Staying true to oneself is a concept that most people continuously struggle with as they grow up. From the moment we are born, we are assigned a gender role based on our biological sex. We are then expected conform to these set of “rules,” these so called gender norms, that tell us how we should or should not act based on our sex. I believe that our society has definitely exaggerated the stereotypical male and female behaviors not only in the United States, but also around the world. We see these stereotypes portrayed and reinforced everywhere, especially in the media. According to the documentary, Miss Representation, “American teenagers spend 31 hours a week watching TV, 17 hours a week listening to music, 3 hours a week watching movies,
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The media gives off the idea that females are only valued if they are young, beautiful, and sexy versus being valued for their intellect and their achievements. The media makes it seem impossible to be both beautiful and intelligent. They make comments like “she is smart for a woman” versus just saying “she is smart.” They portray woman of power as being bitchy, or lonely, or having to sacrifice a family for work. They judge women for showing too much leg or not enough. The media even change grammar when they talk about men and women. A man and a woman may say the same thing during an interview, yet it gets reported that the woman “complained” while the man “stated.” Even in films, femininity is portrayed in a poor way. Even though we have films that show strong and beautiful protagonists, we still see them dressed in revealing clothing or fighting in heels. We see them seduce men to get their way, or mask who they truly are, or even turn on each other because of this idea of what is considered “normal.” Katie Couric said that “the media can be an instrument of change.” Yet when are we going to see it happen? When can we see women being portrayed as respectable human beings? When will be see the decrease in hypersexualization in films and shows? Where can we start? …show more content…
The stereotype where women has to be skinny and sexy to be considered beautiful and attractive is carried throughout the Philippines. I got made fun of by my peers and even some of my teachers. I remember in the second grade, we were learning cursive and my teacher compared me to my writing: fat. She even did it in front of the class. I was so hurt by her comment and felt betrayed that someone who is supposed to be a role model, was actually making fun of me. Growing up, I also had a hard time with my academics. I was a bright and creative girl, but I was just lazy and never really tried in school. I lacked the drive to push myself in my studies so my grades would always be below average. I remember one of my teachers comparing me to my classmate who would always get the lowest grade and belittling me and how I had gotten the worst grade. To this day, I sometimes question myself every now and then because I have thoughts that maybe I am “dumb.” It is hard to get out of that mentality. In an article from our reader, “research suggests that children and adolescents learn from families and friends that they should be thin and that being overweight is unappealing.” This statement stood out to me because this was exactly what was happening to me. My parents would also contribute to the dissatisfaction of my body. They never made fun of me but they
The media gives off the idea that females are only valued if they are young, beautiful, and sexy versus being valued for their intellect and their achievements. The media makes it seem impossible to be both beautiful and intelligent. They make comments like “she is smart for a woman” versus just saying “she is smart.” They portray woman of power as being bitchy, or lonely, or having to sacrifice a family for work. They judge women for showing too much leg or not enough. The media even change grammar when they talk about men and women. A man and a woman may say the same thing during an interview, yet it gets reported that the woman “complained” while the man “stated.” Even in films, femininity is portrayed in a poor way. Even though we have films that show strong and beautiful protagonists, we still see them dressed in revealing clothing or fighting in heels. We see them seduce men to get their way, or mask who they truly are, or even turn on each other because of this idea of what is considered “normal.” Katie Couric said that “the media can be an instrument of change.” Yet when are we going to see it happen? When can we see women being portrayed as respectable human beings? When will be see the decrease in hypersexualization in films and shows? Where can we start? …show more content…
The stereotype where women has to be skinny and sexy to be considered beautiful and attractive is carried throughout the Philippines. I got made fun of by my peers and even some of my teachers. I remember in the second grade, we were learning cursive and my teacher compared me to my writing: fat. She even did it in front of the class. I was so hurt by her comment and felt betrayed that someone who is supposed to be a role model, was actually making fun of me. Growing up, I also had a hard time with my academics. I was a bright and creative girl, but I was just lazy and never really tried in school. I lacked the drive to push myself in my studies so my grades would always be below average. I remember one of my teachers comparing me to my classmate who would always get the lowest grade and belittling me and how I had gotten the worst grade. To this day, I sometimes question myself every now and then because I have thoughts that maybe I am “dumb.” It is hard to get out of that mentality. In an article from our reader, “research suggests that children and adolescents learn from families and friends that they should be thin and that being overweight is unappealing.” This statement stood out to me because this was exactly what was happening to me. My parents would also contribute to the dissatisfaction of my body. They never made fun of me but they