“Cross your legs”. “Shave your legs”. “Put some makeup on”. “Speak softly”. “Don’t be so vulgar, be a lady”. “You look like a man”. All these phrases have been spoken to me throughout my life, whether by my family, friends, the media or society. They are commands that have tailored my life and fit me in “my right place”. These are all qualities that make me, as an individual, female.
Society in general has rules in every aspect. Everything has limits. There are grey areas that develop out of these rules, but they are usually met with rather strong controversy. Gender performativity is something that is entrenched into society so deeply that individuals fail to realise that it is a form of performance, with a certain set of cues that are to …show more content…
Gender in reality is rather fluid, yet society places it within strict barriers. Society creates gender binary. These binaries create a false sense of security. We as people, perhaps more of those who are minorities, yearn to belong to something while simultaneously craving any form of equality. So we build our society on division and clear barriers, but fail to maintain the equity. We encourage girls to be dressed in pink and boys in blue. We encourage boys and girls to play sport, yet sports like netball are more exclusive to girls, while contact sports are encouraged for boys. If a boy were to play netball and wear the little skirts or shift dresses, he will either be the target of ridicule or seen as a “funny lad”. It would not be accepted as well as it is to see a girl wearing one. On the other hand, catch a girl dressed in “masculine” wear, whether it is the rugby sports uniform, pants or a suit, it would be deemed as less of a controversy. This could be inter-linked with the role male dominance plays in society. The female dressed in “male” clothing might be deemed as more powerful because of this, yet the male dressed in the netball attire would be deemed as a laughing stock. Simply because he is emasculated. This is due to the dichotomic role emasculation and feminisation play in …show more content…
To emasculate something is similar to feminising it, yet there are distinct differences. To emasculate means to remove masculinity to something, this term has very negative connotations. It refers to the removal of an identity in a sense. To feminise something on the other hand is very contextual and holds less negative connotations. On the other hand, to defeminise something, which entails removing femininity, can be deemed as a positive transition in some regard, when in its essence, it is the same as emasculating something. This directly inter-links with the gender power struggle in society. In order to be in a position of power, you must be masculine or hold masculine qualities. To be feminine, you must be soft and gentle. These feed into mixed messages that are implemented into society. We constantly push for more women to be in positions of power, yet we expect them to demonstrate male qualities to get there. Strong is masculine, weak is
Society in general has rules in every aspect. Everything has limits. There are grey areas that develop out of these rules, but they are usually met with rather strong controversy. Gender performativity is something that is entrenched into society so deeply that individuals fail to realise that it is a form of performance, with a certain set of cues that are to …show more content…
Gender in reality is rather fluid, yet society places it within strict barriers. Society creates gender binary. These binaries create a false sense of security. We as people, perhaps more of those who are minorities, yearn to belong to something while simultaneously craving any form of equality. So we build our society on division and clear barriers, but fail to maintain the equity. We encourage girls to be dressed in pink and boys in blue. We encourage boys and girls to play sport, yet sports like netball are more exclusive to girls, while contact sports are encouraged for boys. If a boy were to play netball and wear the little skirts or shift dresses, he will either be the target of ridicule or seen as a “funny lad”. It would not be accepted as well as it is to see a girl wearing one. On the other hand, catch a girl dressed in “masculine” wear, whether it is the rugby sports uniform, pants or a suit, it would be deemed as less of a controversy. This could be inter-linked with the role male dominance plays in society. The female dressed in “male” clothing might be deemed as more powerful because of this, yet the male dressed in the netball attire would be deemed as a laughing stock. Simply because he is emasculated. This is due to the dichotomic role emasculation and feminisation play in …show more content…
To emasculate something is similar to feminising it, yet there are distinct differences. To emasculate means to remove masculinity to something, this term has very negative connotations. It refers to the removal of an identity in a sense. To feminise something on the other hand is very contextual and holds less negative connotations. On the other hand, to defeminise something, which entails removing femininity, can be deemed as a positive transition in some regard, when in its essence, it is the same as emasculating something. This directly inter-links with the gender power struggle in society. In order to be in a position of power, you must be masculine or hold masculine qualities. To be feminine, you must be soft and gentle. These feed into mixed messages that are implemented into society. We constantly push for more women to be in positions of power, yet we expect them to demonstrate male qualities to get there. Strong is masculine, weak is