Sexism affects us all. It's a fact.
Our lives are shaped by the gender expectations society places upon us.
We are "meant" for certain roles and if we don't fit, then we simply don't belong.
Women have definitely suffered under the tyranny of overt sexism, but the more implicit types of sexism can be just as potent, such as the well-meaning and valiant ideas surrounding Chivalric romance.
The men in these tales of Chivalry are noble, active and heroic protectors.
Yet the women are commonly depicted as "prizes to be won" by the knight, passively awaiting their savior to defend them from the dragon.
This binary representation of men and women places people of both sexes into a role. Even the seemingly positive attributes placed on the male character can have adverse affects on real men.
So these apparently harmless, sentimental tales can also be as detrimental in the long run as denying women the vote, for they strengthen preexisting gender norms that have been created due to our socialization.
This happens during our interactions with family, peers, teachers and exposure to mass media. This exposure to assumptions about gender and sex eventually makes people think that gender differences are "natural", rather than socially constructed.It's important to note here that sex relates to our primary and secondary sexual characteristics, whereas the term gender refers to the social and cultural differences between men and women.
(This may be strange to learn if you have never heard of this distinction before!)
The roles men are expected to fulfill are reinforced via mediums like action movies, that feature strong, muscular heroes that win the girl, become successful and remain stoic in the face of adversity. Many video games today also feature strong, masculine, tough-guy characters that handle their emotions tersely at best and show little if any personal development and growth.
So the list of central masculine traits include:
These stereotypical male traits place a great amount of pressure on men to be "the tough guy, the breadwinner, the seducer" among many other archetypes. These ideological male figures adhere to the predominant thoughts that surround what a man is supposed to be like; the opposite of a woman.
To be considered feminine is "disgraceful", because it defies expected norms and the abnormal is usually shunned or feared in most societies.
This hostility towards the feminine male could also be because-if a man adopts female traits-he is essentially downgrading himself to a woman's status, since women have historically endured more extreme sexist treatment.
Whereas when a woman adopts some masculine traits, she's upgrading her status to that of the historically advantaged male.
Defying these expectations can often be very difficult.
Even today, the cry of "man up" can usually be heard when some poor guy bears his soul to all and states how he feels.
"Men don't express emotions, they repress them" is the main message of this very common sound-bite. Saying things like "man up" also affect how women view themselves. They're now cast into the "emotional women" role.
We need to defy these roles.
People should embrace whatever traits they feel comfortable expressing, since gender expression is variable and every individual is different.
Our lives are shaped by the gender expectations society places upon us.
We are "meant" for certain roles and if we don't fit, then we simply don't belong.
Women have definitely suffered under the tyranny of overt sexism, but the more implicit types of sexism can be just as potent, such as the well-meaning and valiant ideas surrounding Chivalric romance.
The men in these tales of Chivalry are noble, active and heroic protectors.
Yet the women are commonly depicted as "prizes to be won" by the knight, passively awaiting their savior to defend them from the dragon.
This binary representation of men and women places people of both sexes into a role. Even the seemingly positive attributes placed on the male character can have adverse affects on real men.
So these apparently harmless, sentimental tales can also be as detrimental in the long run as denying women the vote, for they strengthen preexisting gender norms that have been created due to our socialization.
This happens during our interactions with family, peers, teachers and exposure to mass media. This exposure to assumptions about gender and sex eventually makes people think that gender differences are "natural", rather than socially constructed.It's important to note here that sex relates to our primary and secondary sexual characteristics, whereas the term gender refers to the social and cultural differences between men and women.
(This may be strange to learn if you have never heard of this distinction before!)
The roles men are expected to fulfill are reinforced via mediums like action movies, that feature strong, muscular heroes that win the girl, become successful and remain stoic in the face of adversity. Many video games today also feature strong, masculine, tough-guy characters that handle their emotions tersely at best and show little if any personal development and growth.
So the list of central masculine traits include:
- Aggression (passivity being feminine)
- Physical Strength (frailness, weakness and daintiness being feminine)
- Dominance (subordination being feminine)
These stereotypical male traits place a great amount of pressure on men to be "the tough guy, the breadwinner, the seducer" among many other archetypes. These ideological male figures adhere to the predominant thoughts that surround what a man is supposed to be like; the opposite of a woman.
To be considered feminine is "disgraceful", because it defies expected norms and the abnormal is usually shunned or feared in most societies.
This hostility towards the feminine male could also be because-if a man adopts female traits-he is essentially downgrading himself to a woman's status, since women have historically endured more extreme sexist treatment.
Whereas when a woman adopts some masculine traits, she's upgrading her status to that of the historically advantaged male.
Defying these expectations can often be very difficult.
Even today, the cry of "man up" can usually be heard when some poor guy bears his soul to all and states how he feels.
"Men don't express emotions, they repress them" is the main message of this very common sound-bite. Saying things like "man up" also affect how women view themselves. They're now cast into the "emotional women" role.
We need to defy these roles.
People should embrace whatever traits they feel comfortable expressing, since gender expression is variable and every individual is different.
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