genderstudiesclass-blog

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Analytical Reflection

After taking GS 100, I firmly believe it is important to learn more about gender and the ideas we have about gender in our culture as well as others. We all understand gender based on societal and cultural influences, so it is useful to take a step back and examine our beliefs. However, theory and class discussions are so much better understood when we explore class concepts as they appear in our contemporary media. Gender is discussed every day in the news, on blogs, in videos, and in conversations. Issues of gender versus sex, differences between men and women, intersections between gender and other personal characteristics, inequalities, and sexualities continually appear in the media and are debated amongst the public. Through a careful examination of what these different sources are saying about the different aspects of gender, I have developed a new understanding of how both society and I myself view gender.

In America, we function under a clear gender binary, defined in class as the idea that there are only two types of people that are fundamentally different opposites; in this case, these two opposites are male and female. We like to distinguish our own group from others and do not like when something might fall in between the two groups or go over into the “wrong” group. This idea is seen clearly in the Ulta advertisement I posted; makeup and skincare are meant for women, while the men get a small section that states “Hot Buys for Guys.” This ad insinuates that men should not wear makeup. Similarly, when Covergirl's first male makeup model, James Charles, was announced, he received a lot of backlash from the public due to the enforced idea of how men should be different than women. Oftentimes, these ideas imply that men should be seen as different from women because it is “less than” to be like a woman.

Many people argue that the gender binary is justified or informed by the inherent differences observed between men and women’s bodies. This brings us to the idea of sexual dimorphism: “differences between males and females in appearance and behavior” (Wade & Ferree, 2014, p. 35). One of my links, a video titled “25 Biological Differences Between Men and Women That Aren’t Commonly Known,” discusses some of the biological differences between men and women. Many viewers commented that these differences prove that men and women really are very different; therefore, the gender binary is justified. However, many of these differences are small things such as vein size or eyelash length, which really do not equate to men and women being entirely different in every way. Another of one my links, titled “What the Science Actually Says About Gender Gaps in the Workplace,” tackles the issue of gender gaps in leadership roles and STEM careers (men leading in both categories). Rather than biology acting as the main factor behind differences in men and women’s abilities, this author shows how our culture’s gender bias and sexism against women explains much more about why women have less success or leadership than men.

Men and women might not be inherently different, but they are socialized and gender policed into performing in certain defined ways. Gender norms exist everywhere in our culture: boys like blue, girls like pink; men are strong, women are docile; men eat steak, women eat salads. We learn these ideas from a very young age and are reminded of them in memes or graphs on the Internet (see link “16 Differences Between Men and Women in Infographics”). However, many people are working to break stereotypes and tell others to be whoever they want to be. For example, in South Korea, Korean pop idols are leading the effort to break traditional, conservative ideas about gender. Several idols dress more like the other gender, redefining what it means to be either masculine or feminine. Through these examples, popular icons are helping to end negative and potentially violent gender policing or discrimination in society.

Gender is not the only aspect that can lead to discrimination. In fact, the intersection of race and gender strongly affects how people are viewed within their culture. Due to racial discrimination, black men face many challenges and negative stereotypes when interested in the field of nursing, while black female lawyers find themselves facing double the discrimination in the workplace due to sexism and racism. As the NowThis video I shared explains, black women have also been left out of the conversation about sexual assault and harassment. Our book echoes this idea, stating that the characterization of black women as masculine has “served the strategic purpose of defining only white women as vulnerable to rape, ignoring assaults that black women faced from both white and black men” (Wade & Ferree, 2014, p. 91-92). The opposite stereotype gets applied to Asian women, as Anna Akana discusses in the video “Why Guys Like Asian Girls.” White men sometimes view Asian women as overly feminine and give them blanket terms such as “submissive” or “weak” based simply on their skin color.

Both stereotypes attributed to men and to women hurt each and every one of us. These stereotypes perpetuate a state of inequality between men and women. For men, their manhood is defined as the antithesis of womanhood; men must be strong and “wear the pants,” like we saw in the Dockers ad in class. It is seen as weak to be like a woman, which circles back to that idea in Part II of the inequality found in the distinction between genders. When men do not fit into this narrow idea of masculinity, their “manhood” comes into question. On the other hand, since women are viewed as less than men, they are hurt from gender inequality due to things such as unequal pay or sexual harassment and assault. As we’ve seen recently from the #MeToo movement of women bringing forward allegations of sexual assault, women in the film industry experience sexism and harassment due to the abuse of powerful men above them. This inequality is perpetuated by both blatant and benevolent sexism, which the link “Women are Kind and Men are Strong: How Benevolent Sexism Hurts Us All” defines as a sexism that views men and women in stereotypical roles in a seemingly positive way. When men and women believe these ideas reinforced through the gender binary, gender policing, and a system of inequality, they start to believe these stereotypes define who they should be.

