Throughout the semester, prompts based on class readings, screenings, lectures, and discussions will be posted on this blog. Responses will be graded on their level of critical thinking, pertinence, engagement with class texts, and grammar/spelling/proofing/
length. Be sure to read the prompt carefully and fully engage with the content of the class materials. At the bottom of your response, type your FIRST NAME and the FIRST INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME (e.g. Claudia Z.).
Friday, January 27, 2017
Week One: Response 1.2
Cite two points Benshoff and Griffin make in their analysis
of gender.Considering your own
development, what specific influences created your gender as a child?Did you resist the binary?
In the piece Introduction to Part IV: What is gender? Bershoff and Griffin explain that how we identify with sex and gender starts when we are born and is engrained into our society. It is clear in this article sex and gender are different, “sex is formed by genetics, while gender is learned.” (Pg. 213) Gender is taught as soon as we enter the world and this lesson “happens consciously and unconsciously” by family, peers and media are just a few. Studies show that by the age of six many children already have determined their gender identity of either male or female. For six years females and males are taught what color to like, what toys to play with and how to behave. If they venture away from an identity they are ridiculed and shamed to believe that they must fit in with everyone else causing them to follow the binary. However, following the traditional gender roles is also detrimental to developing child as they become absorbed with what is “masculine” and “feminine”.
I myself can reflect on my own development and name specific influences that created my gender as a child. My mom taught me how to take care of myself beyond the routine brushing teeth and washing face. On the weekends she would pamper me as if I were at a salon, ‘Spa days’ as my mother would call it, where she painted my nails and styled my hair. I didn't always enjoy this treatment. At times I would be in so much pain when she would do my hair brushing hard, pulling and twisting in all directions. “Beauty is pain” a saying that I learned at an early age. However as time went on I grew to love it, getting all dolled up, It became something I was so concerned about that I would wake up early for school to get ready from head to toe. As I got older more things were added to my morning and night routine all to enhance and maintain pretty hair, skin and nails. No matter how long it took or what it was I became absorbed with looking the most feminine I could. Taking care of ones hygiene is important but the amount of maintenance that is taught to young girls is incomparable to that of young boys, who take easily five minutes to get ready.
As a child I unconsciously adhered to the binary by playing with Barbies and loving the color pink. Yet looking back at a lot of the hobbies and things I helped out with when I was young, my family didn’t limit me to strictly sticking to the binary they encouraged several activities that are considered “masculine”. Young girls aren’t supposed to be dirty or play outside instead they’re taught to be clean pretty and domesticated. Although I was clean, pretty and taught how to clean and cook I was also outside and getting dirty. Nails filled with grease I had just helped my grandpa, a mechanic, change tires, oil and spark plugs on his truck. I barely know a handful of girls that have ever done any work of any kind to their car and yet I know how too. Four in the morning time to get layers of clothes on for another long day at the lake fishing with my uncle, one of my most favorite hobbies. I grew up as girly girl that loved boy activities. My family never once stopped me from going into the garage with my grandpa or going on the boat with my uncle. They didn’t think twice about my gender and if it was something that a girl could do, they were open to me being open-minded. For two generations, my grandmother and mother divorced their husband. Growing up all my family, including my grandpa and uncle, have taught me to be independent so that I can be strong and hold myself up with out the help of a man in my life. I have grown to resist the binary and know that my gender is not going to limit me to just being a domesticated housewife.
“Developmental studies have shown that by the age of six or so, most human beings have developed an inner sense of themselves as either male or female.” “Gender is a concept deeply ingrained into our everyday lives and culture.”
Growing up my mother tried her best to try and define my appearance and gender strictly as female. She never wanted a soul to think twice about my gender. Like any 90’s toddler I had a dress for every occasion with a hat to match. I looked like a 90’s Gymboree Advertisement. I went to Sunday School with laced gloves and the ruffled socks to match. My mother would take me to the mall on weekends to have glamour shots taken. With a blue background and feathers all around, my mom standing by to make sure I smiled. These photos would be bought in bulk and mailed to family members to show how I too was fitting into the 90’s female gender mold they expected out of me. I was regularly forced into beauty pageants without my consent. My mother still talks about how, “If only I wasn’t so shy and if I would have just walked like all the other little girls. I’d be in first.” To my mother I was her puppet… I mean daughter.
To my mother’s dismay at the age of 5, I became becoming conscious of her puppeteering. I revolted against the binary she put me through. I refused a dress and kicked and screamed in your local Sears if she tried to buy me a dress. I learned that I had a voice and I was going to use it. I became a “Daddy’s Girl”, my Dad was the first person to look at me as his kid not his puppet. My dad bought me golf clubs, he taught me how to fish, how to ride a bike. He fought for me to be in basketball and was always in the stands He taught me how to do all this while my mother was in the kitchen cooking. When our team pictures were bought my mom only bought one sheet for the immediate family. She didn’t want the rest of the family to know that her daughter had officially rebelled against her.
From ages 7-13, I adopted more “masculine” traits, I wanted to be more like my Dad and rejected dresses, pink, dolls, and the girl’s scouts, my sole reasoning was because they wore skirts and I wasn’t going to be trapped in that outfit. On the weekends, I was climbing trees, hiking, playing in dirt, riding my bike, I cut my hair short because it got in the way, I said the lord wasn’t real and wouldn’t go to church, I tucked in my shirts, and wore torn converse. The only thing “girly” about me was my deep obsession with Britney Spears and the iconic schoolhouse dance in “… Baby one more time.” My mother was tending to my newborn baby sister who she could throw her projective female image on. One my sister grew up liking. My mother however, gave up on the battle but still passive aggressively questioned as to why I refused to be “girly”. Along with deeming me as a failure for not being a creation like herself.
To my luck other than my mother, the strongest women in my life, as well fought for me to not be this dainty little girl that my mother and society wanted me to be. My grandma taught me that dresses were terrible and you didn’t need them to be happy. She never bought me a doll or anything pink, two of her least favorite things. My grandma only had two sons, and didn’t want to or care to understand how to raise a girl. She thought kids should be raised however the child felt.
Now I’ve come to understand myself as someone who can identify as female, but know my sexuality and gender can both be changed to what I want them to be, and no one, but myself can change that.
"...most of the lived, everyday differences between men and women are due to culturally constructed gender roles".
"Gender is a concept ingrained into our everyday lives and culture".
At a very young age, I realized that most girls, including me, were practically enforced to follow a certain set of guidelines on 'how to be a girl'. Coming from an Asian Indian background, it was a norm for all girls, from an early age, to be decked out in heavy, embellished dresses while wearing long earrings that could tear your earlobes apart. I for one, completely despised all of it.
Starting at the age of 7, I wasn't your 'average girl'; I played basketball and soccer with all the boys while most of the girls in my class played jump rope and hopscotch. I remember all my friends and cousins teasing me for acting like a 'boy'. My mom got real concerned about me and my development of 'masculine' traits. She constantly gave me lectures to quit playing video games because "only boys play video games". My parents, in hope to change me, would buy me Bratz dolls and pink kitchen play-sets in exchange for my Mario and Duke Nukem Nintendo games; that did nothing but infuriate me even more. I refused to change.
