Thursday, April 14, 2011

Option for 4/25: In J. Crew add mom paints son's toenails pink



Watch the video. What do you think makes people react so strongly to a boy with pink toenails? In the video, what kinds of arguments do you hear in support of the add, or against it?

34 comments:

  1. I think the main reason that people are getting so heated about the ad is because they believe that the boy is losing his gender identity by his mother painting his toe nails pink. Some of the people on the video were completely against it. Saying things such as the boy will be more prone to becoming gay or transgendered. Also that by his mother painting his nails pink that it will have some kind of psychiatric damage to him. Other in the video said that it is perfectly normal for a young child of this boys age to be curious about other gender roles and acting as the other gender such as putting on the other genders stereotypical clothing or playing with the other genders clothes.

    Laura Andrews

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  2. I think people way they are because its a boy wearing pink nail polish. People are not open-minded and they may think it will corrupt the boy's mind. They think the boy will loose his self of identity and his mother will turn him to be gay. By the boys nails being pink it is more noticeable, bit what if they were clear. We wouldn't be talking about it today or their may be less objection to it. Some people are for it and they are supporting it. Some think its okay for children to explore gender roles. What if it was an ad about a little girl wearing boys suits with a mustache, will there be as much objection

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  3. I think what makes people react so strongly is the whole thing about gender control. How girls should be doing this or that and boys should only do this or that and there is no in between. Little kids do things that attract them that may seem fun so they are not concerned about the gender control rules. They just try and have fun and enjoy their life. There seems to be more people to disagree with the add saying it just should not have been that way and it is wrong. There were a few people in favor of what she was doing but they are outnumbered by the negative comments. I personally do not care what people do with their kids because they are their kids.

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  4. In this video Jenna Lyons painted her sons toenails pink and there were several different opinions. I think people react so strongly because you would usually see a mom and a daughter in this scenario. Some people were ashamed in this ad because they think doing this to a young boy will turn him either gay or transgendered later on in life. One psychiatrist called this "psychological sterilization" meaning it may be all fun and games now, but once this boy grows up he will need therapy. Other people argued that it's okay for children to cross dress or play make believe because there is no way it will lead them to being transgendered later on in life. Another women said that if this was a girl outside playing in the mud with trucks nobody would think twice about it. I think this was a cute picture of a mom and son having fun and people blew it out of proportion.

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  5. People are taking this to far. He is a young child, he doesnt know what any of it is. It is just nail polish it can come off and its not like it is a life or death thing. Gender identity is a huge thing in America and it shouldnt be. Every girl is a little tomboy when they are younger but people dont say anything about that.
    Allie Deyo

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  6. I have mixed feelings about this ad/video. I think its okay because like the lady said its okay for a little girl to play with a truck in the mud which is "a boy thing" but a little boy playing with finger nail polish is just "a girl thing." We as a society put these limitation on how we treat our children at a young age.I feel its a problem because at the end of the day she is encouraging her son that it is okay to wear neon pink polish when its not. She should want her child to create his own identity for when he becomes older.

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  7. Andrea Beltran LandersApril 18, 2011 at 12:32 AM

    The association of the color pink with females is very strong. That is a fact that we face nowadays. However, the question here is that if a 5 year-old boy is going to turn gay because he likes that color. I think colors are just that. For some people, some color represent some qualities, feelings or emotions. These vary from person to person and we can never expect for everybody to feel or think the same. Children know no difference between colors or what they mean to other people. The problem comes when half of the world's population starts screaming about the color of the kid's toenails. Of course he is going to know something is not wrong, but because other people tell him it is wrong. In other words, I don't think this child will have any psychological traumas unless he is exposed to everybody saying he's going to be gay because he likes pink.
    I personally don't think his mom was doing anything wrong, but I think the world was not prepared for pink toenails for a little boy. i hope when I have a child on my own he or she can have the freedom to decide what colors they like without having to worry about their future psychotherapy due to gender-crossing tendencies during infancy.

