Gender is not valued or weighed by an individuals genitalia or sexuality but is constructed by what our culture labels us and how one should act or carry themselves according to your gender.
Our social institution is what shapes us into who we are, how we are suppose to dress, act, eat, walk the toys a boy or girl is suppose to play with and even down to what jobs are compatible for your gender.
In this Disney Cartoon video girls are taught to be soft spoken, kind, weak, sensitive, pretty, submissive and to stay at home and take care of the children. While boys are taught to be strong, manly, tough, leaders, aggressive and also the bread-winner of the household.
Society should let an individual decide for themselves how we want to carry ourselves in our western society and not be constructed to what they considered to be the norm for a boy or girl. We all have our own minds and we have a sense of what we can or candle not handle be it a job, profession or just being head of the household. Gender socialization is the way society wants to try and control the way we think and that's basically through the media, schools, home and rap videos.
I absolutely agree with your opening sentence. Your post reminds me of the study we discussed in class with the same infant dressed first as a "boy" and then as a "girl". It is crazy how polar the descriptive words used were for each of the genders. Then I started to think about how I would react to each of the babies; I want to believe that my responses wouldn't be what the researches suspected. I'm not quite so sure however that they wouldn't be. Although I am aware of the way society stigmatizes males and females, I think it would be second nature to describe a girl as pretty and a boy as handsome. I believe that this is the problem with gender stigmatization, that we've created something that wouldn't have been if it weren't for our expectations and pressures and then we condemn people who aren't behaving in their ascribed gender roles. Gender is learned, not innate so it is unfair to mistreat people who do not feel like they fit in to these predetermined groups. I hope one day to see less credit given to gender and more credit given to abilities, determination and personality for these are the things that really make us who we are.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this blog, men and women should be able to decide for themselves how they want to carry themselves. Not only in this video but in almost all the media, from commercials to televison shows it shape us how to act, not only do I think people of all race is stereotyped but gender is also stereotyped.
ReplyDeleteI completey agree with this post, and the video was a perfect touch. I watched the video and this was the first time that I actually saw how much we reinforce gender roles on our children. Not only are these films telling our children how boys and girls are expected to act, but they are also sending a message that women are dependant on men. In each of the Disney Princess stories, one of their goals in the film is to get their man. Each Princess goes through some journey and at the end she whinds up with her Prince. Since the audience of these films is so young, I believe relationships and having a man should not be such a huge part of the plot.
ReplyDeleteBy Ashley Rivera