It’s 2014: Still Different Marketing? by Christie

http://www.achilleseffect.com/2011/03/word-cloud-how-toy-ad-vocabulary-reinforces-gender-stereotypes/

So, I’m going through a wonderful online galley request site, and scanning through new books (YEA BOOKS- BOO addition and adding to my growing reading pile), and saw this cover and read the blurb. 

The Guy’s Guide will encourage your faith, challenge you spiritually, and give you real-life advice how to live out your faith in today’s highly secularized culture, with distractions lurking around every corner. . .and just a click away.

I’m like OK, sounds interesting. I like the chalkboard cover with the conversation pop-ups and the wi-fi/RSS fee things, and it’s really kinda cool. Might be interesting.

And then I get to the next page that’s available, and I see the “twin” of it- same publisher, same marketing team, same ideas- just created and aimed for teen girls.

The Smart Girl’s Guide to God, Guys, and the Galaxy melds spiritual and practical advice with humor—a winning combination as you’re trying to navigate the ups and downs of life with grace and confidence. You’ll be encouraged and challenged with sound, biblically-based advice equipping you to stand up for your faith and live the Christian walk every day. . .plus, you’ll encounter some fun, common-sense tips along the way.

I like the retro look of the cover, and it’s nice that as teenage girls we’re trying to conquer the galaxy- thinking big is awesome.

However.

• Teen guys have drama just as much as teen girls do. In fact, I’m listening to the drama unfold in the computer lab next door as the library is closed. (They don’t know I’m here) Why is the book automatically tell girls to save the drama?
• Why do guys get the current/tech cover while girls get the retro cover? I know that it’s cool looking and everything, and if they weren’t twin books it wouldn’t be as obvious, but it’s almost subtly implying that girls need the typewriter (and really, what teen today knows what a typewriter looks like?!?!?!) while guys get the internet.
• Why are girls always encouraged to “navigate the ups and downs of life with grace and confidence”?   Why don’t we encourage the guys as well? 
• Both books challenge the readers (yea) but the Smart Girls’ Guide (and did it have to put the Smart qualifier?) spells out what you get, while Guy’s Guide (evidently even the dumb ones) is confident boys can understand “secularized” and “spiritually”.

I realize these are only the advanced reader copies and the publicity blurbs for people to look at before publication, but really? It’s 2014, and we’re sending out these messages to teens?

Filed under: Gender, Gender Roles