During my middle school years, in my parents' eyes, I was becoming far worse; a 'tomboy'. The color pink made me want to barf, I only wanted to wear shoes and loose shirts. I would only listen to rap music and would watch wrestling while putting my guy cousins into headlocks. I wanted to disassociate myself from anything "girly" because I wanted to appear different to society's norm. I felt a sense of pride when people used to call me a "tomboy"; even my dad nicknamed me "mardaani" which means "manly" in Hindi. Because I correlated myself more to 'masculine' traits, I started to create a bias in my head: men, in general, are better than women.
It wasn't until high school where I realized that my state of judgement was completely false. Because I wanted to be seen differently, I had this ugly mindset of men being better than women. I became friends with a couple of girls in high school who shared both masculine and feminine traits, creating a healthy balance in their lives. They loved to wear makeup, but also enjoyed watching and playing sports. They were emotional when it came to watching movies, but were stronger than ever when it came to to lifting weights in the gym. Watching them enjoy the 'best of the both worlds' made me realize that it's okay for me to wear makeup and read romantic novels, but at the same time it was acceptable of me to be the only girl at the park playing cricket with all the boys. It opened my eyes to realize that society makes you conceive men as a superior race, when in reality, no sex is biologically dominant over the other. After explaining this to my parents, they both were more tolerable of the decisions I made in life and that it is okay for me to possess traits that are generally associated with both genders.
Two points that Benshoff and Griffin make in their analysis of gender is “By equating being female with being feminine (dependent and weak), patriarchal culture is able to discourage women from gaining power of their own” and “We get ideas about what it means to be a boy or a girl from ideological institutions such as the family, the schools, other children, and the media”. Benshoff and Griffin, with the first point, are saying that by connecting female with feminine, people are likely to accept this and follow it, therefore, not arising conflict with going against it. It makes sense to people, so people do not critically think about it and do not challenge it. The second point makes the connection between our environment and gender role influences. When we were growing up, we were told, whether we knew it or not, what ‘qualities’ were attributed to boys and which were attributed to girls.
The influences that created my gender as a child were my family, schools, and the media. I wore one dress during elementary school and never did after that. I thought I had to like dresses because I was a girl, and other girls around me, whether at school, church or just generally out in public, wore dresses. I never liked wearing dresses as a child, I preferred pants and shorts. I had a few family members tell me I should try to dress up more because I was a girl, and I never understand that growing up, but that did not influence me to ‘try’ to dress up more, that just made me want to not dress up even more. Also, when I was a teenager, I wore a lot of shorts that I had chosen from the ‘boys’ section of clothing stores. I had always felt awkward picking up shorts from the boys section, just because of the label of the section I was under, and I felt that I did not belong there or was welcome there because I was a girl. I thought it was odd buying clothes from ‘boys’ or ‘mens’ section of stores, but now a chunk of my wardrobe consists of clothes meant for the opposite gender. Growing up, my environment tried to tell me what my gender meant, and I ended up resisting it later on in life.
“From that moment on, girls are expected to like pink, be quiet, and prefer to play with dolls.”
“Gender is a concept deeply ingrained into our everyday lives and culture. It functions, like most ideologies, in both conscious and unconscious way.”
Growing up, with two older sisters, a mother who did not resist the binary, and having loads male friends around my neighborhood, my influence for my gender was varied. I can say that the greatest influence for my gender, were in fact my two older sisters, especially before allowing myself to be my own person. I remember my sisters constantly telling me at the age of ten, to wear less “boyish” clothes, to wear dresses, skirts, and shorter shorts but to not wear my torn-up jeans, with my blue Scooby Doo sweater, along with my beat-up skull vans. I also remember my mom instilling the gender binary around the presence of my male friends by being told that girls should not be playing video games, with toy guns, or with hot wheels, or even play in the dirt; that girls should play in domesticated terms, such as cleaning the house, pretending to cook and should also play with their dolls, to maternally nurture them. As my mom instilled the gender binary, I rebelled in my own way; by having the Barbie’s that I played with, the only thing is that I mixed them around with my G.I. Joes. I also never became domesticated at my young age because I quite frankly did not understand the concept of my older half-brother not picking after himself, not doing his own laundry, or not cooking for himself, and when I did ask my mom why he never did these simple tasks, her answer was always, “It’s a woman’s job to take care of the man at home.”. Although I was given a hard time by my mom and sisters to behave like a “girl”, I hated the fact that I had to stick to “girly” toys since I am a girl, and that anytime I would play with my “boyish” toys, I was considered a tomboy; I never understood the big uproar over a simple thing, such as toys.
This rebellion of the gender binary changed, when I was about fourteen years of age. The moment I realized this change was when my sisters would do their makeup in the living room, all while telling me that I should wear makeup and dress “girly”. As I always felt this pressure to be like my sisters, I gave into the gender binary at the age where I was still developing, mentally and physically. As that went on, I remember feeling so uncomfortable while conforming to the gender binary, and so I stopped.
As the makeup stopped, the pressure from others towards myself to dress more “femme” stopped, I started to do anything that would make me feel more so like myself at 16 years old. From there onwards, I started playing with video games, riding my bike, playing the drums, doing things that I felt content with. As I was comfortable to be myself, I was of course looked at different by my peers, but I did not care; I was finally comfortable with myself that still continues onto my present being. A mindset that I was able to realize at the age of 16, so young but yet so aware from her surroundings; to not conform to the binary, to not allow my own family to tell me what fits my identity, and to always allow my own comfort to come first.
Benshoff and Griffin offer a thoughtful analysis on what it means to be masculine or feminine in United States society in “What is Gender?” Their examination of societal norms and expectations offers an opportunity of retrospection on my own experiences as a female growing up in the United States.
When I was younger, I felt a strong need to go against whatever norms were considered “feminine.” I played video games, rejected barbies, purposefully dressed in “boyish” clothes, and felt a strong sense of pride whenever someone deemed me a “tomboy.” Looking back, it is clear that I thought being a boy or more boy-like was preferable to being a girl. I would think to myself that showing feminine qualities made me somehow weaker and pathetic. Benshoff and Griffin offer an explanation for this feeling when they state that, in our society, a “girl being masculine is a ‘step up’ in the gender hierarchy, whereas a boy being sensitive is a ‘step down.’”
The ideas I had about equating feminine qualities with weakness did not come from within; they are ideas that have been perpetuated by society and that have been ingrained within me since I was a young girl. Benshoff and Griffin further this point when they mention the classical Hollywood narrative form, which consists of men being portrayed as the “active and powerful heroes of Hollywood” and women playing the “role of love interest waiting to be rescued.” Of course, as a child, I had not developed the analytical skills required to help me recognize that this was an unhealthy view of my place in society.
The only thing I wanted when I was a child was to be seen as “cool” and “strong,” and being as boyish as I possibly could seemed like the simplest way to achieve this. It is clear that there is an underlying tone in society and media that insists that being “manly” is clearly and simply just better than being “feminine.”
