20世紀40年代，玩具開始以性別為賣點進行營銷

20世紀40年代，玩具開始以性別為賣點進行營銷

Parents who want to raise their children in a gender-nonconforming way have a new stocking stuffer this year: the gender-neutral doll.

想要以性別不一致的方式撫養(yǎng)孩子的父母們今年有了一個新的圣誕禮物:中性娃娃。

Announced in September, Mattel's new line of gender-neutral humanoid dolls don't clearly identify as either a boy or a girl. The dolls come with a variety of wardrobe options and can be dressed in varying lengths of hair and clothing styles.

美泰公司9月份發(fā)布的新系列中性人形玩偶并沒有明確的性別區(qū)分。這些娃娃有多種服裝選擇，可以有不同長度的頭發(fā)和不同風格的衣服。

Tell a different, inclusive story about Santa this Christmas

今年圣誕節(jié)，講述一個關于圣誕老人的不同的、包容的故事

But can a doll -- or the growing list of other gender-neutral toys -- really change the way we think about gender?

但一個玩偶——或越來越多的其他中性玩具——真的能改變我們對性別的看法嗎?

Mattel says it's responding to research that shows "kids don't want their toys dictated by gender norms." Given the results of a recent study reporting that 24% of U.S. adolescents have a nontraditional sexual orientation or gender identity, such as bisexual or nonbinary, the decision makes business sense.

美泰表示，這是對一項研究的回應，該研究表明，“孩子們不希望他們的玩具受到性別規(guī)范的支配。”最近的一項研究顯示，24%的美國青少年有非傳統(tǒng)的性取向或性別認同，比如雙性戀或非雙性戀，有鑒于此，這一決定在商業(yè)上是有意義的。

As a developmental psychologist who researches gender and sexual socialization, I can tell you that it also makes scientific sense. Gender is an identity and is not based on someone's biological sex. That's why I believe it's great news that some dolls will better reflect how children see themselves.

作為一名研究性別和性社會化的發(fā)展心理學家，我可以告訴你，這也有科學意義。性別是一種身份，并不是基于一個人的生理性別。這就是為什么我認為一些娃娃能更好地反映孩子們對自己的看法是個好消息。

Unfortunately, a doll alone is not going to overturn decades of socialization that have led us to believe that boys wear blue, have short hair and play with trucks; whereas girls like pink, grow their hair long and play with dolls. More to the point, it's not going to change how boys are taught that masculinity is good and femininity is something less -- a view that my research shows is associated with sexual violence.

不幸的是，一個玩具娃娃并不能顛覆幾十年來的社會觀念，這些觀念使我們相信男孩子穿藍色的衣服，留著短發(fā)，喜歡玩卡車;而女孩子喜歡粉紅色，留長發(fā)，玩洋娃娃。更重要的是，這不會改變男孩們被教導的陽剛之氣是好的，而陰柔之氣是不好的——我的研究表明，這種觀點與性暴力有關。

Pink girls and blue boys

粉紅色的女孩和藍色的男孩

The kinds of toys American children play with tend to adhere to a clear gender binary.

美國兒童玩的玩具往往有明顯的性別二元性。

Toys marketed to boys tend to be more aggressive and involve action and excitement. Girl toys, on the other hand, are usually pink and passive, emphasizing beauty and nurturing.

銷售給男孩的玩具往往更有攻擊性，包含動作和刺激。另一方面，女孩玩具通常是粉紅色的，比較被動，強調美麗和養(yǎng)育之道。

It wasn't always like this.

事情并不總是這樣的。

Gift-giving taboos aren't as bad as you think

送禮禁忌并不像你想的那么糟糕

Around the turn of the 20th century, toys were rarely marketed to different genders. By the 1940s, manufacturers quickly caught on to the idea that wealthier families would buy an entire new set of clothing, toys and other gadgets if the products were marketed differently for both genders. And so the idea of pink for girls and blue for boys was born.

在20世紀之交，玩具很少針對不同性別銷售。到20世紀40年代，制造商們很快意識到，如果針對男女消費者的營銷方式不同，富裕家庭就會購買一整套全新的服裝、玩具和其他小玩意。于是，粉色代表女孩，藍色代表男孩的想法誕生了。

Today, gendered toy marketing in the U.S. is stark. Walk down any toy aisle and you can clearly see who the audience is. The girl aisle is almost exclusively pink, showcasing mostly Barbie dolls and princesses. The boy aisle is mostly blue and features trucks and superheroes.

如今，美國的性別玩具市場十分嚴峻。走在玩具貨架上，你可以清楚地看到誰是觀眾。女孩通道幾乎全是粉紅色的，展示的大多是芭比娃娃和公主。男孩通道大部分是藍色的，以卡車和超級英雄為特色。

Breaking down the binary

打破（性別）二元性

The emergence of a gender-neutral doll is a sign of how this binary of boys and girls is beginning to break down -- at least when it comes to girls.

中性玩偶的出現表明，男孩和女孩的二元對立開始瓦解——至少在女孩身上是這樣。

A 2017 study showed that more than three-quarters of those surveyed said it was a good thing for parents to encourage young girls to play with toys or do activities "associated with the opposite gender." The share rises to 80% for women and millennials.

2017年的一項研究顯示，超過四分之三的受訪者表示，父母鼓勵小女孩玩玩具或參加“與異性有關”的活動是件好事。女性和千禧一代的這一比例上升到80%。

But when it came to boys, support dropped significantly, with 64% overall -- and far fewer men -- saying it was good to encourage them to do things associated with girls. Those who were older or more conservative were even more likely to think it wasn't a good idea.

但對于男孩來說，支持度明顯下降，總體下降64%，很少有男性說鼓勵他們做與女孩有關的事情是有好處的。那些年齡較大或更保守的人更有可能認為這不是一個好主意。