The music in toy commercials might be shaping how children see themselves and the world! A new study, published in PLOS ONE, from Queen Mary University of London reveals that sound in toy ads isn’t just background noise — it’s actively reinforcing gender stereotypes.
AIM PhD student Luca Marinelli, supervised by Dr Charalampos Saitis (C4DM – COMMA) and in collaboration with Prof Petra Lucht (Center for Interdisciplinary Women’s and Gender Studies at TU Berlin) found that ads targeting boys often feature intense, abrasive sounds, while those for girls use softer, harmonious music. These choices subtly reinforce ideas of “masculine” and “feminine” play from an early age.
Read more about the research and see the data firsthand:
https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2024/se/new-study-sheds-light-on-the-role-of-sound-and-music-in-gendered-toy-marketing.html
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