| Title: | Gendered Language in Toy Advertising: a Study of American Commercials : m. a. thesis |
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| Authors: | ID Poberžnik, Deja (Author)
ID Plemenitaš, Katja (Mentor) More about this mentor...  |
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| Files: |  MAG_Poberznik_Deja_2026.pdf (2,23 MB)
MD5: AA1D8732626A60E8B6235F7D5314A832
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| Language: | English |
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| Work type: | Master's thesis/paper |
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| Typology: | 2.09 - Master's Thesis |
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| Organization: | FF - Faculty of Arts
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| Abstract: | Toy advertising is one of the areas in which children encounter and internalize the concept of gender. Toy commercials promote products through the use of language, images, and sound. In doing so, they construct models of childhood while defining and reproducing socially acceptable, gendered forms of play, as well as shaping norms of identity and appropriate behaviour. Messages conveyed through toy advertising may contribute to the normalization of gender roles even before children develop the cognitive mechanisms needed to question or critically evaluate them. Consequently, toy commercials are not merely texts directed at children as a target audience, but also a medium through which ideology and the hegemonic system of values associated with it are transmitted.
This master's thesis examines the use of gendered language in children's toy commercials through the lens of critical discourse analysis and Fairclough's three-dimensional model. It analyses 30 toy commercials, divided into three categories: commercials targeted at girls, commercials targeted at boys, and gender-neutral commercials. The analysis is conducted on three levels: the micro-level (linguistic and semiotic features), the meso-level (discursive practice), and the macro-level (social context). Through the analysis of these commercials, the thesis seeks to identify gendered patterns in advertising practices as well as possible alternatives to them. It also examines gender-neutral advertising as an alternative to gendered toy advertising.
The findings confirm that toy advertising between 2015 and 2025 employed gendered language across all three levels of Fairclough's three-dimensional model. While commercials targeted at boys emphasized competition and aggression, those aimed at girls stressed caregiving and nurturing behaviours toward toys and thus subtly reinforcing traditional gender roles. At the same time, the emergence of gender-neutral commercials represents an important alternative, suggesting a gradual shift toward challenging and reducing the deeply entrenched practices of gendered marketing. |
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| Keywords: | gendered language, advertisements, discourse analysis, gender |
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| Geographic coverage: | Združene države Amerike; |
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| Place of publishing: | Maribor |
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| Place of performance: | Maribor |
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| Publisher: | D. Poberžnik |
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| Year of publishing: | 2026 |
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| Number of pages: | 1 spletni vir (1 datoteka PDF (XI, 114 str.)) |
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| PID: | 20.500.12556/DKUM-98744 |
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| UDC: | 81'42:305:659.1:688.72(043.2) |
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| COBISS.SI-ID: | 287088387 |
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| Publication date in DKUM: | 06.08.2026 |
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| Views: | 183 |
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| Downloads: | 6 |
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| Metadata: |    |
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| Categories: | FF
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