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  8. If the mother painted the boys toe nails blue (what would that be saying), is it not the same. I think children should be children, who cares what they wear and if they like nail polish. Whether they are girls or boys, they see their mother do certain things, why would they want it do it. When a girl sees their dad fixing a car, are they not as interested in helping. But wait in minute that would make her butch (but society is more accepting of a girl being butch than a boy playing with dolls.
    Michelle Weaver

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  9. many people was seeming to believe that because she was painting her son toenails pink that she was incouraing him to become either transgender or gay. when a mother was bonding with son she decided to paint his nails his favorite color . I dont see anything personally wrong with it but because it is not acceptable in society i dont think she should teach him a habbit that wont be acceptable to keep .
    Jasmine Robinson

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  10. I feel people react so strongly is because of the standard gender roles and the being masculine and feminine. I feel it is wrong to paint a lil boys toenails i would never do a such thing. But it is also fun and games. The agruements Iheard and stood out to me was if it was a girl playing mud it wouldnt be a problem, which is true but I feel it is wrong to do. but Ihave a problem because they feel it ok to paint the boys toenails but then their would be a problem if he grew up to be gay or whatever the case may be. Another agruement was that a man commented and said his sister paint his toes and he came out alright, but i als feel this has to be something that a child is taught as right and wrong and that they understand that boys dont wear pink nail polish.
    Kerra Jones

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  11. I think people over reacted about this picture. The only way a child can grow and learn is through exploration, and I think the color choice of a child has nothing to do with him being gay or transgenered in the future. I think it is ridiculous that people are actually coming up with a theory that the child will need psychological therapy in the future. I think that people are too close minded to really focus on the main message of the picture which has nothing to do with gender identity but rather a mother and son bonding. People in our culture are programed to automatically give guidlines to what boys and girls are supposed to do. Perhaps that's the reason why the negative reaction was so strong. I however, disagree 100%. I think the color of his toe nails will have nothing to do with his future sexual decisions and in 2011 people should really be starting to realize that as well.

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  12. I think the outrageous reaction to this ad comes from the way were have been socialized: blue is for boys and pink is for girls. We have this strange idea that people their gender identity; if that was the case Tyler from the video would not have chosen such a difficult path. He went through surgery and years of exercise to get to his ideal gender. I think the video supports the ad, although Tyler's mom didn't understand why her daughter wanted to make herself a man, he was supported. If your son wants to wear nail polish of any color let him! Wearing nail polish won't make your son gay, bisexual, or transgender.

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  13. I found this blog really interesting because it shows just how dumb our society is. The point that this is a kid seems to be the issue here, however by him being a kid he has no idea of all this gender identity mess everyone's fussing over. The boy chose on his own that he likes the color pink, so does that mean he has to be gay? No!!!! And even if the kid was gay, who really cares? It's really a sad reality we live in is what I say...
    By: Brittney Edwards

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  14. This ad/video actually upsets me. Just because a little boys favorite color is pink doesn't make him gay! Like the lady said, had it been a little girl playing with trucks in the mud there wouldn't be any controversy over it. It's silly how liking a certain color "makes you gay". I also see nothing wrong with the boy getting his toenails painted pink. How would that little boy feel if his mom told him, No you can't like pink people will think you're gay? The whole issue is just ridiculous and sad, he's just a child and think he can like any color he wants. Real men wear PINK
    Tiera Gary

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  15. I can relate to this somewhat. I ahev a foru year old brother back at home and when he sees my sister or I painting our nails, he asks us if we will paint his. No one in my family has a problem with it and no one really sais anything about it. I don't see a problem with it and I don't understand why other people do. Painting a young boy's nails, no matter what color it may be, is going to make him grow up gay or confuse him of his gender identity. For me, when I get my nails [ainted it is very relaxing and maybe its the same way for anyone else and they just like spending time with the person painting their nails. I don't see any issues with the ad and people are most definatly overreacting to it for no reason at all.
    Audra Wilson

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  16. I think that people react so strongly to the boy with pink toenails because they are so obsessed with gender roles. People have standards and guidelines that boys are suppose to follow and that girls are suppose to follow. Most fathers in society of "afraid" of having a gay son; that seems to be their biggest fear. Our society is too judgmental. I see nothing wrong with having a little boy's favorite color be pink. In the ad, I hear the one woman supporting the ad by saying "If it was a little girl playing in the mud with a truck no one would have made a comment" and I also agree with her. In the ad, there was a man that was completely against the pink toenail polish stating that the boy's mother had better start saving her money for his psychotherapist.

