The Transgender Toy Tipping Point

Abstract

In recent years the transgender movement has come to the forefront of the civil rights movement. In the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, transgender issues have often been marginalised and neglected in the past. Yet contemporary popular culture has been witness to the increased presence of transgender individuals. As a result of this newfound visibility, notions and discourses around gender and sex have begun to evolve and change. The aim of this research paper is to determine if the rise of transgender issues in society has impacted the advertising industry. It will focus specifically on the cultural significance of transgender issues in relation to changing notions of sex and gender in the children’s toy industry. This research paper will conduct content analysis of print advertisements from the past three years within this particular industry to explore whether the way gender has been depicted has evolved overtime. I will focus on the advertisements of global realtor ‘Toys “R” Us’ with particular reference to their annual Christmas catalogues.