“Women who want a career may accept being housewives because they feel that is what is expected of them.” “Developmental studies with children have shown that by the age of six or so, most human beings have developed and inner sense of themselves as either male or female.” My parents are traditional Vietnamese Americans who came to America during the Vietnam war. The thought of a trans, gay, lesbian, or someone who identifies as the opposite gender in regards to their sex is a very obscure topic for them. In their eyes, if you were biologically female you would be referred to as such. Growing up I have never really thought about being referred to as the other gender(male), nor would I think to identify as one. I feel as though I was never given the choice between identifying as a boy or a girl. However, I never doubted my gender, and accepted being a girl because my mother would not only refer to me as a female, she would expect me to behave like a “lady.” For example, I remember as a child I wanted to ride a skateboard, she would tell me no and that skating is for boys, and if I fell, I would scrape my face and I will be ugly. If I sat with my legs open, even if I am wearing pants, to this day she will still tell me “sit properly ladies do not sit like that.” I would always tell her “then I am not a Lady,” which would make her slightly uncomfortable and I said it because I knew it would make her uncomfortable. I don't think I ever resisted the binary because I wanted to be referred to as a male, but because I have always been strong minded and did not like the idea that “this is for guys and you are a girl so you cannot associate yourself with this masculine object or subject.” For example, when I was in first grade, I saw a group of boys playing soccer and I wanted to play so I asked if I can join in. They told me I couldn't because I was a girl and it was a boy’s game and that I should jump rope with the other girls instead. I responded by running into the game and trying to play anyway, but when I scored, the guys got upset and just stopped playing. This upset me to the point where my hot-headed mind was enraged and this event made me even more stubborn. Around that age was when I developed the mindset that whatever a boy can do a girl can do the same. At a young age, I developed this mindset and have used it throughout my life especially when I felt discouraged in a field that was dominated by male. My brother never doubted my abilities. He was always supportive, but when it came to careers he wanted me to be realistic. When I told him the ideas that I had in a career choice, he would always make me doubt myself. Ideas like sports medicine trainer or chiropractor seemed way out of reach because he described those jobs as fields dominated by male and that I would never catch a break. While at times he fed to my ambition, there were times like this where he would remind me that I am a woman and that I should stick with careers that are safe and are generally dominated by women because then I would have a “fighting chance.” Even still, my thick skull ignored his so called “warning,” and I am working towards a position in medical school to become an orthopedic doctor with a specialty in sports medicine. Even though my parents always taught me that I was a girl and not a boy, and my brother telling me to aim for a “realistic career,” I never felt deprived of life or opportunities. Sure, there were times where I have been discriminated against as a woman, but that will not stop me from striving for the best and will not discourage me from working hard.
In Benshoff and Griffin’s article on gender, they explain all that relates to the word gender and further educate their audience on the difference between the words sex and gender. They state that most people tend to think the two terms mean relatively the same thing in spite of their being different dictionary meanings to each word. The article then goes on to explain roles in our daily lives as interconnected with gender. A point that stood out at me was the reference to femininity (that is associated with women) always seen as inferior traits to masculinity traits. A while back, I remember reading an article that said the worst insults a person could be called, are related to “women traits”. A portrayal of this in Benshoff and Griffin’s piece where it states, “A girl being masculine is a “step up” in the gender hierarchy, whereas a boy being sensitive is a “step down” to the level of the feminine, and must therefore be more harshly condemned”. Evidence of this is applies in real life incidents where gay men are more socially scrutinized, and discriminated against than lesbian women are. Another point that stood out to me was the fact that some men tend to refer to inanimate objects as females. The example of the car and ship used in the article that then apply a reasoning that might infer to a man’s ego. Not only is this big nice expensive ship or car a way for them to show off their class, giving these objects female pronouns makes it that much more satisfactory for them. Linking to the fact that much like women are objectified therefore this could be viewed as, normal to them maybe even relating the appealing body structure of a fancy car to the body of a woman. Growing up with a Latino upbringing, these gender norms were very much applied in my household. There was a lot of reference to gender space in my house. The fact that every room in the house including the front and back yard was a gender space. I was told quite often that a woman’s place was in the kitchen. How the cooking and cleaning had to be done by the women in the family. I struggled through my childhood to understand the fairness in having me do the cleaning inside the house while my brothers did very little chores that involved “heavy” labor like taking out the trash and cutting the grass. I did fall into this binary. It was not until I was in high school that I began to see the flaw and damage in the ways that I was brought up. Luckily being in the United States has influenced my parents in a good way in them seeing that the old fashion ways of raising a boy or a girl can cause issues and have since been more open minded to the reality of it all. As have I been educated and continue to be on ways this can change. Jennyfer A.
“The word gender… refers to the social, historical, and cultural roles that we think of as being associated with either the male or female sex” (Benshoff & Griffin 214). Growing up my gender is very much so rooted in social and cultural cues that have been given to me all my life. There was never a moment I questioned that my gender was other than female. From the cues given by my father who acted as the breadwinner and head of the house hold. The man with the final say and the stern and less empathetic attitude. Also from the cues received from my mother who cooked, cleaned and took care of my brother and I. The woman who need not work but who also need not step out of line or forget her place. The woman with empathy and a kind heart. Being that I also grew up in quite a traditional Vietnamese household these gender binaries hold even more true and steadfast. This is where it is so true when Benshoff and Griffin state, “Sexism is pervasive in our society, and usually expressed as the patriarchal assumption that men are more capable or “better” human beings than women” (Benshoff & Griffin 214). Vietnamese culture is a very heavily sexist culture; not saying that it is more so than another. Just saying that from my own experience that sexism is deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture. So, from the moment I was born it was a constant reminder to “sit like a lady”, “don’t whistle, it’s not ladylike”, “don’t laugh too loud, it’s not ladylike”. I was conditioned the minute I was born to conform to society’s gender binary. Today I do still identify as a cis gender woman. Yet I try to make a conscious effort to not fall or pigeonhole myself into said gender binaries. Things like not pushing gender rolls onto other people like my baby brother in what toys he chooses to play with or the clothes he likes to wear. Also, remembering not to push gender roles into my relationships; anyone can take out the trash and anyone can learn to fix a car (and should!). Victoria L.
