You know what expression I hate? "You run like
a girl," or "you throw like a girl" etc. Why does doing
something "like a girl" have to be an insult? Why do we make fun of
boys with long hair or boys who like pick because they "look like girls"?
It frustrates me so much that being a female is of so little value that is is
used as an insult for males, to make them feel worse about themselves and make
them change to fit the "male stereotype". Seriously. Honestly, I've
used similar expressions to this in my life and never really thought about how
insulting it was until I grew up more. And, frankly, that's pretty disturbing
and upsetting that a young girl with try to tease people (such as her little
brothers) by saying they "sound like a girl". That is one of the many
subtle ways society teaches young girls that they aren't quite as valued as
their male counterparts.
You know what I'm so sick of? Gender stereotypes.
Why are certain jobs, hobbies, colours, types of music, foods and drinks,
places, activities, cars, houses, plants, instruments seen as feminine or
masculine? They are inanimate objects or abstract ideas- they do not have a
gender, so why must we propel gender identities onto these things and judge
anyone who goes against them? It really seems ridiculous to me that we grow up with
certain expectations placed upon us for the sorts of clothes we will wear, the
people we will befriend, the subjects we will do, the careers we will choose,
the way we will act and that these expectations are based purely on the genetic
make-up that we had no choice in. I did not choose to be born female. I have no
problem with the fact that I am a female. I have a problem with the fact that I
am expected to look, talk, react and be a certain way because of that. No one
had a choice in the matter, so it's unfair to expect these things.
I honestly do feel the pressure of female
expectations on a frequent basis. I feel like I am definitely judged on how I
look. I feel like I am definitely expected to like certain things and do
certain things. I definitely feel the pressure and I'm pretty sick of it.
When I discuss sexism with my family, my father
often talks about the fact that he thinks some feminists go too far and end up
being sexist towards men. I do agree with him. I feel like a lot of mainstream
media can degrade men in similar ways to women. BUT, I do not agree it is ever
quite to the same extent. Ever. I don't feel like men have as many mixed
messages or as much pressure. I don't think any man will quite truly appreciate
that until they can actually be in a woman's shoes.
I find the over-sexualisation of women as gender
completely disgusting. There are few ads, billboards, magazines or catalogues
that do not have a woman standing in a somewhat sexualised position. And music
videos. Modern music videos really do not sit well with me for that reason. Why
is the sexuality of women used to market products? It's not our intelligence,
reliability, status or otherwise- it's our appearance, clothing and sexuality.
It promotes very poor ideas of self-worth in young women. You begin to judge
your self-worth and likeability on your appearance, weight and body shape,
which is extremely unhealthy.
I just get so sick of it all and I honestly hope it gets better. I hope that by the time I have children, they can go into whatever career they want without mention of their gender. I hope that if my daughter wants to be a mechanic, no one will think twice about her gender and that if my son wants to be a ballet dancer, no one will ridicule him for "being a girl".
I don't mean to sound too negative here. I know that women have made such progress in the quest for equality and it is amazing. I think it's important to recognise that progress, but it's also important to recognise that there is a long way to go and not give up yet.
OK. There's my rant over. For now...
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