033 (Kathryn, 2016). The gendered perspective of a product, for example, a toy design which has the female and male characteristics described will likely be effected.
Consumers because of their continuous use of a particular product will end up perceiving that toys which are designed as females wear specific cloth color so do males. Product packaging is always important; it ensures that the product is not concealed to anyone unless it’s bought. The packaging of a product is described by the texts on the outer package of a product, what is written on the outside represent what the manufacturer wishes to communicate to the consumer. Product packaging has extensive gender perceptions if the labeling or texts on the package are gender sensitive. The gender-confidential information to which the package will have will make individuals have a particular perceptions inclining to either of the two genders.
Toys are products like any other, a producer will always seek to increase his or her sales by improving the way he or she markets the product. A well-marketed product means that individuals know much about the product which is on sale. The larger the number of public awareness about a product, the more valuable the product’s sale. Marketing that is gender sensitive that is the one that sides on one particular gender will always be subjected to gender perceptions.
The above information is described and analyzed with the aim of validating them after they have been validated they can be of use in making interpretations about the research problems which were in the first place listed. This brings us to a considerable determination of the objectives of understanding various gendered perceptions on the design, packaging and marketing of a product, and this is basically the objectives of this research project.
Determining the attitudes to which we have on our gender enables us to determine the various factors which influence the way we relate to each other. Gender perceptions are diverse; it enhances pre-determination of roles and aspects related to gender such as gender mainstreaming, different gender roles, and pro-sensitivity on gender. Gender mainstreaming is the public rule theory of evaluating a variety of consequences for both men and women on deliberated policy exploit that consists of various mainstream undertakings of the government in its different branches such as those responsible for legislating laws.
Gender mainstreaming advocates for a society that is gender-sensitive, a society where roles, privileges and any opportunity that may arise at any point in time are shared equally among men and women. It also ensures that negative perceptions of gender are minimized. This means that a person should not be ignored. The skills to which an individual possess, this person’s knowledge and experience are the ones to which are purported to healthily distinguish people on obtaining opportunities. The objectives of gender mainstreaming include; provision of equal freedoms between members of both sexes. The equality in freedom provided means that men and women will be protected from any aggression that may be done against them. Mainstreaming gender has provided an enhanced creation of roles that do not favor any sex, both men and women can easily access jobs without being restricted by standards. In politics, women have had a disadvantage owing it to the perception of women disability to deliver in demanding responsibilities which include involvement in politics. In the recent past, advocates of gender mainstreaming have strengthened women to participate actively in the policy and take-up any liability that come with it. Gender mainstreaming also objects at harmonizing employee salary regardless of sex provided a man and a woman have similar qualifications, and level of experience, this infers that there should be equality in career distribution among members of both genders, that is men and women.
Apart from gender mainstreaming, gender inequality, gender stereotypes, and slow gender growth are some of the implications of negative gender perceptions. Similarly, the way design and packaging of a product influences its perception by people and how it will sell, gender perceptions play a significant role in modifying individual mental growth. Gender inequality is the way people are unequally treated from their gender. Gender inequality is a result of the differences that are socially constructed. Socially constructed difference of roles arises when an individual from one gender views another from another gender to be inferior and unable to do distinct roles.
It has made those who are viewed inferior to be subject to discrimination, and abuse by those from the opposite gender who feel superior. Gender stereotype, on the other hand, is the extreme generalizations of characteristics possessed by a particular group based on their gender, this is another result of negative gender perceptions of another gender being inferior. As seen descriptively in this research article, the design and package (the outward pre-determined appearance), and marketing _ the way something has been said and taken to be by many affects how other people take it to, this infers that gender perceptions start from how an individual is viewed from the outside.
References
BIBLIOGRAPHY Alberto, G. (October 27, 2015). Neorodesign: The New Frontier of Packaging and Product Design. Packaging Design, 34-67.
Kathryn, H. (2016). Gender Roles in the 19th Century. Gender and Sexuality.