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  17. I feel that our society is not really open minded and takes things to serious at times. Many people are not open-minded and feel that it is wrong for a little boy to have pink toe nails. They feel that boys should be outside playing and getting dirty. There is nothing wrong with a boy having there favorite color as pink, it's just a color. i felt the psychologist was over reacting by saying that the mother should be saving money for a psychotherapist for when her son gets older because he is going to be confused. Little boys are going to be curious but just because they may be curious about what are considered to be girl things doesn't mean they are going to be gay.

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  18. I think the strong reactions to the ad is society's perceived view that little girls are supposed to play with certain kinds of toys and wear finger nail polish and boys are not. Our society and the media runs on what we are "supposed" to do, or the norm, not what one wants to do. Arguments in support of the ad are mostly people who support transgender. However, I don't believe this boy will grow up transgender because he painted his toe nails at all. In fact, I played barbies with my two year old nephew today.

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  19. Well first off, I do not feel that painting a little boy toenails hot pink means he will grow up and be gay or transgender. However i do feel that painting a little boy toenails hot pink will kind of confuse the little boy. I feel this way because in society we are taught that pink is for girls and blue is for boys. I also do not feel a little boy toenails should be painted period. If a mother feels the need to paint her son toenails, atleast make it clear. The ad is also very cute, its just a mother and son having fun. I feel that they kind of took it a little bit to serious.

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  20. I think that painting a little boys toenails will not mean that the little boy will grow up "gay", however I believe she should not color the boys toenails a hot pink color, maybe a clear color would be fine. Although the ad is nice and it's unique. The little boy doesn't know what that it isn't the typical thing that boys doesn't do,he's only 5 years old. I know it wont effect him when he gets older. although she say his favorite color is hot pink now, it could be a phase, he is still very little. No one should judge the little boy at all. Everyone plays around with their child once in a while. However I am against the statement "If a little girl plays in the mud with trucks then she's like a little boy". I don't believe that. Girls are usually considered tom-boyish when they are younger anyway.

    LATRINA GLADNEY

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  21. I think that people reacted so strongly to this ad because it is breaking gender stereotypes that are typically not broken. However, I don't think that by painting the little boys toenails he will necessarily grow up to be gay. Also, the comment in the video that said that his mother should put away money for therapy seemed a little over board to me. Clearly the little boy in the picture isn't struggling against his mom while she paints his toes, he actually looks like he is really enjoying himself. If the kid wants to have pink toenails, that should be his choice and nobody else's.

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  22. I think that people reacted the way they did was because painting toenails is supposedly something females do. Its not ok for boys to wear pink and its just making it worse by painting his toenails pink. I don't agree with people taking offense to this at all. He is just a little boy having fun, it doesn't mean he is going to be gay and it doesn't make him feminine. It is his choice what he wants to do and he is just having fun with his mom. Painting his toenails pink now will not have an effect on him in years to come.

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  23. Adam Baker...

    I think we are so gender bias about everything pink is a girl color and blue is a boy color. But does that mean that guys can wear pink? I think more people have a problem with the nail polish, even if the nail polish wasnt pink. Painting your nails isnt something guys do on a daily basis or even ever, unless their sister forces them too. Many boys can be curious of the other side just like some girls have penis envy when they are little. Just because little kids are curious of what they cant have doesnt make them weird or different.

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  24. The J. Crew ad created many opinions and apparently "outraged" many people. I think this happened because there are some people in our society who think that in painting a young boy's toenails pink, he will turn out to be a homosexual later in life. Also, it seems as though many people still feel that men or boys should not wear pink because that is a color for women and girls. In the video, there were comments that people had made, one in particular by a psychiatrist, Keith Ablo, that stated that our culture is encouraging people to abdandon the stereotypes of gender identity where boys would not wear pink. On the other hand, many people responded to Ablo's article stating that he was making ridiculous accusations and that what he was saying was totally untrue. I agree with the people accusing him of being wrong. I think that if a little boy wants to paint his toenails pink, he should be allowed to. If, as a result, that makes him homosexual or not it shouldn't really matter. Let kids be kids.