( Cite two points Benshoff and Griffin make in their analysis of gender) • "A girl being masculine is a "step up" in the gender hierarchy, whereas a boy being sensitive is a "step down'" to the level of the feminine, and must therefore be more harshly condemned." • "These binary oppositions that we use to define traditional gender can some times be internalized and lock us into very narrow roles that may not be good for us." (Considering your own development, what specific influences created your gender as a child?) When I look back at my childhood I remember that my father and aunt had the greatest influence in my development. My father is a contractor and mechanic, so he always pushed me to get my hands dirty and to do things that the "typical" girl would not. Every week I would end up going to The Home Depot with him and being nearly the only little girl with her father walking around. He would teach me about different tools, let me touch everything and really be evolved in his work. There were days where he would work on his car and let me be his personal helper. I would learn all the parts to the car and my favorite, get play in the oil. I felt at sometimes I was actually a little boy while hanging with my dad. And questioned why I never notice other girls that did the things I did with my dad. On the flip side he would still make sure I kept up with my hygiene, presented myself like a lady and strangely keep my nails and feet done. While my aunt, on the other hand was the total opposite of my dad. When I stayed with her my life was very structured. She made sure that 100% of the time I presented my femininity. She did hair so she would always make sure my hair was not a mess, especially being in the African American society where the girls hair is an important asset. I can still remember all the different styles and hearing everyone say "Aww, you are such a pretty girl and your hair is gorgeous." Which I would hardly hear when I was with my dad. When we went out to shop there was no self choice in what I wanted, she choose everything for me. I was forced to wear dresses, skirts, girly shoes. She made sure that I knew what it look like to be a girl and what it felt like.
(Did you resist the binary?) While my dad was very open with allowing me to just be me and my aunt very closed of in letting me express myself, I still developed my own sense of self. Behind closed doors and in my own safe space I rejected a lot of the binary. I hated wearing overly expressive girly clothes, dresses skirts, flashy outfits. I would sneak into my brothers closet and wear some of his shirts and sweats. I hated to play with dolls, and playing in make up. A big on that I can remember is that I hate playing big girl dress up. Even though I did not like a lot of girly things I still enjoyed looking nice, smelling good and being clean. As I got older I became more girly, did more girly things and dress more girly just with a "boyish”, as I would call it, attitude. Now today, I do not play by any standards, I just do what ever I feel, dress how ever I feel, regardless if it is stereotyped as male or female. I also think it is fun to resist the binary because I get a greater reaction out of people and it stirs up a better conversation. -Lenora C
"While most scholars today believe that there is a biological basis for some differences between the sexes, they also acknowledge that most of the lived, everyday differences between men and women are due to culturally constructed gender roles. In other words, a person's sex is formed by genetics, while a person's gender is learned." I want to start by saying that I take issue with the overly-generalized nature of this conclusion. To explain: The quote begins by saying there's now a scientific understanding that both biology and culture influence gender roles, only to jump to the ultimate conclusion that "a person's sex is formed by genetics, while a person's gender is learned." I understand the authors are attempting to clarify a point, but it does no good for either the reader nor for the movement as a whole to publish an oversimplification as truth. Both biological and cultural factors are shown to contribute to a person's gender. A discussion about gender identities and gender roles should necessarily be framed by current scientific understanding. To promote discussion based upon at oversimplification is inaccurate and unhelpful. "Developmental studies with children have shown that by the age of six or so, most human beings have developed an inner sense of themselves as either male or female. This is termed our gender identity." I've never had occasion to question my own gender identity. I'm male. I don't subscribe to this cultural position that because I am a biological male, or because I identify as male, I must behave a certain way. I have always been more compassionate and empathetic than the majority of me peers. I sometimes felt pressured or belittled for this as an adolescent, but those traits have remained a part of me. As a small child I had one of those Lisa Frank binders, with all the bright colored animals on it. I got it because I liked it and I'd seen other kids with it that I thought were cool. After bringing it to school, I found out, through being bullied by other children, that that was a 'girl binder.' I can recall various similar instances, but I remember always feeling uncomfortable that others had such strong opinions and assumptions about how I should behave. I generally shied away from disappointing them, but always felt that was weird and wrong.
In “Introduction to Part IV” Benshoff and Griffin discuss the difference between sex and gender, how gender identity is constructed, and how the hegemonic gender binary reflects western patriarchal society. They state that, “we get ideas of what it means to be a boy or a girl from ideological institutions such as family, the schools, other children, and the media.”(p215) Reflecting on my own upbring I certainly find this statement to be true. My mother was an emergency room nurse how often worked night shifts but still made sure my sister and I were up, dressed, and ready for school at the end of her shift. She would often tell us of how she was helping people every day while relating the difficulties of dealing with ‘high and mighty’ doctors and extremely frustrated patients. At home she did both the housework and handywork, which is unsurprising since her mother before her helped to build her childhood home. I thought she was a superhero and I strived to be her. Benshoff and Griffin also state that, “sexism, like racism, may also work in reverse-there are some women who feel that being a woman is essentially better than being a man.”(214) Though I do not entirely agree with that statement as sexism and racism are institutions and so they cannot really be reversed, the sentiment is true as I was one of those women. Since my family is matriarchal, the men always seemed to play second fiddle to their wives and mothers. This is why even at a young age I could never understand how men could consider themselves better than women let alone that women were inherently weak. Growing up to be a strong independent woman was a matter of pride for our family. Men were useless in my eyes as women could do everything, they were unnecessary. When other kids and the media saying that this was “wrong” I vehemently resisted the binary. By seven years old I hated pink and everything it stood for. Though I now know that pink is not the enemy, I still have to remind myself the men aren’t either. -Megan R.
In “What is Gender” Film Scholars Benshoff and Griffin briefly examine the differences between sex—a biological characteristic—and gender—a learned behavior prescribed to a sex (215). Though short, Benshoff and Griffin’s piece leaves one with the understanding that gender is a socially constructed norm that shapes one’s daily life and influences the decisions one may makes throughout the day. For instance, to fit into one’s role, the authors claim that a man may refuse to cry and woman may let go of her dream job because such actions or careers may not fit one’s gendered norm (216). It is important to note, however, that the authors recognize that while gender norms are a prominent part of a culture’s ideologies, both men and women have broken through them—some with more success than others (214). The formation of my own notions of gender, particularly in regards to my view of masculinity, is one that I have been thinking about on long drives and nights for quite some time. Other than picking my clothes out for me, I cannot say I recall any incidents of my parents dictating my behavior along masculine lines. I feel fortunate in this regard. As a child I recall I was much like Andy from the film Toy Story who while playing with his action figures borrowed his sister’s Barbie doll and incorporated her into his play. However in the world of covert missions and military actions that my action figures lived in, Barbie was expected to hold her own and was regularly donned with grenades and daggers. Why didn’t my parents have a problem with this? When recently asked, they both laughed and said because they did not want to intrude on their child’s playtime. As I grew out of action figures I adopted activities that are traditionally consider masculine--BMX, skateboarding, surfing—all without a second thought. My friends and I enjoyed these activities, so it seemed normal. It was not until middle school that I began to think about masculinity. It began simply as a joke. The word beaner was slurred out and everyone laughed. It happened again the next day; this time at my expense. I confronted the offender and he told me to kick back, I was not one of “them”. “Them” being the cowardly Mexican who only fought in groups because he was not man enough to fight on his own. “Them” meaning not me because I skated and surfed. I knocked him out. It was at this point that I learned that masculinity was defined and defended through toughness. I set out to become the toughest twelve year old Mexican around. I became unapproachable and suspension for fighting was a regular occurrence. I learned that the tough guy/bad boy image brought popularity and most importantly, girls. Yet I was unhappy because I had to defend my image every day. It was not until I saw my father breakdown in front of me for my actions that I realized what masculinity meant. I understood that there was other forms to release emotion, crying was not weakness… Efrain S
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DeleteIn the piece Introduction to Part IV: What is gender? Bershoff and Griffin explain that how we identify with sex and gender starts when we are born and is engrained into our society. It is clear in this article sex and gender are different, “sex is formed by genetics, while gender is learned.” (Pg. 213) Gender is taught as soon as we enter the world and this lesson “happens consciously and unconsciously” by family, peers and media are just a few. Studies show that by the age of six many children already have determined their gender identity of either male or female. For six years females and males are taught what color to like, what toys to play with and how to behave. If they venture away from an identity they are ridiculed and shamed to believe that they must fit in with everyone else causing them to follow the binary. However, following the traditional gender roles is also detrimental to developing child as they become absorbed with what is “masculine” and “feminine”.
