How To Write A Reflective Essay On Gender Identity

Growing up in a household dominated by males with the head of the house, my mother, being a figure that is very tomboyish has influenced my views on how I see myself in terms of my gender at a very young age. I came from a very open, liberal community and I feel like I was blessed to meet people with all different genders. Now, 19 years into life, I find myself being able to properly assign a gender fitting to who I am as a person: Gender Fluid. Before diving into my reflection, there are a few terms that I am either going to be using throughout this or terms that will aid in the understanding of what I am talking about. The first term, gender identity, comes from the text and is defined as the understanding that a person is biologically male or female despite what an individual wears. The second term is gender typing, which also comes from the text, and it is process by which boys or girls learn what it means to be masculine and feminine in their culture. The third term gender schema, the final term coming from the text, is a cognitive schema of knowledge, beliefs, metaphors, and expectations about what it means to be male or …show more content…
Reflecting on my dysfunctional life, it is only fitting that my gender identity is as confused and dysfunctional as I am. My medical condition, my tomboyish mother, and my late exposure to feminine behavior have all played a role in how I express my gender today. In a culture that has very strict gender norms, I would like to say one thing. Gender is a concept that is ambiguous and complex in nature; it is not as simple as male or female, there are more layers to it. In 2016, people should be more accepting of how people choose to express themselves, and allow for people to find their own gender identity without any interference in order to have a healthy gender development, such as I