Sociology: Toy Store Analysis Essay

Words: 1024
Pages: 5

Blake Holt
Sociology 101
Professor Solari
18 April 2011
Beauty is in the Eye of the Corporation “I’m going to Disney World!” shouts the quarterback of the winning team. This scene is played out every year in front of millions of football fans watching at home with their children. Who is this advertisement focused on? Is Disney Corp. telling grown ups they should vacation there because that’s where rich football players go? Absolutely not! This promotion is bypassing the grownups altogether and attacking their true target audience. Disney’s marketing demographic is children. Everything about Disney is designed to entertain and capture the attention of kids. Disney is not only creating a market based solely on children it is

That character’s name is Tiana and she is ethnic in color only. All of the physical features of this character are extremely similar if not identical to the 4 white princesses. The argument that Disney is diverse in their approach to the princess is false. Some may argue Pocahontas, Jasmine, or Mulan are ethnically diverse representations of the princess character but they would be wrong. Disney recently does not recognize or advertise these three diverse characters as princesses. Even more disturbing is the fact that Jasmine was a princess and was seen as the silly rich girl who wanted to be with a peasant boy in the movie Alladin. Disney also shows us their preference of white characters subtly through the packaging of their product. The Classic Disney Dolls Gift Set is a prime example of racial bias when viewed with the sociological imagination. In this box there are 10 female characters of which 4 are other than white. There is a “Top” and “Bottom” row of dolls. Of the 4 ethnic dolls 0 of them are positioned in the top row. It is something of minute detail in the way a corporation markets to young girls that tells them there is a value difference between the two groups. This difference or preference of white versus other ethnicities by large corporations intended or unintended is exactly what creates a stigma around and in minority races. It encourages the development of a stigmatized