Gendered behavior is something that we all see every day and participate in, whether we realize it or not. In a typical American setting, there are two genders that are associated with distinct sets of behaviors, styles of dress, modes of interactions, and likes and dislikes; the genders of male and female. Over the long holiday weekend I observed both myself and my family members performing several gendered behaviors. These gendered behaviors varied from having their nature in the way we present to the world to the ways we physically interacted with it. The first thing that I really noted was a discussion I had with my mother surrounding body hair, something that has strict rules surrounding which genders are allowed to have it and where
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Being surrounded otherwise by men, my mother often turns to me to discuss things such as makeup and hair, things that society dictates men are not supposed to be interested in. This in itself is a gendered behavior, given that she would not discuss these things with my brothers but feels free to talk about them with me. She noted that she shaves a large part of the hair on her body, including any visible hair that grows past her ankles and on to her feet, and any that grows on her toes. When I said that I didn’t bother with that, she said in a slightly disgusted voice, “so you just let yourself have hairy feet?” The expectations that women are held to regarding personal grooming are much higher than those men are held to, and adhering to them as my mother and I do …show more content…
However, when I challenge these ideas, I am met with eye rolls and responses of “why is it worth arguing about?” My response to that question is that these patterns are representative of an overall attitude our society has about the roles of men and women. This attitude goes far beyond “women need to look pretty for men” and “women are the ones who do the chores” like the examples I provided here. It contributes towards the inequalities still seen today in the workplace, media, and political
Being surrounded otherwise by men, my mother often turns to me to discuss things such as makeup and hair, things that society dictates men are not supposed to be interested in. This in itself is a gendered behavior, given that she would not discuss these things with my brothers but feels free to talk about them with me. She noted that she shaves a large part of the hair on her body, including any visible hair that grows past her ankles and on to her feet, and any that grows on her toes. When I said that I didn’t bother with that, she said in a slightly disgusted voice, “so you just let yourself have hairy feet?” The expectations that women are held to regarding personal grooming are much higher than those men are held to, and adhering to them as my mother and I do …show more content…
However, when I challenge these ideas, I am met with eye rolls and responses of “why is it worth arguing about?” My response to that question is that these patterns are representative of an overall attitude our society has about the roles of men and women. This attitude goes far beyond “women need to look pretty for men” and “women are the ones who do the chores” like the examples I provided here. It contributes towards the inequalities still seen today in the workplace, media, and political