You Are What You Eat

Ever wonder where the quotes, “Monkey See, Monkey Do” and “You Are What You Eat” came from? Although they may sound funny, there is truth in both of these statements. When children watch TV, do they pay attention to how each gender is being illustrated? Growing up, children watched Batman and Scooby-Doo. Children imitated what they saw on TV. Little boys tied bath towels around their necks trying to save helpless girls, and little girls played with dresses and makeup like Daphne. These shows start the grooming process to what is acceptable in society in how they portrayed each gender. The advertising of products and TV shows have an influence in the formation of gender identity because children imitate what they see.
Children are drawn to action and dramatic shows on television. Males are shown and encouraged to be strong, aggressive, and dominant individuals. At the same time, TV shows display majority of females as sensitive, passive, and over-emotional. These subtle impressions begin when children are very young. In the last 10-15 years, all children have been exposed to watching the Simpsons either regularly or only one show. Bart is the stereotypical image of how a boy should behave. He should be insidious, insolent, and robust. Marge is also a typical image that is displayed. The clichéd housewife and mother that shows girls that they should love and want children, be nurturing, passive when having been disrespected, and highly sensitive and emotional. With this method of modeling, children take in the display of gestures, attitudes, and emotions of their gender. These shows and advertisements are telling and showing our children what society deems to be appropriate gender behavior and mannerisms.
Our society is no longer black and white or old and young. America’s population has become very diverse. There are people here from many different cultures. My best friend attends a church where it is mandatory for the females to only wear dresses and skirts. This