Gender also informs how we view ourselves and others sexually. When we sexually objectify a man or woman, we reduce their value to simply their looks. While objectification most commonly happens to women, the link “Body Insecure” by BuzzFeed shows how objectification can hurt men as well, leading to body image issues and/or actions that harm the self. However, women tend to be the main victims of “rape culture,” “an environment that justifies, naturalizes, and even glorifies sexual pressure, coercion, and violence” (Wade & Ferree, 2014, p. 234). In one of my links, Ben Shapiro argues that we do not have a rape culture because no one is “pro-rape.” However, I disagree with his claim since there are many ideas or practices in our culture that imply that rape or sexual violence is permissible. For example, the link “25 Everyday Examples of Rape Culture” explains how memes, jokes, or our refusal to take rape victims seriously perpetuate a rape culture.

Looking at each section of links and the connections between them, we might ask, “Why is it really important that we understand and study these ideas about gender?” Overall, these links show how long-held ideas about gender can be harmful on an individual or widespread basis. The way we view the gender binary, for example, affects the toys we choose for babies: girls get dolls and boys get cars. However, the video I posted for “Part II: Ideas” shows how the toys we choose for kids can actually impact their brain development and skills in spatial awareness. In essence, we are creating an aspect of inequality between genders at a very young age. Similarly, the link from “Part VI: Inequalities” discussing gender violence in Jakarta shows how gender inequality starts from the household. Parents also influence their kids through the language they use to describe them. The link “We’ve Been Misled on the Difference Between Genders” explains how research has shown that parents with sons more often Google “whether their sons were ‘gifted’ or ‘stupid’ compared to their daughters” (Gebelhoff, 2017). On the other hand, parents with daughters were more likely to Google whether their daughters were “overweight,” “beautiful,” or “ugly.” This shows that women’s value is found in looks, whereas men are praised more for ability. Lastly, harmful ways of thinking about gender lead to issues of sexism, sexual harassment and assault, and rape culture. Many women, encouraged by the examples of women in the media such as Emma Stone or Salma Hayek (as I’ve shared in my scrapbook), have come forward with their experiences of countless instances of abuse due to how women are viewed within the gender binary.

Going forward, it is important to examine the ways that can we can help redefine gender within our culture. I understand that gender is a lot more complicated than people make it out to be, and I have realized that people’s simplistic ways of viewing gender and the gender binary are harming those in it as well as those who might not conform. The links I have examined provide some great ways for us to reshape how we view gender and help others see harms in some of society’s longheld views. One main approach is to reshape gender ideas and roles in our own families. For example, Johanna Tantria T. Wardham, the gender equality advocate in the link on gender equality in Jakarta, believes that better relations and equal gender roles in the family will help reduce sexual violence. She states, “There should not be the standardized gender role strictly applied in the family. They [men and women] should work together in the household because that is the key to prevent sexual violence in the family” (Wardham, 2017). Singer Pink also shows us a way to redefine how we view gender in our families. In the link under “Part IV: Performances,” Pink explains how she is raising her daughter “gender-neutral,” letting her daughter make her own choices about who she wants to be. This allows the child to understand his/her own gender and sexuality without being forced into one category if they express they are not comfortable in that category.

Lastly, we can take strides to promote gender equality and the importance of allowing deviations from gender norms. In the article on benevolent sexism in “Part VII: Sexualities,” the author provides many examples of how we can stand up for others (or for ourselves) when benevolent sexist comments are made by others in the workplace. Similarly, we can take stands against blatant sexist or racist comments made in any sector. While ideas about gender and the binary are still deeply held and reinforced (and seen in many of the comments on the videos or articles I posted), we can enact change through organized effort and even just small efforts to stand up for others. However, the first step may be to examine our own underlying beliefs about gender and what might not be accurate about them. Overall, I am glad I examined my own thoughts and have taken a step toward reshaping how our culture views gender.

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Part VII: Sexualities

This BuzzFeed video caught my attention because it focuses on an issue that is often overlooked in media and society: body insecurity in men. Men also deal with objectification; in the video, an old high school bully had reduced a man's value to simply his looks and made fun of him for being overweight. As a result, the man deals with an unhealthy exercise, viewing himself negativity and constantly spectating about how he looks from the outside.