I myself can reflect on my own development and name specific influences that created my gender as a child. My mom taught me how to take care of myself beyond the routine brushing teeth and washing face. On the weekends she would pamper me as if I were at a salon, ‘Spa days’ as my mother would call it, where she painted my nails and styled my hair. I didn't always enjoy this treatment. At times I would be in so much pain when she would do my hair brushing hard, pulling and twisting in all directions. “Beauty is pain” a saying that I learned at an early age. However as time went on I grew to love it, getting all dolled up, It became something I was so concerned about that I would wake up early for school to get ready from head to toe. As I got older more things were added to my morning and night routine all to enhance and maintain pretty hair, skin and nails. No matter how long it took or what it was I became absorbed with looking the most feminine I could. Taking care of ones hygiene is important but the amount of maintenance that is taught to young girls is incomparable to that of young boys, who take easily five minutes to get ready.
As a child I unconsciously adhered to the binary by playing with Barbies and loving the color pink. Yet looking back at a lot of the hobbies and things I helped out with when I was young, my family didn’t limit me to strictly sticking to the binary they encouraged several activities that are considered “masculine”. Young girls aren’t supposed to be dirty or play outside instead they’re taught to be clean pretty and domesticated. Although I was clean, pretty and taught how to clean and cook I was also outside and getting dirty. Nails filled with grease I had just helped my grandpa, a mechanic, change tires, oil and spark plugs on his truck. I barely know a handful of girls that have ever done any work of any kind to their car and yet I know how too. Four in the morning time to get layers of clothes on for another long day at the lake fishing with my uncle, one of my most favorite hobbies. I grew up as girly girl that loved boy activities. My family never once stopped me from going into the garage with my grandpa or going on the boat with my uncle. They didn’t think twice about my gender and if it was something that a girl could do, they were open to me being open-minded. For two generations, my grandmother and mother divorced their husband. Growing up all my family, including my grandpa and uncle, have taught me to be independent so that I can be strong and hold myself up with out the help of a man in my life. I have grown to resist the binary and know that my gender is not going to limit me to just being a domesticated housewife.
Alexis S.
“Developmental studies have shown that by the age of six or so, most human beings have developed an inner sense of themselves as either male or female.”
ReplyDelete“Gender is a concept deeply ingrained into our everyday lives and culture.”
Growing up my mother tried her best to try and define my appearance and gender strictly as female. She never wanted a soul to think twice about my gender. Like any 90’s toddler I had a dress for every occasion with a hat to match. I looked like a 90’s Gymboree Advertisement. I went to Sunday School with laced gloves and the ruffled socks to match. My mother would take me to the mall on weekends to have glamour shots taken. With a blue background and feathers all around, my mom standing by to make sure I smiled. These photos would be bought in bulk and mailed to family members to show how I too was fitting into the 90’s female gender mold they expected out of me. I was regularly forced into beauty pageants without my consent. My mother still talks about how, “If only I wasn’t so shy and if I would have just walked like all the other little girls. I’d be in first.” To my mother I was her puppet… I mean daughter.
To my mother’s dismay at the age of 5, I became becoming conscious of her puppeteering. I revolted against the binary she put me through. I refused a dress and kicked and screamed in your local Sears if she tried to buy me a dress. I learned that I had a voice and I was going to use it. I became a “Daddy’s Girl”, my Dad was the first person to look at me as his kid not his puppet. My dad bought me golf clubs, he taught me how to fish, how to ride a bike. He fought for me to be in basketball and was always in the stands He taught me how to do all this while my mother was in the kitchen cooking. When our team pictures were bought my mom only bought one sheet for the immediate family. She didn’t want the rest of the family to know that her daughter had officially rebelled against her.
From ages 7-13, I adopted more “masculine” traits, I wanted to be more like my Dad and rejected dresses, pink, dolls, and the girl’s scouts, my sole reasoning was because they wore skirts and I wasn’t going to be trapped in that outfit. On the weekends, I was climbing trees, hiking, playing in dirt, riding my bike, I cut my hair short because it got in the way, I said the lord wasn’t real and wouldn’t go to church, I tucked in my shirts, and wore torn converse. The only thing “girly” about me was my deep obsession with Britney Spears and the iconic schoolhouse dance in “… Baby one more time.” My mother was tending to my newborn baby sister who she could throw her projective female image on. One my sister grew up liking. My mother however, gave up on the battle but still passive aggressively questioned as to why I refused to be “girly”. Along with deeming me as a failure for not being a creation like herself.
To my luck other than my mother, the strongest women in my life, as well fought for me to not be this dainty little girl that my mother and society wanted me to be. My grandma taught me that dresses were terrible and you didn’t need them to be happy. She never bought me a doll or anything pink, two of her least favorite things. My grandma only had two sons, and didn’t want to or care to understand how to raise a girl. She thought kids should be raised however the child felt.
Now I’ve come to understand myself as someone who can identify as female, but know my sexuality and gender can both be changed to what I want them to be, and no one, but myself can change that.
Ashley L.
"...most of the lived, everyday differences between men and women are due to culturally constructed gender roles".
ReplyDelete"Gender is a concept ingrained into our everyday lives and culture".
At a very young age, I realized that most girls, including me, were practically enforced to follow a certain set of guidelines on 'how to be a girl'. Coming from an Asian Indian background, it was a norm for all girls, from an early age, to be decked out in heavy, embellished dresses while wearing long earrings that could tear your earlobes apart. I for one, completely despised all of it.
Starting at the age of 7, I wasn't your 'average girl'; I played basketball and soccer with all the boys while most of the girls in my class played jump rope and hopscotch. I remember all my friends and cousins teasing me for acting like a 'boy'. My mom got real concerned about me and my development of 'masculine' traits. She constantly gave me lectures to quit playing video games because "only boys play video games". My parents, in hope to change me, would buy me Bratz dolls and pink kitchen play-sets in exchange for my Mario and Duke Nukem Nintendo games; that did nothing but infuriate me even more. I refused to change.
