2015-10-27

Social Mood: Still Negative and Heading Lower

Socionomics.net: Social Mood Continues to Bend Gender Lines
Robert Prechter’s groundbreaking socionomics report “Popular Culture and the Stock Market” noted that “men are more ‘masculine’ during bull markets, and women more ‘feminine.’”9 But in bear markets, those sexual stereotypes fall from favor and society embraces a greater variety of gender roles and identities.

Gender-bending seems more prevalent today than in recent decades, and the signs of social mood’s impact on the perception of sexuality are mounting.

NYTimes: Sweeping Away Gender-Specific Toys and Labels
“The gender barriers are breaking down, and both manufacturers and retailers are not labeling toys like they used to,” said Jim Silver, the editor in chief of TTPM, a toy review website. “The industry’s learned that you shouldn’t be labeling for a specific gender. There are so many girls who want to be Iron Man and Captain America, and boys who want to play with Easy-Bake.”

The shift is part of a wider movement in retail to blur gender lines, as society moves beyond stereotypes, and celebrities as varied as Caitlyn Jenner and Jaden Smith put a spotlight on an array of gender identities. In fashion, designers like Rad Hourani are creating androgynous labels, and top-tier designers, from Marc Jacobs to Hermès, are eroding the divide between feminine and masculine clothes.

The rise in popularity of athletic wear and relatively genderless offerings from companies like North Face and Patagonia have also helped spread unisex design. Footwear brands like Converse, Vans or Birkenstock also now market the same styles for both men and women. Wearable technology, like smartwatches and activity monitors, has been relatively gender-neutral.
The degree of the androgynous push suggests this current negative turn in social mood is extremely deep, but the stock market is far off in the opposite direction.

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