Cute but bogus gender-typing

Zwinky.com is all the rage among tween and teen marketers. I haven’t tried it myself, but judging from these two ads, it seems to promote the opportunity to transform yourself, yet I don’t really see any substance there. It showcases standard gender roles (females as sexual, males as physically active) and defines change according to what kinds of clothes can be consumed.

Zwinky

Also notice in this screen grab from the site’s opening page how the boy gazes upon the girl, repeating the typical trope of the female as sexual object to be consumed by the male predator.

Sorry to be so puritanical, but Zwinkyland strikes me as a little bogus.

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