During my middle school years, in my parents' eyes, I was becoming far worse; a 'tomboy'. The color pink made me want to barf, I only wanted to wear shoes and loose shirts. I would only listen to rap music and would watch wrestling while putting my guy cousins into headlocks. I wanted to disassociate myself from anything "girly" because I wanted to appear different to society's norm. I felt a sense of pride when people used to call me a "tomboy"; even my dad nicknamed me "mardaani" which means "manly" in Hindi. Because I correlated myself more to 'masculine' traits, I started to create a bias in my head: men, in general, are better than women.
It wasn't until high school where I realized that my state of judgement was completely false. Because I wanted to be seen differently, I had this ugly mindset of men being better than women. I became friends with a couple of girls in high school who shared both masculine and feminine traits, creating a healthy balance in their lives. They loved to wear makeup, but also enjoyed watching and playing sports. They were emotional when it came to watching movies, but were stronger than ever when it came to to lifting weights in the gym. Watching them enjoy the 'best of the both worlds' made me realize that it's okay for me to wear makeup and read romantic novels, but at the same time it was acceptable of me to be the only girl at the park playing cricket with all the boys. It opened my eyes to realize that society makes you conceive men as a superior race, when in reality, no sex is biologically dominant over the other. After explaining this to my parents, they both were more tolerable of the decisions I made in life and that it is okay for me to possess traits that are generally associated with both genders.
-Anam R.
Two points that Benshoff and Griffin make in their analysis of gender is “By equating being female with being feminine (dependent and weak), patriarchal culture is able to discourage women from gaining power of their own” and “We get ideas about what it means to be a boy or a girl from ideological institutions such as the family, the schools, other children, and the media”. Benshoff and Griffin, with the first point, are saying that by connecting female with feminine, people are likely to accept this and follow it, therefore, not arising conflict with going against it. It makes sense to people, so people do not critically think about it and do not challenge it. The second point makes the connection between our environment and gender role influences. When we were growing up, we were told, whether we knew it or not, what ‘qualities’ were attributed to boys and which were attributed to girls.
ReplyDeleteThe influences that created my gender as a child were my family, schools, and the media. I wore one dress during elementary school and never did after that. I thought I had to like dresses because I was a girl, and other girls around me, whether at school, church or just generally out in public, wore dresses. I never liked wearing dresses as a child, I preferred pants and shorts. I had a few family members tell me I should try to dress up more because I was a girl, and I never understand that growing up, but that did not influence me to ‘try’ to dress up more, that just made me want to not dress up even more. Also, when I was a teenager, I wore a lot of shorts that I had chosen from the ‘boys’ section of clothing stores. I had always felt awkward picking up shorts from the boys section, just because of the label of the section I was under, and I felt that I did not belong there or was welcome there because I was a girl. I thought it was odd buying clothes from ‘boys’ or ‘mens’ section of stores, but now a chunk of my wardrobe consists of clothes meant for the opposite gender. Growing up, my environment tried to tell me what my gender meant, and I ended up resisting it later on in life.
-Lorena C.
“From that moment on, girls are expected to like pink, be quiet, and prefer to play with dolls.”
ReplyDelete“Gender is a concept deeply ingrained into our everyday lives and culture. It functions, like most ideologies, in both conscious and unconscious way.”
Growing up, with two older sisters, a mother who did not resist the binary, and having loads male friends around my neighborhood, my influence for my gender was varied. I can say that the greatest influence for my gender, were in fact my two older sisters, especially before allowing myself to be my own person. I remember my sisters constantly telling me at the age of ten, to wear less “boyish” clothes, to wear dresses, skirts, and shorter shorts but to not wear my torn-up jeans, with my blue Scooby Doo sweater, along with my beat-up skull vans. I also remember my mom instilling the gender binary around the presence of my male friends by being told that girls should not be playing video games, with toy guns, or with hot wheels, or even play in the dirt; that girls should play in domesticated terms, such as cleaning the house, pretending to cook and should also play with their dolls, to maternally nurture them. As my mom instilled the gender binary, I rebelled in my own way; by having the Barbie’s that I played with, the only thing is that I mixed them around with my G.I. Joes. I also never became domesticated at my young age because I quite frankly did not understand the concept of my older half-brother not picking after himself, not doing his own laundry, or not cooking for himself, and when I did ask my mom why he never did these simple tasks, her answer was always, “It’s a woman’s job to take care of the man at home.”. Although I was given a hard time by my mom and sisters to behave like a “girl”, I hated the fact that I had to stick to “girly” toys since I am a girl, and that anytime I would play with my “boyish” toys, I was considered a tomboy; I never understood the big uproar over a simple thing, such as toys.
This rebellion of the gender binary changed, when I was about fourteen years of age. The moment I realized this change was when my sisters would do their makeup in the living room, all while telling me that I should wear makeup and dress “girly”. As I always felt this pressure to be like my sisters, I gave into the gender binary at the age where I was still developing, mentally and physically. As that went on, I remember feeling so uncomfortable while conforming to the gender binary, and so I stopped.
As the makeup stopped, the pressure from others towards myself to dress more “femme” stopped, I started to do anything that would make me feel more so like myself at 16 years old. From there onwards, I started playing with video games, riding my bike, playing the drums, doing things that I felt content with. As I was comfortable to be myself, I was of course looked at different by my peers, but I did not care; I was finally comfortable with myself that still continues onto my present being. A mindset that I was able to realize at the age of 16, so young but yet so aware from her surroundings; to not conform to the binary, to not allow my own family to tell me what fits my identity, and to always allow my own comfort to come first.
-Kim S.
Benshoff and Griffin offer a thoughtful analysis on what it means to be masculine or feminine in United States society in “What is Gender?” Their examination of societal norms and expectations offers an opportunity of retrospection on my own experiences as a female growing up in the United States.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I felt a strong need to go against whatever norms were considered “feminine.” I played video games, rejected barbies, purposefully dressed in “boyish” clothes, and felt a strong sense of pride whenever someone deemed me a “tomboy.” Looking back, it is clear that I thought being a boy or more boy-like was preferable to being a girl. I would think to myself that showing feminine qualities made me somehow weaker and pathetic. Benshoff and Griffin offer an explanation for this feeling when they state that, in our society, a “girl being masculine is a ‘step up’ in the gender hierarchy, whereas a boy being sensitive is a ‘step down.’”
The ideas I had about equating feminine qualities with weakness did not come from within; they are ideas that have been perpetuated by society and that have been ingrained within me since I was a young girl. Benshoff and Griffin further this point when they mention the classical Hollywood narrative form, which consists of men being portrayed as the “active and powerful heroes of Hollywood” and women playing the “role of love interest waiting to be rescued.” Of course, as a child, I had not developed the analytical skills required to help me recognize that this was an unhealthy view of my place in society.
The only thing I wanted when I was a child was to be seen as “cool” and “strong,” and being as boyish as I possibly could seemed like the simplest way to achieve this. It is clear that there is an underlying tone in society and media that insists that being “manly” is clearly and simply just better than being “feminine.”
Helen P.
“Women who want a career may accept being housewives because they feel that is what is expected of them.”
ReplyDelete“Developmental studies with children have shown that by the age of six or so, most human beings have developed and inner sense of themselves as either male or female.”
