Rose Petal Cottage

Rose Petal Cottage

What is wrong with the advertisement?
Where do I begin? The playhouse is clearly only for girls. The problem lies with what the children are asked to do with the playhouse. They can bake, they can clean, they can do laundry, or they can take care of a baby. All of these things are the domestic chores of a stay-at-home wife. Allowing little girls to play in this manner is conditioning them to accept the role society deems acceptable for them. The children are being raised to believe that this is what women are supposed to do.

What can be done to fix the advertisement?
My group came up with a few ideas to make the advertisement less gender stereotypical. First, add boy children to the ad. In the original, there were only girls, so adding male children will help. Next, change the coloring. The colors of the playhouse were very soft, pastel-like pinks, yellows and purples. Very girly colors. Adding some darker blues and reds will solve this problem. Finally, adding some new activities to the house would help too. Things such as an office or a den or a garage.

The product is meant for girls, but it is advertised and used in a sexist and unacceptable way.