Building Identity is an ongoing series of photographs addressing children’s toys and their consistency in color typing based on heteronormative, binary genders. The influence this has on cognitive development and social expectations for children within their assigned gender has been shown through numerous studies as well as everyday life. Children’s toys are made in bulk, sold to millions, and remain unchanged by the larger companies within the toy industry. Found in most department stores, toys are commercialized by gender for a target audience most noticeably by the color of that particular toy. Destroying these toys is a visible way to deconstruct the binary and work towards a more inclusive way to teach children through the use of toys.
With this project I am exploring who is stereotyped by these toys and who actually identifies with these toys in society. Assumptions are made about a person based their physical appearance, assigned sex, manner of speech, occupation, ascribed race, class standing etc. By showcasing these children’s toys in a grid formation I attempt to force connections and blur the line between what is considered masculine and feminine, what is attributed to a “race” and what is expected from a class. I ask people to reevaluate who they might think about when looking at these photographs. By challenging the traditional ideas about gender and racial expectations I hope to create fundamental changes within the basic concept of gender and race.