Controversy Evening Rituals: Blurred Gender Disparities

In the essay “Don’t Look Now: The Male Pin-Up” by Richard Dyer, the author analyzes how male and female models look at the spectator. His argument is that men are always photographed in an active manner, and the women are just there sitting passively. Men do this because they cannot be feminine in any manner or otherwise they face backlash from society. His goal in this essay is to reveal this cultural phenomenon to the reader by stating what the model’s look represents and the activity of models in images. Throughout this essay I will be analyzing how Dyer explains these concepts to inform the reader.

In Western culture, media portrayal has an abundance of impact on what social and cultural normalities are. More adolescent women are expected to have the best of both worlds in terms of looks. In being seductive, a woman entices a man and focuses on attracting a man through provocative body language. Through fulfilling the role of a seductress, women in Vogue magazine were posed as objects for pleasing men. In an advertisement for Estée Lauder liquid lipstick, a group of them is

In a systemically patriarchal society that encourages and enforces the gender binary, we as a public are conditioned to accept and cooperate with the heteronormative paradigm. Pop-culture and the media are large contributors in the ways in which the gender binary is perpetuated. Gender norms are constantly marketed towards

Society expects males and females to adopt, accept, and accommodate specific gender roles and stereotypes that have been previously established. In western society, males are expected to be an alpha, independent, and athletic type, whereas females are typically expected to be obedient, nurturing, and reserved. Society demands conformity to an enforced gender order. When these gender norms are pushed beyond its boundaries, it is common for labels to be given, questions to be asked, and individuals to be ridiculed. While “traditional” gender stereotypes have remained fairly constant over the past few centuries, they have also been challenged.

Society has conditioned us to believe categorizing genders into “gender boxes” is the norm. We have all heard the classic trite sayings, “Men are the head of the house” or “Women should always cook dinner for their families.” Author, Aaron Devor tackle issues like male and female stereotypes in her article, “Gender Roles Behaviors and Attitudes”; and discusses in depth how gender roles and behaviors are not “natural” and more on the lines of “cultural constructs.” Qualities as such are also identified in Deborah Blum’s article, “The Gender Blur” which reinforces the idea that humans are not born with the stereotypical idea of masculinity and femininity but taught. By highlighting how society has a substantial impact on gender identify, Devor

Pinterest boards and YouTube videos that deliver makeup tutorials flood social media. Television shows that chronicle cupcake shops and DIY home improvement flourish. As these feminized forms of media thrive in the pop culture of our early twenty-first century, contemporary gender scholars take up the task of analyzing the social, economic, and cultural meaning they create.

This article is about, James Charles, Covergirl’s first CoverBoy who’s pushing the gender boundaries in the makeup industry. This article explains the journey Charles took to get where he is today by providing his input about makeup and how he feels about it. The author also give the audience a boys perspective of makeup and being in the makeup industry by interviewing him. This article supports my idea by including the topic of males in the makeup industry due to society change in gender boundaries. Therefore, this article provides a different perspective of makeup that allows me to understand why males wear makeup, why and how they feel about it

Gender is among several concepts taught from birth that eventually become our nature. The degree of inequality between men and women has varied among a wide range of cultures, but has ultimately constructed a glass ceiling for women. While the United States has experienced progressive change towards gender equality, other areas have yet to advance. The social construction of gender has shaped different mentalities, even in recreational aspects of culture. I recognized this after attending a local Salsa dancing event for the student body.

During this week we have discussed the differences of how we describe masculine and feminine based on biological and cultural assessments of gender, while also looking at how media depicts these gender roles, and how it influences our understanding of sex and sexuality. Gender roles are drawn upon normative rules and standards that “society” create. When we distinguish between these roles, the Masculine role is more self-oriented or agentic, while the feminine role is communal. Males are understood of having a standard of being strong, aggressive, dominant, and most importantly being the provider. Females are thought of having the standard of being weak, fragile, submissive, nurturing, and subordinate. This gender socialization begins at birth starting when a girl is placed in a pink hat, while a boy is placed in a blue cap.

This image (Azman, Pia) demonstrates gender roles because it shows the different expectations for women compared to men. Marjane Satrapi faces challenges as a girl that her male family members and friends do not have to worry about. For example, the veil requirement. Marjane and her family listen to a man on television say, “Women’s hair emanates rays that excite men. That’s why women should cover their hair” (Satrapi 74). This shows gender roles because instead of shaming men, he says women should cover themselves for their own protection. Similarly, there was an incident with Marjane’s mother that was very hard on her and her family. Two men assaulted Marjane’s mother for not wearing a veil, and said she should be raped and then thrown in the garbage (Satrapi 74). This changed Marjane’s perspective because she was personally impacted. She also has a different perspective on this incident than a male would because women are treated as inferiors by men in

It was not only till the Nineteenth century where makeup became gender inclusive to society and became a women dominated industry. As the years progressed society was conditioned to think that makeup was made for women. Outside ancient Egypt women had done above and beyond to enhance their beauty to become better suited for a mate or to be considered beautiful. Before makeup was even introduced to world, women went to the extremes of using burnt matches to darken their eyes, using berries to stain there cheeks and lips, and even swallow oxblood to improve overall complexion. And if it wasn’t for the help of social media, men would still be struggling to this day to get the cosmetic recognition that they deserve. Gender roles has always created social boundaries for not only men but for women as well.Women have also dealt with the hardship of trying to be accepted in a society. Since the nineteenth th century restraints of not being able to vote, or work has carried on to the Twentieth century. Women are taken seriously when it comes to sports or having physical strength. Till this day women are making less on their paychecks compared to men. Both genders have their disadvantages and both deal with trying to break the labels that have been created. A new societal culture is happening and regardless of gender the traditional constraints that have been created it is becoming less significant in not only the

gender role and how/why some behaviors are stereotyped towards a certain gender. A concept of

Genderism refers to the idea that there are only two ways to fit into socially normative views of gender: male or female. This term also fortifies the notion that gender, and the gender which one identifies with, is inherently connected to the biological makeup of the genitalia they were assigned with at birth. Genderism is seen as a cultural belief, and therefore is a commonly shared perspective amongst people in many regions of the world. For those who were born into a culture where genderism is practiced, it can be difficult to formulate opposing opinions and viewpoints regarding gender. Moreover, this causes individuals to subconsciously place people into categories or a binary, which as a result, excludes multiple individuals and restricts many from being true to who they are. Hall (2013) stated in his work,that while it is necessary for humans to sort new information into ‘types’ in their brains to comprehend meaning, it is critical not to limit individuals to these types. Furthermore, with the knowledge and technology at the hands of scientists and researchers today, limitations of gender and gender identification

Gender Inequality: This controversial video demonstrates how the “beauty myth” affects young women to value their femininity in society. They are using their exterior

Their physical characteristics specify femininity, as seen by long hair, makeup, high heels, and a skirt. Not only can their gender be indicated by general appearance but by body language. Many women communicate an inferior status through their demeanor, and tend to “demonstrate subordination through a minimizing of spatial use” (Devor, 486). The individual on the right is hunched over, appearing more diminutive than others in the photo. These two individuals sit with their legs closed, toes pointed inward, and hands held close in their lap. By doing so, both appear nonaggressive and lacking confidence, making them seem feminine by contemporary standards. The individual on the far left is seated rather close to the person in the middle, since “other people tend to stand closer to people they see as feminine, often invading their personal space” (Devor, 486). The complaisant impression these individuals give likely results in the close proximity of the third individual. This evidence reinforces current American beliefs on femininity, aligning with how we often perceive the female gender. However, these observations are assumptions as their sex is