Growing up and figuring out who you are can be tough, especially when also having to navigate gender norms. In more recent years it has been found that gender is not something you are born with, it is something that is learned. In Western culture, it is common to see males take on more masculine traits and females perform more feminine traits. People who step outside of the boundaries and ideals of their sex typically see the backlash from society. There are many layers to gender norms in Western society but I am going to touch the surface on just a few.
Today, many people are aware of the issues women face in society such as the glass ceiling, sexual assault, reproductive rights, the list goes on and on. But to get to the root of why these issues have been passed down for generations it is important to look at how gender norms affect men as well. When looking at gender culture in the US it might be easy to see how men benefit from the patriarchy- but how do they suffer from it? What is it like to be a woman or a man in the United States?
However, if you are interested in gender theory and roles you might already be aware of the fact that male, female, and heterosexuality are not the only identification a person can have. There is a whole spectrum of labels one can claim. The LGBTQ+ community is full of people who do not conform to traditional Western gender ideals. How do people of the queer community fit into Western gender norms?
There are many celebrities in recent years that have stepped outside of their traditional gender roles. Many receive a mixture of hate and support for their defiance but I am curious to know how celebrities and pop culture are helping or hurting Western society in terms of gender norms.
I chose to research this topic because I think knowing what roles we individually fit into and how those roles are impacted by gender norms could help us prevent the cycle of oppression from continuing. If you aren’t aware of a problem how are you going to be expected to fix it? Because there is a lot of intersectionality in gender study I think it will only benefit people to be more educated on the topic.
Illustration by Olaf Hajek
The article, ‘The Gender Spectrum’, by Carrie Kilman talks about what gender norms are and gives a good basis for anyone who is not too familiar with the topic. There is a difference between sex and gender. Sex is biology, either male or female. But gender is more of something you feel. For lots of people their sex and gender identity match, but that isn’t always the case. It can be simple, such as someone being born a female but feeling like a boy. However, some people may exist between these lines. Because of this gender is a spectrum. There are many names people along the spectrum go by but essentially all across the spectrum a person’s physical sex does not match their gender identity.
Sam Smith came out as non-binary in 2017 and uses pronouns they/them.
I think that this is a really good article to start off with as it helps simplify the idea of gender norms. Most people are raised to be a girl or boy and can understand things they are "supposed to do" when they are very young. This is not necessarily how people continue to behave once they grow older and are more capable of making their own decisions. It’s very important to recognize that even though someone can be born as a ‘girl’ but feel like a ‘boy’ or vise versa, that that is not the only option for people. You don’t have to conform to either end of the spectrum and you can exist without claiming either.
The article “How to Shake Up Gender Norms’ for Time magazine by Elizabeth Weingarten, gave some background as to where the idea of where the gender norms we have today came from. In the early 1900s gender was determined by biology-based on Sigmund Freud's studies. While newer studies have shown that biology does in fact not determine gender, the past opinion of what gender norms are- is still lingering. Because of this, there is a lot of stigma surrounding people and gender expression. The author is explaining many new resources and examples of why gender is not based on a person's biology. The idea of gender equality progressing is scary for anyone who benefits from the current patriarchy. White cis men have always been the most privileged in western culture, but they might have something to lose if it changes. It is understandably uncomfortable for ideas to evolve, as comfort feels safe. But as we learn more about gender and more people are educated there will be a change. It is important to encourage all young people to be interested in whatever they want, it is okay for girls to be interested in sports just as it is okay for boys to want to paint their nails.
When reading this article there were many moments when gender norms were referred to as a ‘performance’, which I think is a great reference word. I feel as though it was beneficial to understand where the idea of gender norms came from compared to what more modern research is telling us. It is known that science has not always been right over the course of history so it would be wrong of us to think that studies on gender from the early 1900s would still be considered completely correct.
From a young age, we all learn how to act based on our sex. In the story “Impacts of Gender Socialization on Health and Culture’ by Mary Ellen Alu she follows Christopher Liang and Nicole L. Johnson as they explore gender roles. We are taught and learn what is expected of our biology. Women are taught from an early age that being beautiful and kind is more important than anything else, they are there to appease men. Statistics show that women are typically victims of sexual assault and that men are the aggressors. But the question is why is that? Men are taught to be strong and assertive. This helps create a perfect scenario for sexual assault in many ways.
The article goes into much more detail about things like how men experience masculinity, rape culture, consent, and more. But the main takeaways are that men across races experience and demonstrate masculinity differently than each other. But commonly the more toxic aspects of masculinity should be talked about and the positives ones should be more suggested for men. Because men are more conditioned to think asking for help is weak they withhold emotions which leads to mental and physical health problems in the long run. A key point made in terms of rape culture is that many people get overwhelmed by the high numbers of assault data shows and as a defense mechanism chose not to believe them. Women tend to suffer more from a mental diagnosis like anxiety, depression, and PTSD all because of the societal consequences of being a woman.
