Buy this toy! Now only $19.99! These statements could be something a person could hear blaring on their television from the next room. It's easy for an adult to ignore advertising, but children absorb these messages whether a parent wants them to or not. Because messages in toy commercials promote gender stereotypes that harm social equality, advertisers must adopt gender-blind advertising methods. The harmful effects of advertising based on gender stereotypes can be quantified by looking at how the labor market is divided. Parents themselves can take steps to push advertising companies in the right direction by learning the ways these companies send stereotypical messages subliminally and by taking personal steps to influence company profits. Children who watch these commercials are more likely to believe that they should play with certain toys as a result of this commercial manipulation (Martínez, Nicolas, and Salas 191). It is important to examine how advertising companies subliminally influence children's beliefs about their gender. There are a couple of main ways that subliminal influence happens: gender separation, business contexts, and game types. All these methods of gender stereotyping contribute to instilling outdated ideas and beliefs in children. Distinct gender roles in commercials promote gender-selective play by featuring all boys or all girls. Girls are depicted playing with toys such as Barbie Fashion Show, Polly Pocket Quick Click Boutique or My Little Pony Dance Studio with other girls. The same can be said for boys who appear in boys-only commercials and are shown playing with toys such as Super Soakers, Hot Wheels Cyborg Assault, or ESPN Games Station (Kahlenberg and Hein, Table 2, 839). When parents choose to purchase gender-neutral toys, they can foster a wider range of interests and abilities in their children. However, tracking down what constitutes a gender-neutral toy isn't always easy. In general, gender-neutral colors are more in line with stereotypical masculine colors, such as bold, primary colors. The color scheme used on toys is an indicator used by companies to show which toys are gender neutral. Advertisers have a propensity to market toys in this way because research has shown that it is more difficult for boys to cross gender boundaries created by gender stereotypes than for girls (Auster and Mansbach, 377). When consumers purchase toys already marketed as gender neutral, companies will calculate sales trends and statistics and it will be obvious what parents prefer to buy and market accordingly..