Masculinity vs. Femininity
In our culture there
is a polarization of what it means to be female and male AND lesbian or gay.
Society pushes individuals into stiff and narrow boxes, leaving no room for
fluidity and freedom.
We learned in class of the social construction of reality
that women are almost always over sexualized and how men had very limited ways
of being masculine
Women:
In advertisements, women are always underdressed, skinny,
surrounded by men, timid, subordinate, etc. They make women appear to be weak
and incapable protecting themselves from others. In result of these ads and
society’s skewed views, women become very insecure about themselves making it
almost impossible to see their bodies in a positive light. The video from class
that was most influential on me was the one called #likeagirl from the brand
Always. They touch upon the facts that in society, when people say to do
something “like a girl”; they all do so in a very feminine way. Certainty the
severe incapability to throw a ball or run isn’t a trait of most girls today,
but since society has really feminized and degraded women, that’s the way that
most people tend to think. However, when it came to asking a younger girl who
doesn’t care what society thinks, she shows with all her might and runs with
all the energy she has. When the others were told of how they had acted before,
they were shocked and regretful at how they had let society affect them.
Men:
As for men, many people do not think that they are attacked
by society or inconvenienced in anyway by society, but in reality, they
are. Society makes it very hard for man
to feel masculine. If a man shows any part of his feminine side they are called
“ fag, gay, sissy, pussy, wimp, mama’s boy, etc.” Men have to be violent and muscular
to avoid being called names by others. They have to be constantly appearing
tough and show no emotion. This is obviously very difficult given that they are
human and need to express emotional just like anyone else. We were shown many
examples in the video “Tough Guise” by Jackson Katz. There were clips of
violent movies, fights among men, etc, displaying how relevant this issue
really is in society.
Neither or Both:
As for the people who are neither male nor female, their struggles
seem to be the most difficult, because of how closed-minded society is. A
majority of us are unaware that fluid genders like this exist. Many people
don’t recognize the struggles many people go through to simply go to the
bathroom. Which one are they supposed to choose when they aren’t male or
female? There is almost 1 to no universities, businesses, schools, or
restaurants that account for these “gender types”. No gender bathrooms are a
start, but society doesn’t recognize the importance of acknowledging the
struggles of these people that don’t identify with male or female.
Personal connection:
My personal connection to this subject and unit that we
learned about is ne of my friends that struggles with an eating disorder,
because of her self-consciousness and idea that people were always judging her
and her body. It broke my heart to see how insecure she felt and how she had to
hurt her body to make it “acceptable” to society.
