All aspects of gender are constructed by social, societal factors. Within just one day, I recorded the instances I found myself or someone around me “doing gender.” “Doing gender” means that people constantly create and change aspects of “gender” based on human interaction and social life, mostly without even being aware of it (Lorber 1). Additionally, the media is repeatedly shaping what masculinity and femininity “should” look like through magazines, films, and politics (Miss Representation). This social construction has been extremely problematic throughout our history in how it affects the self-reflection and identities of men and women in the United States. My list created of the number of instances myself or others demonstrated “doing
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Marine Corps are required to wear makeup. In Western culture, wearing makeup is a significant way to distinguish a woman from a man. If a woman does not wear makeup, they are considered to be more masculine (6). This is a prime example of “doing gender” and an example that I found myself doing almost every day before I leave my house, along with shaving my legs, and doing my hair. A high school girl in Miss Representation shared that she straightens her hair every day in order to fit in with the majority of women even though her hair is naturally curly (00:08:45). Another instance that I noticed someone “doing gender” was when a friend of mine said that she did not want ice cream because she is “watching her figure.” Furthermore, I noticed that men slathered on sunscreen, while women went without or put on tanning lotion/oils. This exemplifies what is portrayed in the media as a requirement for women to have, smooth long hair, a slimmer figure, hairless legs, and a tanned skin tone in order to be wanted by men. Of course, you can still identify as a woman if you do not have these qualities, but society has constructed gender for people to believe that you are only valued if you have those certain qualities within your gender. In the documentary, Miss Representation, Katie Couric …show more content…
Because the media shows that you have to be thin if you want to be an attractive woman, most women feel self-conscious about their bodies and often struggle with eating disorders because of issues with their weight. This mindset creates a harsh path for women that is consequential because it leaves numerous women feeling ugly and unworthy of success or love (Miss Representation). Although the social construction of gender is often very problematic for women, men also can have severe effects on the male identification. Frequently enough, men feel that to be masculine you cannot express emotions the way that women can. A few times throughout the documentary, it was mentioned that boys/men are taught that they have to be “the hero” and basically have no emotion through the media. Society has made it so that when men do express themselves in an emotional way, they are looked at negatively as “weak” or “sensitive” (Miss Representation). One occurrence from my list is when my father cut himself making food and when my mother offered to help, he turned her down. Small instances like this represent the forced independence and “toughness” inflicted on men as the socially dominant gender and the devaluation of women as subordinate, non-leaders (Lorber 8). However, you can identify as a man and
Marine Corps are required to wear makeup. In Western culture, wearing makeup is a significant way to distinguish a woman from a man. If a woman does not wear makeup, they are considered to be more masculine (6). This is a prime example of “doing gender” and an example that I found myself doing almost every day before I leave my house, along with shaving my legs, and doing my hair. A high school girl in Miss Representation shared that she straightens her hair every day in order to fit in with the majority of women even though her hair is naturally curly (00:08:45). Another instance that I noticed someone “doing gender” was when a friend of mine said that she did not want ice cream because she is “watching her figure.” Furthermore, I noticed that men slathered on sunscreen, while women went without or put on tanning lotion/oils. This exemplifies what is portrayed in the media as a requirement for women to have, smooth long hair, a slimmer figure, hairless legs, and a tanned skin tone in order to be wanted by men. Of course, you can still identify as a woman if you do not have these qualities, but society has constructed gender for people to believe that you are only valued if you have those certain qualities within your gender. In the documentary, Miss Representation, Katie Couric …show more content…
Because the media shows that you have to be thin if you want to be an attractive woman, most women feel self-conscious about their bodies and often struggle with eating disorders because of issues with their weight. This mindset creates a harsh path for women that is consequential because it leaves numerous women feeling ugly and unworthy of success or love (Miss Representation). Although the social construction of gender is often very problematic for women, men also can have severe effects on the male identification. Frequently enough, men feel that to be masculine you cannot express emotions the way that women can. A few times throughout the documentary, it was mentioned that boys/men are taught that they have to be “the hero” and basically have no emotion through the media. Society has made it so that when men do express themselves in an emotional way, they are looked at negatively as “weak” or “sensitive” (Miss Representation). One occurrence from my list is when my father cut himself making food and when my mother offered to help, he turned her down. Small instances like this represent the forced independence and “toughness” inflicted on men as the socially dominant gender and the devaluation of women as subordinate, non-leaders (Lorber 8). However, you can identify as a man and