essay

Women are commonly associated with terms such as nurturing, motherly, caring, emotional, sensitive, physically weak, fragile and subordinate. To step away from such characteristics as a woman would result in much scrutiny from the public view. If you were to look at television shows, it is very rare to see a woman in a role which has some dominating qualities because such a quality is associated with males. Women who step away from the traditional female gender characteristics are usually seen to be unattractive and not what the media or the public wants to see. We tackled this issue in a class I was in last semester similarly, it involved a famous female body builder who was significantly muscular and portrayed many male qualities. To be seen in a more feminine light, a magazine did an article on her presenting pictures of her in an elegant dress covered in make-up as well as another picture of her in an apron cooking in the kitchen. This just goes to show that regardless of how a woman looks they are expected to conform to the traditional gender characteristics or they will be shunned and judged by society more so than women are now.

As for men, they are commonly associated with characteristics such as strength, dominance, bread winners, assertive, sports or car oriented and independent. For a man to step out of this traditional gender role, they would face similar scrutiny in which women would face. To do ``womanly`` work or to have womanly hobbies means not to be manly. Much like women, men are pressured into maintaining their manliness, their way of remaining in control and above women in society. This is why homosexual men are scrutinized within society because they challenge the traditional gender characteristics and many do not embody what it means to be a man, which too much of society is a problem.

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ESSAY

 What are the characteristics of femininity? How is a woman regarded if she does not embody the characteristics? 

 Some characteristics of femininity that are seen in popular culture and deemed stereotypes are; they are emotional, dependent on men, flirtatious, sensitive, weak, and nurturing. In terms of being in a heterosexual relationship, stereotypes of women in these relationships are; the man pays for everything, men hold the door for women, and women are more emotional and attached when it comes to relationships with men. 

 When women go against these characteristics and does not embody them, in the criminal justice system studies have shown that women are more likely to get longer and harsher sentences compared to men when they have committed the same offence. This is because it is unexpected of women to commit crimes and go against their expected characteristics, so then there must be a problem with them and therefore receive harsher sentences. Other ways women are regarded are they are labelled 'tomboys' which can start during childhood when young girls would rather play with boys and sports than do their hair and play dress up.

What are the characteristics of masculinity? How is a man regarded if he does not embody the characteristics? 

 Characteristics of masculinity can be; independent, competitive, aggressive, strong, and sexually aggressive. When looking at a heterosexual relationship between a man and women, the man usually wears the 'pants in the relationship' saying that they have control. But when women begin making more decisions are claiming they are right about certian conflicts, these men may be labeled by their friends as 'whipped', and prior to the man getting married and spending less time with his guy friends and more with his girlfriend he may be labeled as 'wifed up'.

 When men go against the characteristics of masculinity, they can be labeled as 'gay', it is unmanly for men to show their emotions in public such as crying. Many men have grown up being told by their fathers that if you are going to be a man you must never cry and be tough, and if you do those things you are not a man but a 'wuss'.  

Reply

Hello xxx, I believe that because of these stereotypes it has created a barrier for males and females to truly express who they are as individuals. When women want to support themselves without the help of others (family, friends, spouse etc.) they are perceived as "too manly" or if a women is working in a factory she is automatically assumed a lesbian because she likes to get her hands dirty. Also, when men want to be hairstylists or fashion designers most perceive them as gay individuals because no straight man would want a career that involves designing clothes and cutting hair. These types of barriers are difficult to overcome partly due to the fact that Hollywood glorifies these expected characteristics in both male and female characters. For example, The Expendables are a group of men that ooze hypermasculinity and fear nothing always jumping into the heat of battle and completing their assigned mission. You rarely see them face adversity because they always find a way to complete their tasks since they are fearless, strong and smart. On the Contrary, The Notebook centers around a female who is charming, pretty and sensitive. She is the typical female cast because she is portrayed as a woman who is seeking love and is dependent on a loving relationship to another man that she has been thinking of for years after they departed from each other. This makes women feel like they need to find the exact same romance this character sought for so long to get that "happily ever after" ending. Although these movies have "feel good moments" and makes the audience happy, it is unconsciously giving them the notion that this is how society should act. Act ladylike if you're a female or macho if you're a male and something good will come to you in the end. If you do not adhere to these simple rules, then society will assume you are a part of the LGBT community.

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