‘Jane the Virgin’ star and director of the 2019 film ‘Five Feet Apart’ Justin Baldoni was a speaker for a TED talk in 2017 titled ‘Why I’m Done Trying to be “Man Enough”’. He touched on how he grew up and how his father demonstrated manhood and it conflicted with what society showed him what being a man should feel like. There is nothing inherently wrong with men, but the lack of balance between male’s masculine traits and feminine traits is an issue that needs to be addressed for the sake of men and women. He mentioned that men are great at talking but typically only on surface-level for topics like sports. Getting into emotions and insecurities is hard in his experience. What he did notice was that once he was open and vulnerable with other men, they felt free to do the same. Baldoni challenged the men watching to use the qualities that make them 'a man' look deeper into themselves. “Are you brave enough to be vulnerable? To reach out to another man when you need help? To dive headfirst into your shame? Are you strong enough to be sensitive..?” He urged men to be allies for women and break out of the shell that society has put them in.
As a woman, I have no idea what it means to be a man in Western society. I think it is really important to be educated on men by men, and vise versa for women. It helps make the information feel more genuine. There are men out there who don’t only claim to be an ally but actively try and make a change by forcing themselves to feel uncomfortable, which can be a very tough thing to do.
Justin Baldoni- actor, director, filmmaker. (From: Pinterest)
In the article ‘How Gender Stereotypes Kill a Woman’s Self-Confidence’ by Dina Gerdemen she writes about Katherine Coffman’s research on women in the workplace. Women make up 50 percent of the workforce and have 60 percent of advanced degrees but are not always seen as equally capable as men. It is already known that gender stereotypes hold back women in the workplace but what this study showed was that gender stereotypes may also cause women to doubt their own professional capabilities. This is typically seen surrounding topics of male-dominated professions like math or science. Women have also been shown to quickly shrug off compliments when it comes to their jobs and ‘lowball’ their abilities.
There are many ways throughout society women are oppressed but everyone has to work so I think that understanding dynamics in a professional sense can help people avoid issues in the workplace. In the article, it was suggested that in general there is a need to make staff feel supported and included as to make everyone feel comfortable expressing ideas and opinions. It is extremely intimidating for a person to walk into somewhere and feel out of place, and it sucks to feel that way for something like your gender. Men and women are just as capable as one another but everyone should understand that gender has nothing to do with professional capabilities.
‘ALiGN (Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms)’ touches on how queer people are viewed in many cultures in their guide, but something that is common in western culture is that the LGBTQ+ community is considered to be deviant by other members of society. Breaking gender norms can threaten people who conform to society which can lead to a variety of scrutinies such as gossip, homelessness, and often verbal or physical abuse. Violence against members of the queer community is not uncommon. Men typically are physically beat whereas many women may be victims of ‘corruptive rape’. This means men will force themselves on women to ‘cure’ them of their sexual orientation. Many LGBTQ+ members are subjected to prejudice from their own families and are at risk of being homeless, in poverty, health difficulties, and more. There are people that identify as neither male nor female and are called non-binary or genderqueer.
Transgender Flag (From: Google Images)
After reading this article it is easy to see that queer people take a lot of abuse and slander from a society based on traditional gender norms. They may make cis people fearful and feel threatened so in turn, it is provoking people outside of the community. Straight men and women might suffer from gender norms but they are not subjected to hate crimes like those of the LGBTQ+ community.
There have been many public figures in the past that have stepped outside of the gender barriers. Gender expression from celebrities is often shown through fashion and style choices. Many men like David Bowie and Prince have worn things like heels, makeup, and dresses on and off stage. In ‘This History of Men in Gowns’ by Giovanna Osterman she created 27 slides of men in dresses starting in Ancient Egypt and ending with a more current figure, Harry Styles. She shows that men wearing dresses is not a new concept, and in fact might be normal in other cultures. Many fashion designers in the last 10 to 15 years have begun to dress their male runway models in more feminine-like ensembles and have helped progress and breakthrough gender norms as well.
David Bowie (From: Pinterest)
It is surprising to be that today people like David Bowie and Prince can be seen as iconic but a more modern figure like Harry Styles gets torn down for doing the same thing. But it is also a bit baffling to see how impactful gender roles have become when people get so worked up over a piece of clothing. It is a similar concept to the ‘words will only hurt you if you let them’, what is the point in putting in negative time and energy into something that someone else is wearing. I think it is a really good thing that there are so many celebrities breaking the rules when it comes to fashion as they are always in the media and have a lot of exposure to the world.
Harry Styles photoshoot for SNL in 2019 (From: Pinterest)
After doing some research, I think that it is important to not just focus on women's issues with gender norms and society but everyone’s issues with gender norms in society. In a way, I spent a lot of time advocating for men's rights in terms of how they are affected by gender norms which is something so weird to me as I recognize they benefit greatly from how society is set up. But I truly believe that if men- who rule the patriarchy, don't grow and evolve out of the current gender norms themselves things will not change for anyone. I learned a lot about how men and queer people are affected and experience Western gender norms. It is important for everyone to allow themselves to be open-minded on topics like this and educate themselves even further. What iI researched is only touching the surface on some of the I think looking into Western gender ideals helped me connect them to systems of power and culture from this class. Because there is a lot of intersectionalities that happens when dealing with a topic like this one it is easy to see that there is a patriarchy in Western society that affects everyone in some way whether it be about their gender, sexuality, race, or age.
Art exploring gender theory (From: Pinterest)
