Boys vs Girls in Toy Ads

The blog, The Achilles Effect, has a post showing the frequency of words that are used in TV ads for toys marketed to boys vs. those  for girls. The author, Crystal Smith, took the word frequency lists and ran them through Wordle, a web site and app that makes a graphic out of a word frequency list.

girls_toys

Link to Wordle page for this graphic.

boys_toys

Link to Wordle page for this graphic.

The debate over nature vs nurture when it comes to raising boys and girls will never be settled completely. There are obvious differences between the genders, and society steers each gender in different ways.

When I played with GI Joe figures as a kid, was I playing with dolls, or acting out the power struggles of war? Probably both.