Masculinity And Gender

In a systematically patriarchal society that encourages and enforces heteronormative demeanors, we are influenced to accept the notions that our sexual interactions are confined to not only the polarity of male and female genders but additionally to the underlying prescriptions of heteronormativity. Due to the queerphobic overtones within society it becomes essential for queer individuals to assume the standard gender roles within a civilization that produces fear and angst through its punishments of both macro and micro aggressions. However conforming to adhere to social constructions isn’t isolated to just the queer community, for heterosexual individuals must obey society’s mandates out of fear of the negative consequences associated with …show more content…
From birth, gender’s expectations and directives are constantly forced into our minds. Practically everything is gendered colors, emotions, appearances etc. The binary enforces the patriarchal society in the instance through its enforcement of gender norms. The woman must be meager and compliant compared to the strong and robust man. The ideology behind the notions of aggressive masculinity is taught by a sexist culture that perpetuates violence as a symbol of being “a real man” (Tough Guise). While the masculine male is hyper-violent, the common culture will hyper-sexualize the feminine female, instilling ideals surrounding passivity and sexual objectification, her only strength being her appearance. Institutions such as school, the media and peers shape these crucial aspects of ourselves. Children’s perception of the world taught through gendered interaction like the “work adults do as mothers and fathers […] shape(s) women’s and men’s life experiences and these experiences produce different feelings, consciousness, relationships, skills – ways of being what we call feminine or masculine” (Lorber, 14). Popular culture and the media also play crucial roles in conditioning notions of gender in the youth. The ideals of sexuality and violence are constantly advertised within society so much so that the outrageous depictions of problematic concepts are not perceived as strange “but for the most …show more content…
There is no supposed “gay gene”; Rohy asserts that homosexuality is passed on through social interaction between individuals and the culture surrounding them refuting ideals surrounding the biology and the formation of homosexuality before birth as described in Wilson and Rahman’s “Born Gay”. As a meme sexual orientation is quite malleable; though the present gender binary enforces very narrow ideals surrounding gender and sexual orientation in western culture diverse non-binary cultures have existed across the globe. In Native American cultures there were the allowance of flexibility, the terms “lesbian” and “gay” were determined by sexual behavior rather than personhood and spirituality (Lang) unlike western civilization where sexual orientation and gender identity often are related. Native American culture primary focused and emphasized transformations and change including the idea that individuals were expected to go through many changes, both in orientation and gender throughout a lifetime. Two Spirit Native Americans believed that there were four genders instead of two. In addition to the conventional man and woman, there were the “Women- Men” in which males would adopt the socially defined female roles, and the “Men-Women” where females would entirely adopt the conventional male roles (Lang). The “Two-spirit” ideology is just one instance of the complexities of