In the late 1980s McDonald's introduced a new line of toys in their Happy Meal promotions, now exclusively offering Barbie and Hot Wheels as toy options. They were a huge success, making Happy Meals more popular than ever. “Is this for a boy or a girl?” has been added to the list of questions you were asked when ordering. This was one of the beginnings of a new form of marketing that specifically gendered toys and stereotyped interests for each gender (Faust N. Pag.). Advertising and marketing are not the only influences in perpetuating gender stereotypes. There are numerous influences on American youth that help create stereotypes of personalities and interests for boys and girls. Today, most would say these actions conform to the gender binary. The gender binary is a socially constructed system of traits specifically predetermined for each gender. Socially constructed simply means that over time different stereotypes have become the norm based on the roles filled by each gender. Genderspectrum.org, an organization created to break down gender stereotypes and educate about gender diversity, provides this definition of the gender binary: “Western culture has come to view gender as a binary concept, with two rigidly fixed options: male or female. When a baby is born, a quick glance between the legs determines the gender label the baby will carry for life. But even if gender were to be limited to basic biology, a binary concept still fails to capture the rich variation observed (Understanding Gender N. Pag.).” This could simply mean that boys will receive the Hot Wheels toy with their Happy Meal, and little girls will get the Barbie doll, just because that's what's expected. This is engraved in... half of the document ......ng: Science & Practice 7.4 (2007): 357-366. Academic research completed. Network. February 19, 2014.Laidlaw, Liz. "Gender swapper." Relational practice for child and young person care 23.3 (2010): 14-15. Academic research completed. Network. February 12, 2014.Plant, E. Ashby and Janet Shibley Hyde. "Gender stereotypes of emotions". Psychology Of Women Quarterly 24.1 (2000): 81. Academic research completed. Network. February 19, 2014. Faust, Aaron. “Happy Meals: Boy or Girl?” Women's Studies. Appalachian State University, 2003. Web. February 26, 2014. Francis, Becky. "Gender, toys and learning". Taylor and Francesco. Np, 09 June 2010. Web. 22 February 2014. "Understanding gender." Understanding gender. Np, nd Web. 10 March 2014.Zhao, Emmeline. “Larry King Murder: Death of Gay Teen Illustrates Challenge for Schools.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, November 24, 2011. Web. March 10. 2014.