As I reflect on my life up to this point, I realize that I am incredibly fortunate. I was born the first of three children into a white, Catholic, conservative family. My parents, two siblings and I lived in large suburb called Rockaway Township in Morris County, New Jersey. Morris County is a wealthy area in the New York Metropolitan area. It is a very conservative county despite New Jersey being quite liberal. Rockaway Township is a predominantly white town. I attended Catholic school up until the first grade, and then switched to the public school system up to high school graduation. Out of the roughly 1,700 students in my high school, Morris Knolls High School, most of them were white.
My family was and still is always very supportive …show more content…
Women are constantly underrepresented and underestimated in their abilities. Ideas about gender norms were made clear in my household. Throughout middle school and high school my mother would try to convince me or pressure me into wearing makeup. She would constantly ask me if I had a boyfriend, and when I would say no, she would tell me that I needed to get one. I was taught how to protect myself as a woman: always travel in packs; be aware of my surroundings; My brother, who is now in the seventh grade, faces the pressure of acting like a boy or man should from my father and grandfather. I am not sure if he is bothered by it, but he is bombarded with phrases like “Act like a man,” and “That’s a man’s job,” and “Man up.” I’m sure he faces this pressure from his friends, and the coaches of the various sports teams he is a part of. I would very often find myself surrounded by remarks about “manliness” and “masculinity.” When my male cousin was younger, he would want to wear princess dresses and plastic high heel shoes, some of my uncles expressed their disapproval. I am still around people who express their ideals about gender norms. Whether joking or not, the fact is that these ideas are thought about and expressed. Experiencing sexism in this way makes me realize now that people of color deal with these issues on a daily basis, simply because of the color of their
My family was and still is always very supportive …show more content…
Women are constantly underrepresented and underestimated in their abilities. Ideas about gender norms were made clear in my household. Throughout middle school and high school my mother would try to convince me or pressure me into wearing makeup. She would constantly ask me if I had a boyfriend, and when I would say no, she would tell me that I needed to get one. I was taught how to protect myself as a woman: always travel in packs; be aware of my surroundings; My brother, who is now in the seventh grade, faces the pressure of acting like a boy or man should from my father and grandfather. I am not sure if he is bothered by it, but he is bombarded with phrases like “Act like a man,” and “That’s a man’s job,” and “Man up.” I’m sure he faces this pressure from his friends, and the coaches of the various sports teams he is a part of. I would very often find myself surrounded by remarks about “manliness” and “masculinity.” When my male cousin was younger, he would want to wear princess dresses and plastic high heel shoes, some of my uncles expressed their disapproval. I am still around people who express their ideals about gender norms. Whether joking or not, the fact is that these ideas are thought about and expressed. Experiencing sexism in this way makes me realize now that people of color deal with these issues on a daily basis, simply because of the color of their