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Part VII: Sexualities

Salma Hayek recently came forward with her experience with Harvey Weinstein, the film producer who has received several sexual assault allegations from women in the film industry. I feel she was brave to come forward with her story. Her article touches on class ideas, such as the harm caused by the sexual objectification of women, as well as the "heterosexual male gaze" as displayed by Harvey Weinstein.

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Part VII: Sexualities

This article outlines some of those ideas or practices within our culture that encourage rape culture through excusing or tolerating sexual violence. The author explains how rape culture can be found in several different sectors or industries, including on college campuses, in pop music, within families, and in the sports world. The author uses these examples to better explain what rape culture is.

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Part VII: Sexualities

In this video, Ben Shapiro rejects the idea of a rape culture. He explains the term isn't accurate because it is too vague. He believes that it is wrong to call our culture a rape culture because no one is pro-rape, and it is an insult to men. Instead, he believes we have an "irresponsibility culture." However, Ben is missing the fact that although almost everyone would say they are against rape, our society is filled with ideas or practices that encourage rape culture that we might not even realize.

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Part VI: Inequalities

I liked this article because it focused on a specific type of sexism: benevolent sexism. This type of sexism seems complimentary in nature, but the article shows how it actually contributes to and reinforces insulting stereotypes for both men and women. The author provides ways for us to combat benevolent sexism, as well.

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Part VI: Inequalities

This video features several celebrities' comments on the issues surrounding women in the film industry. Emma Stone discusses gender inequality, unequal pay, and sexism, advocating for a change to happen in all industries. I agree with Jessica Chastain's quote from the description: "Whenever you have one demographic that's in charge of the livelihood of another, you're going to have abuses of power."

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Part VI: Inequalities

This article focuses on the recent tragic mass shootings as well as the several cases of sexual assault and harassment that have come to light this year. The author argues these events are linked to men's high investment in masculinity and striving to be dominant and superior. In essence, "it's time to man down."

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Part VI: Inequalities

Along the lines of examining gender and inequalities in other countries, this article focuses on one woman's goal "to build a culture of gender equality" in the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia. She advocates for ending violence against women, which is highly prevalent in her area. She argues that gender inequality and gendered violence starts in the home due to the unequal division of labor within it.

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Part V: Intersections

This video describes an important fact related to race and gender in response to the "MeToo" movement. Many of the women who have come forward to tell their stories of sexual assault and harassment have been white; meanwhile, many black women who have come forward in the past have been ignored or ridiculed. Discrimination and negative stereotypes of black women have led them to be left out of the conversation, but this video helps advocate for the change we need to see happen.

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Part V: Intersections

This article focuses on the intersectionality of race and gender for black female lawyers. While both black men and black women experience discrimination in the workplace, black female lawyers experience additional gender discrimination and receive less leadership roles because of it. As the article discusses, black women in the workplace find themselves in societal double binds.

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Part V: Intersections

In this video, YouTube comedian/actress Anna Akana discusses the intersection of gender and race for how Asian women are viewed by American men. Commonly referred to as "yellow fever," some white men will only date a women because she is Asian, seeing the woman not as a unique individual, but simply as a representation of offensive stereotypes.

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Part V: Intersections

This article discusses the intersection of gender and race in the field of nursing. Specifically, black men who are interested in nursing (a profession predominately comprised of women) face ridicule by their peers or are mistaken as housekeeping or janitors by patients. Due to racial discrimination, black men face more challenges in this career path than white men.

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Part IV: Performances

Singer Pink recently told the world that she is raising her daughter gender neutral. Instead of conforming to society's idea of the gender binary and the roles within that binary, Pink is letting her daughter make her own decisions rather than forcing her (through gender policing) to act or look a certain way. Pink advocates for less labeling and not changing based on what other people say.

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Part IV: Performances

This article highlights some differences between men and women, but I'm putting it in the "Performances" section since all of the differences are descriptions of accepted gender performances for men and women. While the article can be comical if it's true of ourselves or people we know, the article overgeneralizes how all men and all women act, implicitly encouraging women and men to stay within those roles.

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Part IV: Performances

Continuing the conversation around gender roles in other countries, this article discusses how male k-pop idols in South Korea are redefining the role of masculinity and how it can be performed. Several of the men sport skirts, nail polish, or makeup, characteristics that would typically be "gender policed" in America.

[genderstudiesclass-blog]

Part IV: Performances

I found this article interesting because it focused on gender norms within a culture other than our own. As an avid listener of Korean pop music, I like learning more about the rules surrounding gender performances for men and women in South Korea. This article discusses how several k-pop idols are challenging those defined gender roles in Korea.