My parents are traditional Vietnamese Americans who came to America during the Vietnam war. The thought of a trans, gay, lesbian, or someone who identifies as the opposite gender in regards to their sex is a very obscure topic for them. In their eyes, if you were biologically female you would be referred to as such. Growing up I have never really thought about being referred to as the other gender(male), nor would I think to identify as one. I feel as though I was never given the choice between identifying as a boy or a girl. However, I never doubted my gender, and accepted being a girl because my mother would not only refer to me as a female, she would expect me to behave like a “lady.” For example, I remember as a child I wanted to ride a skateboard, she would tell me no and that skating is for boys, and if I fell, I would scrape my face and I will be ugly. If I sat with my legs open, even if I am wearing pants, to this day she will still tell me “sit properly ladies do not sit like that.” I would always tell her “then I am not a Lady,” which would make her slightly uncomfortable and I said it because I knew it would make her uncomfortable.
I don't think I ever resisted the binary because I wanted to be referred to as a male, but because I have always been strong minded and did not like the idea that “this is for guys and you are a girl so you cannot associate yourself with this masculine object or subject.” For example, when I was in first grade, I saw a group of boys playing soccer and I wanted to play so I asked if I can join in. They told me I couldn't because I was a girl and it was a boy’s game and that I should jump rope with the other girls instead. I responded by running into the game and trying to play anyway, but when I scored, the guys got upset and just stopped playing. This upset me to the point where my hot-headed mind was enraged and this event made me even more stubborn. Around that age was when I developed the mindset that whatever a boy can do a girl can do the same. At a young age, I developed this mindset and have used it throughout my life especially when I felt discouraged in a field that was dominated by male.
My brother never doubted my abilities. He was always supportive, but when it came to careers he wanted me to be realistic. When I told him the ideas that I had in a career choice, he would always make me doubt myself. Ideas like sports medicine trainer or chiropractor seemed way out of reach because he described those jobs as fields dominated by male and that I would never catch a break. While at times he fed to my ambition, there were times like this where he would remind me that I am a woman and that I should stick with careers that are safe and are generally dominated by women because then I would have a “fighting chance.” Even still, my thick skull ignored his so called “warning,” and I am working towards a position in medical school to become an orthopedic doctor with a specialty in sports medicine.
Even though my parents always taught me that I was a girl and not a boy, and my brother telling me to aim for a “realistic career,” I never felt deprived of life or opportunities. Sure, there were times where I have been discriminated against as a woman, but that will not stop me from striving for the best and will not discourage me from working hard.
Christine N.
In Benshoff and Griffin’s article on gender, they explain all that relates to the word gender and further educate their audience on the difference between the words sex and gender. They state that most people tend to think the two terms mean relatively the same thing in spite of their being different dictionary meanings to each word. The article then goes on to explain roles in our daily lives as interconnected with gender. A point that stood out at me was the reference to femininity (that is associated with women) always seen as inferior traits to masculinity traits. A while back, I remember reading an article that said the worst insults a person could be called, are related to “women traits”. A portrayal of this in Benshoff and Griffin’s piece where it states, “A girl being masculine is a “step up” in the gender hierarchy, whereas a boy being sensitive is a “step down” to the level of the feminine, and must therefore be more harshly condemned”. Evidence of this is applies in real life incidents where gay men are more socially scrutinized, and discriminated against than lesbian women are. Another point that stood out to me was the fact that some men tend to refer to inanimate objects as females. The example of the car and ship used in the article that then apply a reasoning that might infer to a man’s ego. Not only is this big nice expensive ship or car a way for them to show off their class, giving these objects female pronouns makes it that much more satisfactory for them. Linking to the fact that much like women are objectified therefore this could be viewed as, normal to them maybe even relating the appealing body structure of a fancy car to the body of a woman.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up with a Latino upbringing, these gender norms were very much applied in my household. There was a lot of reference to gender space in my house. The fact that every room in the house including the front and back yard was a gender space. I was told quite often that a woman’s place was in the kitchen. How the cooking and cleaning had to be done by the women in the family. I struggled through my childhood to understand the fairness in having me do the cleaning inside the house while my brothers did very little chores that involved “heavy” labor like taking out the trash and cutting the grass. I did fall into this binary. It was not until I was in high school that I began to see the flaw and damage in the ways that I was brought up. Luckily being in the United States has influenced my parents in a good way in them seeing that the old fashion ways of raising a boy or a girl can cause issues and have since been more open minded to the reality of it all. As have I been educated and continue to be on ways this can change.
Jennyfer A.
“The word gender… refers to the social, historical, and cultural roles that we think of as being associated with either the male or female sex” (Benshoff & Griffin 214). Growing up my gender is very much so rooted in social and cultural cues that have been given to me all my life. There was never a moment I questioned that my gender was other than female. From the cues given by my father who acted as the breadwinner and head of the house hold. The man with the final say and the stern and less empathetic attitude. Also from the cues received from my mother who cooked, cleaned and took care of my brother and I. The woman who need not work but who also need not step out of line or forget her place. The woman with empathy and a kind heart. Being that I also grew up in quite a traditional Vietnamese household these gender binaries hold even more true and steadfast. This is where it is so true when Benshoff and Griffin state, “Sexism is pervasive in our society, and usually expressed as the patriarchal assumption that men are more capable or “better” human beings than women” (Benshoff & Griffin 214). Vietnamese culture is a very heavily sexist culture; not saying that it is more so than another. Just saying that from my own experience that sexism is deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture. So, from the moment I was born it was a constant reminder to “sit like a lady”, “don’t whistle, it’s not ladylike”, “don’t laugh too loud, it’s not ladylike”. I was conditioned the minute I was born to conform to society’s gender binary. Today I do still identify as a cis gender woman. Yet I try to make a conscious effort to not fall or pigeonhole myself into said gender binaries. Things like not pushing gender rolls onto other people like my baby brother in what toys he chooses to play with or the clothes he likes to wear. Also, remembering not to push gender roles into my relationships; anyone can take out the trash and anyone can learn to fix a car (and should!).
ReplyDeleteVictoria L.
( Cite two points Benshoff and Griffin make in their analysis of gender)
ReplyDelete• "A girl being masculine is a "step up" in the gender hierarchy, whereas a boy being sensitive is a "step down'" to the level of the feminine, and must therefore be more harshly condemned."
• "These binary oppositions that we use to define traditional gender can some times be internalized and lock us into very narrow roles that may not be good for us."
(Considering your own development, what specific influences created your gender as a child?)
