Desiree Benson

Fender
English IV Honors
Breaking Boundaries: The Stigma of Gender Roles
Gender roles are a set of societal norms dictating the types of behaviors which are
generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for people based on their actual or
perceived sex or sexuality. Men are required to do something completely different from what
women are required to do, and vice versa. Its considered a public outrage to go against what
society wants. One would be publicly shamed for thinking they could do something different, or
be themselves. Men are portrayed as masculine who have no emotions and do the heavy duty
work. Women are seen as weak, frail human beings who need help to open the pickle jar, and are
supposed to stay home to take care of the children. In the past, there were specific roles for men
and women. However, the trends are changing, said WLOS report Kimberly King. Apparently.
Men are the ones who are supposed to work and provide for the family. If its not him, he
gets embarrassed, and told that the wife is the one who wears the pants in the family . If a
woman doesnt have dinner made for her husband by the time he gets home, theyre asked, is
that how a wife acts nowadays? Men are just as able to make their own food as women are able
to make their own money and provide for the family. No gender should be required to have a

certain kind of role in the world. No one person should be told, Youre not supposed to do that!
Thats disgusting and made for the opposite gender! People should be able to dress, act, and be
the way they feel like they should be. Men should be able to wear makeup, and women can wear
basketball shorts instead of a dress 24/7. Not a single thing in this entire universe is meant for
just one gender. People see men wear high heels and say, I would never raise my son to be like
that. People will see women exercising more than she is supposed to, and its supposedly
gross. Human beings are supposed to respect one another, not try to degrade someone else,
because of how they want to be.
SOCIETY IS NOT CHANGING. If a man were to wear something close to what a
woman would wear, he would be publicly humiliated, because it is not socially acceptable for a
man, who is supposed to be masculine, to wear makeup. And if a woman were to cut her hair
short and wear boy clothes, she would be told not to dress like a boy, because those clothes are
specifically for men. Gender trends are not changing, and no one will be convinced that its
changing until a man can walk down the street wearing a dress, the highest of heels and a full
face of makeup, and not a single person would say a thing. No one would stare, do a double take,
or whisper about them. Nothing will be changed until a woman can walk into the building
wearing a suit, have short hair, and no would even care. They would still greet her the same as if

she were wearing a dress or skinny jeans. Until then, everyone is judged for being who they are,
no matter what anyone says.
There are different expectations for different genders, said Sarte. Women are told not to
walk home in the dark to wait for a ride to pick them up. Men are not told the same. Women are
told to cover their shoulders in school, whereas men can wear provocative shirts and arent
glanced at twice. Women feel unsafe to ride in a taxi, where men dont have to think twice about
it. When a women has sex in high school, she is called a whore and a slut, whereas, the men
get congratulated. Women wear makeup daily, and no one would say anything, but a man wears
makeup, and he gets shunned for being an individual. A man has a feminine voice or vibe about
them, theyre called gay. A guy could literally stand a different way than most, and theyll be
told not to stand like a girl! Men and women are equal, but are not treated equally. Both genders
have certain things that they arent allowed to do.
Parents nowadays raise their children to wear and say and eat like their gender would.
For a girl, its to not eat with your mouth open, sit with your legs crossed, and be classy. No
provocative words, wear a dress and heels, and make sure not to get involved with drama. For a
guy, theres one unspoken rule that most parents will hold for them: don't be gay. Don't be like

that kid John, whose parents couldnt care less about how he turned out, as long as he graduated
and went to college and did something with his life.
Covergirl finally decided to feature their first guy ever. His name is James Charles. The
title says Covergirl, yet there will be a guy on the cover. That is what accepting other people is.
Even if it is supposedly meant to be for girls, men can still use it too;

and vice versa. It helps to

keep an open mind on everything instead of being biased. He expanded beyond what other
people were comfortable with, and made a name for himself. He went out there and did what he
loved so much, which is makeup.
Jaden Smith is a young man who is doesnt conform to the gender binary. He wears
dresses and skirts. He is completely comfortable with his body. He is so comfortable, that he
encourages other people to show their true colors. Ruby Rose is another famous actor who is this
way. They are both genderfluid, which means that they feel like they arent either gender. They
float in between. Neither one of them feel like they are obligated to be labeled as a woman or a
man. Young Thug has an album of him wearing a dress. He has even said that he would be
wearing a dress to his wedding. There will be two brides, he reveals. When it comes to

swag, theres no gender involved. Sisley, TextDominique. "Young Thug Is Wearing a Dress to
His Wedding."Dazed. DazedDigital.com, 09 Sept. 2016. Web. 12 Oct. 2016.
People believe that if they stick to how they were raised, then all will be right with the
world; but everyone needs to stop settling for less, and realize how special they really are. They
have a lot to offer the world, and should be themselves. Among the Sakalava of Madagascar,
little boys thought to have a feminine appearance were raised as girls. The Antandroy and Hova
called their gender crossers sekrata who, like women, wore their hair long and in decorative
knots, inserted silver coins in pierced ears, and wore many bracelets on their arms, wrists and
ankles. These boys don't know anything else but to be how they were raised. They don't know
any better. And thats good for them, because society has not influenced them to be anything
else.
Miley Cyrus, Tyler Ford, Kate Bornstein, Steven Tyler, Andreja Pejic, Elly Jackson; these
are people who are looked up to and adored by loving fans. They are all following where their
heart is leading them. They are encouraging their fans to do the same. People will say that that is
what is bad about them, but if anything, thats the best thing they could do in the world. Human
beings are programmed to want to be liked. That is how it really is. People get scared if someone
doesnt like them, or get self-conscious about what they are doing. They need to do what they

want, without feeling like they need to be accepted by everyone. Who cares what other people
think? It is someone elses life, why should it matter to others if they do what whatever they want
with it?
Fred Martinez was ndleeh, which is a male-bodied person with a feminine nature, a
special gift according to his ancient Navajo culture. He was one of the youngest hate-crime
victims in modern history when he was brutally murdered at 16. People will get discriminated
against, and no one will take a second glance. Its the social norm. It is not in many peoples
heart to jump in and help out, and make sure the person is okay.
Pink used to be the girl color, blue used to be the boy color. And before that, white was
the color that was worn by both genders. High heels were originally created for men to wear and
considered to be masculine. Lace used to be used by both men and women as long as you were
wealthy. Men used to cry to seem sincere. Cheerleading started out as a mens club, because it
was considered too masculine for girls. Nowadays, men that wear their hair long are ugly and
gay. Before it was never a problem. Beer brewing was originally pioneered by women.
They also had the responsibility for guiding the family. While they may listen to what
their wives had to say, they made the final decision.. Men did not do household duties or
childcare. They felt the need to be strong and refrained from showing too much emotion or

sharing too many personal feelings, especially with those outside of the family. Women were
expected to be in charge of running the household. Mothers did the laundry, cooked the meals,
and cleaned the rooms. They also took care of the children, giving them the care and attention
that was required. The wealthier families might hire a nanny, and childcare became more widely
used in the later 20th century. But the women were often in charge of directing the nannies and
dropping off or picking up from daycare. Women were seen as more emotional than men, more
likely and more encouraged to open up about their feelings.

References
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/16/gender-facts-traditional-roles_n_5115265.html