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  25. Gender identity and roles have a huge impact on the American people. If a boy or guy wants to wear pink, or even paint his toe nails pink, a lot of people will look down upon this. I guarentee even if it was a different color of toe nail polish people would still be upset because painting toe nails is a girls activity. This shouldn't be the case at all. A lot of girls want to dress like guys or do a lot of things daddy does when they are younger, but no one says anything about this. Also, if parents let their children wear or do or like any color they want, then let it be. It is their child. Children have such a free spirit and are not worried about "that's what girls are supposed to do" or vice versa.

    Jodie Hinkle

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  26. People are getting upset with this because most of us have been raised to be "girlie" or "Masculine" known as gender identity. When you paint the boys toenails pink it is telling him its okay to be feminine and lots of people believe that to make him Gay. Although this is not true. This boy is perfectly fine wearing toenail polish and strutting around, hes a growing human being and he can do what he wants.

    Andrew Bland

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  27. The fact that his favorite color is pink should not be an issue, however, according to society, it is a problem. It is only know and uncommon for women to get their nails and toenails painted, not men, so I think that is where all of the controversy is coming from. Personally, I wouldn't mind if I had a son and his favorite color was pink, however I would not let him walk out around with pink toenails, nor fingernails.

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  28. I think that people reacted so strongly to this advertisement because of gender identity. People think that this little boy is losing his gender identity because his toe nails are painted pink. I think that people took this ad a little too far and they should just let kids be kids. Just because his toe nails are painted pink does not mean that he is going to turn out to be homosexual later in life. I think it is time to let the stereotypes associated with gender identity go.

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  29. people are reacting the way they are just because of the simple fact it is a little boy in the picture with pink nail polish on his toes. The reactions are understandable and this is something that I would never do! On the other hand, he is a child and doesn't know what is going on or know what it means to be gay. In the picture he is happy and being a child he's not aware of the social hysteria and what classification "pink" is for a boy. Him having his toe nails painted doesn't mean he'll turn out gay and there are stereotypes for gender identity that will never go way, but me personally, I would never open that door to find out. In support of the ad people are saying that doesn't mean he'll turn out gay and someone said that if it was a little girl playing in mud with a toy truck then no one would have anything to say. Going against the ad, people were saying that he will be gay or need psychotherapy when he grows up

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  30. I think people were reacting negativly to the ad because to see a boy with painted toenails or makeup on, or anything else of that sort is to be seen as feminine. and we have all grown up knowing females dress up like that while males are to be masculine and tough. but i can think of many instances and stories about how little boys playing with barbies as kids, or little boys playing house, and dress up with their sisters. and just because they do those things, doesnt necessarily mean they are going to grow up being gay.

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  31. I think the fact that this J.Crew add is a controversy is ridiculous. I have plenty of baby cousins and my family and I paint their nails even if they are boys and they are fine. It's just something kids do. Our parents always tell us stories of one of the boys wanting his nails painted and now we are all older and he is straight and not gay. A boy doesn't turn gay because of how he is raised he is born gay. The argument about the girl playing in the mud and no one saying anything is so true it would be highly unlikely that anyone would care about that.

    -Abby Blan

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  32. What makes people react so strongly to a boy with pink toenails is the fact that it is outside of the norm or formation that society has created. Society says that boys are supposed to play with action figures and girls with barbies. In the video, arguments made in support of the add explain how there wouldn't be any controversy if the advertisement pictured a little girl playing in the mud with a toy truck. Arguments made against the add say that the young boy will turn out to be homosexual if his mother continues to paint his nails pink. In my opinion, it shouldn't matter if a boy wants his nails painted or if a girl wants to play with trucks.

    -Jess Lord

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  33. i dont have a problem with it. just dont give him fruity colors... i got them done before

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  34. I think people react this way because they are taught by society what to think instead of thinking for themselves. I also believe that people are not educated enough in order to make any judgments about this because if they truly believe that a boy can become gay because he has his toe nails painted they are sadly mistaken. Also people should not be able to comment on issues like this if they have nothing to back what they are saying. No person can be turned gay. The arguments are not worth responding too and the so called counselor or who ever he was needs to go back to school and get or get his license taken away from him because telling her that she should put money away for him to get treatment later on in life is not the way to handle a situation like this.

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