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Marisa Jones
Professor Granillo
English 103
2 December 2019
When I Grow Up I Want To...
“The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that

pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is

more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl” (qtd. Maglaty). The above quote came from the

June 1918 article Earnshaw’s Infant Department. The dichotomy that exists currently dictates

that blue is for boys and pink for girls. However, these colors have greater meaning in that they

have the possibility to dictate a child's future life. Gender reveal cakes such as “Wheels or Heels”

have become prevalent in America’s patriarchal society. Yet, they can be detrimental in their

message of gender capabilities. Through reconstructing the concepts of gender reveal cakes,

traditional roles of men and women can be changed. My reinvented gender reveal cake breaks

the patriarchy’s thoughts on the roles of men and women in a working society by showcasing

equal opportunity; cakes as the one mentioned work to promote activism and awareness in the

discipline of feminist theory.

The gender reveal cake of my doing is a reimagined and inclusive gender reveal cake in

comparison to the gender reveal cake “Wheels or Heels.” The cake “Wheels or Heels” clearly

displayed a dichotomy of pink with heels and blue with wheels of a car, thus placing restraints on

the future child. The reinvented cake is single tiered, striped with blue and pink frosting, has

human figurines, and different articles that relate to future career choices. The figurines and

items on top of the cake are in no way placed with intention to a color. The concept of shoes was

removed, which was displayed in the original cake as it did not represent a distinct career choice
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for an individual. Lastly, the cake has text which reads “congrats baby” in black frosting. These

two occasional cakes tell entirely different messages for the future, child, parents, and family

who partake in the celebration of the gender reveal party.

My goal through redesign of the cake was to evoke pathos in the intended audience, for

the realization to incur within themselves that women and men can attain the same successes in

life. The cake showcases the typical colors of boy and girl but breaks the traditional stereotypes

they are expected to withhold. Traditional gender roles are defined as men being strong, rational,

and protective while women are emotional, weak, and submissive (Tyson 81). The cake aims to

remove the justifications of the inequities that women face. Gender roles have long worked to

“exclude women from equal access to leadership and decision-making positions...in academia,

politics, and the corporate world” (Tyson 81). Women are viewed as uncapable in comparison to

men, my hope with this occasional cake was demonstrate that gender, the blue and pink, have

nothing to do with possible careers choices of an individual, through use of the figurines and job-

related articles. The use of colors and figurines work to break down the signifier’s signified, in

relation to color and what it means. The dictation of gender roles onto an unborn child stem from

the patriarchy.

The patriarchy is an oppressive ideology that is sexist in nature, it upholds the belief that

women are inferior to men (Tyson 81). The original cake “Wheels or Heels” associated female

with heels, representing femininity, and males with a tire representing masculinity. As to how

society evolved in such a way that women became deduced to a sexualized article of clothing is

shocking. The inferiority of women is created culturally in a patriarchal society. Biologically

women and men do not have the innate abilities, such as submissive or dominant, that the

patriarchy has led society to believe. Such as the believe that elevated testosterone causes
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aggression, science has disproved this thought (Tyson 104). Through my gender reveal cake, I

intend to pose a conflict of logos within my audience. The hope being that they would question

as to what may have led them to believe that men and women were innately different and how

that mindset was holding them or others back in their respective lives. “Wheels or Heels”

contained the illogical fallacy of a sweeping generalization and my intent was to erase the logical

error from the reinvented gender reveal cake. In Rachael Grahams “Have your epideictic

rhetoric, and eat it, too” she explains the value and impact an occasional cake has on the

recipient and audience as “the activist component of epideictic rhetoric is more compelling in a

multimodal composition than in epideictic arguments that comprise one mode, particularly when

representing the values of marginalized groups” (Graham-Lussos 29). Women are greatly

marginalized in our society. Therefore, one of the greatest forms of awareness of women’s

inequities is through education, the cake strives to be a lamppost for further justification for

women's equality in the career field. However, the original cake not only marginalized future

women but also future men.

The cake of my creation aimed to remove the discussion of feminine and masculine and

make clear that the concept is not necessary nor pertinent to the identity of an individual. In a

way of arising the ethical thoughts that surround an individual's identity, which genders falls

into. Currently there are two views of the origins of gender, that is socially constructed or

biologically constructed. Regarding feminist theory, gender is socially constructed (Tyson 105).

The American gender system is defined as binary based on two genders and said gender being

opposites of each other (Tyson 105). If an individual does not fall in perfectly into a gender they

then are labeled by society, becoming an outcast. Our gender influences the way in which we are

treated by others. Gender is embodied in society’s various institutions. An example being the
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health professional field where they face double oppression, women are often disregarded in

their health concerns and if they pursue a career in the stem field there are multiple barriers that

make their journey difficult. For men they are expected to be the definition of America’s

masculinity, but for the man who is nonconforming he is condemned. The ethics of America

must be questioned in order to promote progress for marginalized groups. After all, the gender

reveal cake and celebration are an American construct.

My first essay and reflection on the reinventing of Americas gender reveal cake,

personally made me aware of the inequities faced by marginalized groups. The original gender

reveal cake was oppressive in its creation and subsequent design. My goal was to retain some of

the original elements but provide a new outlook for gender reveal cakes. Ultimately, the

reinvented cake was made with the intention to incite change in the outlook of the field of

feminist studies. Hopefully, those who view the cake can realize that it promotes inclusivity and

acceptance of an individual's unique identity.

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Annotated Bibliography
Bondy, Renee. “What Pink Reveals.” Herizons, vol. 31, no. 2, Fall 2017, pp. 8–10. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=126131015&site=ehost

-live.

Lussos, Rachael. “Have your epideictic rhetoric, and eat it, too.” George Mason University,

April 2018.

Maglaty, Jeanne. “When Did Girls Start Wearing Pink.” Smithsonian.com, 7 April

2011, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-did-girls-start-wearing-pink

-1370097/

Tyson, Lois. “Feminist Criticism,” Critical Theory Today. Routledge, 2015, pp.79-126.

Silverman, Jonathon and Rader, Dean. The World is a Text. Broadview Press, 2018, pp. 139-

160.

Sweet Mary’s. “Wheels or

Heels” Pinterest,https://www.pinterest.com/pin/635500197391508050/