Gender Stereotyping: Bound by Society
In our world today, gender stereotypes have a tight rein on men and women. People are stereotyped by color, blue or pink, before they are even born. Society sets separate standards for each sex and if a person does not meet these standards, he or she will be outcast and questioned. People should not have to live in fear of being different. I am a firm believer in this statement given my rocky childhood experience with stereotyping and bullying. This is the right topic to choose for my essay because it has a wide variety of material to choose from and it is something I am exceptionally passionate about.
As I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed a couple of weeks ago, I came across a post that made …show more content…
The post was from a dear friend of mine who has a deep passion for the performing arts. According to his post, he had been bullied for not reaching the social standards of his peers. The bullies used cruel words against him like “gay” and “weird”. When I read the post it was as if these derogatory terms were in hot pink text. At that moment, those insulting words stood out to me more than anything else on my computer screen. They caused me to reflect upon my life and my ongoing struggle to meet the male stereotype. Growing up, it slowly became apparent to me that I was not like other boys. First of all, my voice had a higher tone to it. This made me noticeably different from all of the other boys with average, deep-toned voices. Second of all, I never had an interest in any of the activities that other guys my age were engaging in. I forced myself into sports and played things like racecars because all of the other boys were doing it. I thought that was what I was supposed to do in order to be normal, fit in, and get people to like me. It was not until about …show more content…
Because of this, it tends to place gender boundaries on men and women. Men are to suppress emotions and be tough, athletic, leaders and women are to be companions that serve and take on less physically challenging positions. If he or she does not conform to these standards and breaks his or her gender boundary in any way, such as women playing football or men participating in musical theatre, people tend to question their sexual orientation. This causes people to live in constant fear of not being masculine or feminine enough, which could possibly lead to psychological problems such as depression. Not only could it cause psychological problems, but it also runs the risk of diminishing someone 's dreams forever. Imagine a young girl who aspires to be President of the United States when she is older. It may be meant to be, but if she is bullied into her stereotype, she may never reach her full potential. I fail to understand how sexual orientation has anything to do with personal interest. These are two completely different things. This type of belittlement can be considered sexist and discrimination by most. Some may argue gender equality from a biblical standpoint, simply stating that women and men have their place, but is that really an excuse to bully someone into a stereotype? Nevertheless, stereotyping causes people who are different to choose between being themselves and being criticized or staying in
In our world today, gender stereotypes have a tight rein on men and women. People are stereotyped by color, blue or pink, before they are even born. Society sets separate standards for each sex and if a person does not meet these standards, he or she will be outcast and questioned. People should not have to live in fear of being different. I am a firm believer in this statement given my rocky childhood experience with stereotyping and bullying. This is the right topic to choose for my essay because it has a wide variety of material to choose from and it is something I am exceptionally passionate about.
As I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed a couple of weeks ago, I came across a post that made …show more content…
The post was from a dear friend of mine who has a deep passion for the performing arts. According to his post, he had been bullied for not reaching the social standards of his peers. The bullies used cruel words against him like “gay” and “weird”. When I read the post it was as if these derogatory terms were in hot pink text. At that moment, those insulting words stood out to me more than anything else on my computer screen. They caused me to reflect upon my life and my ongoing struggle to meet the male stereotype. Growing up, it slowly became apparent to me that I was not like other boys. First of all, my voice had a higher tone to it. This made me noticeably different from all of the other boys with average, deep-toned voices. Second of all, I never had an interest in any of the activities that other guys my age were engaging in. I forced myself into sports and played things like racecars because all of the other boys were doing it. I thought that was what I was supposed to do in order to be normal, fit in, and get people to like me. It was not until about …show more content…
Because of this, it tends to place gender boundaries on men and women. Men are to suppress emotions and be tough, athletic, leaders and women are to be companions that serve and take on less physically challenging positions. If he or she does not conform to these standards and breaks his or her gender boundary in any way, such as women playing football or men participating in musical theatre, people tend to question their sexual orientation. This causes people to live in constant fear of not being masculine or feminine enough, which could possibly lead to psychological problems such as depression. Not only could it cause psychological problems, but it also runs the risk of diminishing someone 's dreams forever. Imagine a young girl who aspires to be President of the United States when she is older. It may be meant to be, but if she is bullied into her stereotype, she may never reach her full potential. I fail to understand how sexual orientation has anything to do with personal interest. These are two completely different things. This type of belittlement can be considered sexist and discrimination by most. Some may argue gender equality from a biblical standpoint, simply stating that women and men have their place, but is that really an excuse to bully someone into a stereotype? Nevertheless, stereotyping causes people who are different to choose between being themselves and being criticized or staying in