Thoughtful Moments

So I`m in Sociology, and I really like it despite the fact that it`s at 9:00 in the morning and way far away from my warm, comfortable room.

Well, on Friday and today we were discussing gender and gender roles. Since then, I`ve noticed some stuff. Girls and boys, even when they`re very young have a pretty clear idea of gender roles. Thinking back to my baby-sitting days, I remembered that the boys I babysat would often tell me to sit out of certain activities because I was a girl (ex: No, you can`t play guns with us Miss [insert my name here]! You`re a girl.").

On tv, you see kids` toy commercials and girl toys are advertised as being magical and sparkling (even if you know for a fact that the thing needs 2 double A batteries and you probably won`t have them) while boy toys are advertised as being electric, or having some motor. No magic and fairies for boys, no mention of batteries or motors for girls. Why is that? It`s as if ad people think girls are stupid or something.

Also, if a little boy wants an Easy Bake Oven or a doll, the other boys will tease him mercilessly. "It`s a girl toy!" His father may even forbid him having such things or punish him for wanting them. Yet, it`s okay for a little girl to have Hot Wheels or a little fishing pole or any other "boy" toys.

As adults, all you hear about is how much females are oppressed. Yet... are we really in need of such a liberation? Women can wear men`s clothes, do what would be traditionally considered men`s work, raise children alone, act masculine, etc. Women are encouraged to do so and it is rewarded. We elevate them to the status of men. We rise up to be equal to them.

Yet, men... oh men are only allowed to be masculine. Men can be feminine, but it is looked down upon. A little boy shouldn`t endeavor to be a stay at home dad, nor a nurse, nor a kindergarten teacher. Sure, they are becoming acceptable... but they still carry a negative stigma. Men, in fact, need to be liberated! They can`t embrace their "feminine" characteristics or else they`ll be called a faggot or weak. A man is demoted to a woman`s status.

Everything has a gender connotation from colors, to music, to cars. Women couldn`t care less about them, though. A woman can drive a Volkswagon Bug just as easily as a Ford F1-50. Men can`t do that, not without being made fun of, anyway. Women can "cross over" the gender lines but men cannot. Women are free to live in a man`s world, but men can`t live in a woman`s world.

Am I the only one who sees that there`s something wrong there?

I don`t know, maybe I`m rambling, but it just bugs me.

Stay safe,
-That⊗neChick