Children are socialized into gender roles from the moment they are conceived. Beginning with the ever so popular “gender reveal” parties thrown by expecting parents in celebration of finding out the gender of their unborn child. Then comes the baby shower. Usually at this point the gender is known so the conformity to gender specific roles really begins. Blue decor for a boy and pink for a girl. Parents are gifted with gendered clothes and toys and before the baby is born they are all set with everything they could possibly imagine. This is just the beginning. Once the child is born they are raised with the pressure of conforming to the heteronormative gendered roles. This process has many aspects, advertisements being one that can play a huge role. Advertising is everywhere. Advertising is more than just television clips or pictures own magazines. Advertising appears on the packaging of toys, school supplies, clothing, food, the list is never-ending. It seems that with the progression of advertisements has come an increase in gendered advertising. Now there is even glue for boys and girls. Yes you read that G-L-U-E. This Pritt advertisement for pink glue claims that this glue stick is “Just 4 Girls!”. Now there is nothing wrong with glue being coloured pink, its a fun colour. However, pink glue could be marketed in several different ways and should absolutely not be “Just 4 Girls”. Advertisement like this aimed at children is dangerous because they are not developed enough to recognize the faults. This is a prime example of how society encourages gender socialization from a young age.

Advertisements targeting gender roles is a huge problem for individuals of all ages. When children see advertisements like this one for Pritt glue it begins to shape the way they view themselves and their roles in society from a very young age. Advertising that pink glue is “Just 4 Girls!” is problematic in several ways. First of all, anybody can use pink glue; not just girls. Moreover, girls do not have to use pink glue if they don’t wish to do so. An extremely problematic message between the lines of this advertisement is that girls and women can’t take tasks as seriously as men. This is implying that girls and women need things to be “pretty and pink” in order to get their work done and need special treatment that boys and men do not. This being said, I made some changes for my jammed version of the advertisement. I replaced the phrase “Just 4 girls!” with “Pretty Glue So Girls Can Get The Job Done Too!”. This is actually the horrible message that the advertisement is sending.