When I look back at my childhood I remember that my father and aunt had the greatest influence in my development. My father is a contractor and mechanic, so he always pushed me to get my hands dirty and to do things that the "typical" girl would not. Every week I would end up going to The Home Depot with him and being nearly the only little girl with her father walking around. He would teach me about different tools, let me touch everything and really be evolved in his work. There were days where he would work on his car and let me be his personal helper. I would learn all the parts to the car and my favorite, get play in the oil. I felt at sometimes I was actually a little boy while hanging with my dad. And questioned why I never notice other girls that did the things I did with my dad. On the flip side he would still make sure I kept up with my hygiene, presented myself like a lady and strangely keep my nails and feet done. While my aunt, on the other hand was the total opposite of my dad. When I stayed with her my life was very structured. She made sure that 100% of the time I presented my femininity. She did hair so she would always make sure my hair was not a mess, especially being in the African American society where the girls hair is an important asset. I can still remember all the different styles and hearing everyone say "Aww, you are such a pretty girl and your hair is gorgeous." Which I would hardly hear when I was with my dad. When we went out to shop there was no self choice in what I wanted, she choose everything for me. I was forced to wear dresses, skirts, girly shoes. She made sure that I knew what it look like to be a girl and what it felt like.
(Did you resist the binary?)
While my dad was very open with allowing me to just be me and my aunt very closed of in letting me express myself, I still developed my own sense of self. Behind closed doors and in my own safe space I rejected a lot of the binary. I hated wearing overly expressive girly clothes, dresses skirts, flashy outfits. I would sneak into my brothers closet and wear some of his shirts and sweats. I hated to play with dolls, and playing in make up. A big on that I can remember is that I hate playing big girl dress up. Even though I did not like a lot of girly things I still enjoyed looking nice, smelling good and being clean. As I got older I became more girly, did more girly things and dress more girly just with a "boyish”, as I would call it, attitude. Now today, I do not play by any standards, I just do what ever I feel, dress how ever I feel, regardless if it is stereotyped as male or female. I also think it is fun to resist the binary because I get a greater reaction out of people and it stirs up a better conversation.
-Lenora C
"While most scholars today believe that there is a biological basis for some differences between the sexes, they also acknowledge that most of the lived, everyday differences between men and women are due to culturally constructed gender roles. In other words, a person's sex is formed by genetics, while a person's gender is learned."
ReplyDeleteI want to start by saying that I take issue with the overly-generalized nature of this conclusion. To explain: The quote begins by saying there's now a scientific understanding that both biology and culture influence gender roles, only to jump to the ultimate conclusion that "a person's sex is formed by genetics, while a person's gender is learned." I understand the authors are attempting to clarify a point, but it does no good for either the reader nor for the movement as a whole to publish an oversimplification as truth. Both biological and cultural factors are shown to contribute to a person's gender. A discussion about gender identities and gender roles should necessarily be framed by current scientific understanding. To promote discussion based upon at oversimplification is inaccurate and unhelpful.
"Developmental studies with children have shown that by the age of six or so, most human beings have developed an inner sense of themselves as either male or female. This is termed our gender identity."
I've never had occasion to question my own gender identity. I'm male. I don't subscribe to this cultural position that because I am a biological male, or because I identify as male, I must behave a certain way. I have always been more compassionate and empathetic than the majority of me peers. I sometimes felt pressured or belittled for this as an adolescent, but those traits have remained a part of me. As a small child I had one of those Lisa Frank binders, with all the bright colored animals on it. I got it because I liked it and I'd seen other kids with it that I thought were cool. After bringing it to school, I found out, through being bullied by other children, that that was a 'girl binder.' I can recall various similar instances, but I remember always feeling uncomfortable that others had such strong opinions and assumptions about how I should behave. I generally shied away from disappointing them, but always felt that was weird and wrong.
In “Introduction to Part IV” Benshoff and Griffin discuss the difference between sex and gender, how gender identity is constructed, and how the hegemonic gender binary reflects western patriarchal society. They state that, “we get ideas of what it means to be a boy or a girl from ideological institutions such as family, the schools, other children, and the media.”(p215) Reflecting on my own upbring I certainly find this statement to be true. My mother was an emergency room nurse how often worked night shifts but still made sure my sister and I were up, dressed, and ready for school at the end of her shift. She would often tell us of how she was helping people every day while relating the difficulties of dealing with ‘high and mighty’ doctors and extremely frustrated patients. At home she did both the housework and handywork, which is unsurprising since her mother before her helped to build her childhood home. I thought she was a superhero and I strived to be her.
ReplyDeleteBenshoff and Griffin also state that, “sexism, like racism, may also work in reverse-there are some women who feel that being a woman is essentially better than being a man.”(214) Though I do not entirely agree with that statement as sexism and racism are institutions and so they cannot really be reversed, the sentiment is true as I was one of those women. Since my family is matriarchal, the men always seemed to play second fiddle to their wives and mothers. This is why even at a young age I could never understand how men could consider themselves better than women let alone that women were inherently weak. Growing up to be a strong independent woman was a matter of pride for our family. Men were useless in my eyes as women could do everything, they were unnecessary. When other kids and the media saying that this was “wrong” I vehemently resisted the binary. By seven years old I hated pink and everything it stood for. Though I now know that pink is not the enemy, I still have to remind myself the men aren’t either.
-Megan R.
In “What is Gender” Film Scholars Benshoff and Griffin briefly examine the differences between sex—a biological characteristic—and gender—a learned behavior prescribed to a sex (215). Though short, Benshoff and Griffin’s piece leaves one with the understanding that gender is a socially constructed norm that shapes one’s daily life and influences the decisions one may makes throughout the day. For instance, to fit into one’s role, the authors claim that a man may refuse to cry and woman may let go of her dream job because such actions or careers may not fit one’s gendered norm (216). It is important to note, however, that the authors recognize that while gender norms are a prominent part of a culture’s ideologies, both men and women have broken through them—some with more success than others (214).
ReplyDeleteThe formation of my own notions of gender, particularly in regards to my view of masculinity, is one that I have been thinking about on long drives and nights for quite some time. Other than picking my clothes out for me, I cannot say I recall any incidents of my parents dictating my behavior along masculine lines. I feel fortunate in this regard. As a child I recall I was much like Andy from the film Toy Story who while playing with his action figures borrowed his sister’s Barbie doll and incorporated her into his play. However in the world of covert missions and military actions that my action figures lived in, Barbie was expected to hold her own and was regularly donned with grenades and daggers. Why didn’t my parents have a problem with this? When recently asked, they both laughed and said because they did not want to intrude on their child’s playtime. As I grew out of action figures I adopted activities that are traditionally consider masculine--BMX, skateboarding, surfing—all without a second thought. My friends and I enjoyed these activities, so it seemed normal. It was not until middle school that I began to think about masculinity.
It began simply as a joke. The word beaner was slurred out and everyone laughed. It happened again the next day; this time at my expense. I confronted the offender and he told me to kick back, I was not one of “them”. “Them” being the cowardly Mexican who only fought in groups because he was not man enough to fight on his own. “Them” meaning not me because I skated and surfed. I knocked him out. It was at this point that I learned that masculinity was defined and defended through toughness. I set out to become the toughest twelve year old Mexican around. I became unapproachable and suspension for fighting was a regular occurrence. I learned that the tough guy/bad boy image brought popularity and most importantly, girls. Yet I was unhappy because I had to defend my image every day. It was not until I saw my father breakdown in front of me for my actions that I realized what masculinity meant. I understood that there was other forms to release emotion, crying was not weakness…
Efrain S