Nowadays, studies regarding the topic of similarities and differences between men and women are becoming more relevant for social studies. Some of the most well-known facts about gender stereotypes usually relate to clothing. Even in the 21st century, there is a strong belief among people that real men should not wear outfits that are associated with femininity. For instance, such clothes include pink shirts and tight pants. However, the choice of what to wear should be free; therefore, modern society requires the rejection of such labels that discriminate against such a simple right.
First of all, it is important to define the reasons behind these beliefs. Some of the primary justifications for bullying men who decide to wear pink are common gender stereotypes. They are culturally and socially conditioned opinions about the qualities, attributes, and norms of behavior of representatives of both sexes. Stereotypes have always been playing the role of a certain program that dictates people how to dress, talk, or behave. Moreover, they are fixed in the collective consciousness and it is difficult to make a drastic change or discard them completely.
Since stereotypes have been present in societies for a long time, there is no doubt that they make life easier. The reason for this is the fact that for people it is more comfortable to rely on stereotypes due to the absence of their own knowledge and opinions. In addition, those who firmly believe in them are usually unwilling to enrich themselves with new information. Furthermore, it is argued that gender preconceptions can be justified. Researchers note that “gender-dysphoria boys prefer pink and brighter shades of blue, whereas gender-dysphoric girls avoid pink and tend to choose the darker blues” (Del Giudice 1558). For this reason, it can be argued that stereotypes are not necessarily harmful; however, in this case, simplicity can be considered a dubious merit.
Such beliefs can often distort the perception of reality and as a result, lead to an incorrect conclusion about a person. In the case where someone uses these simple methods to analyze and understand people, he or she deprives oneself of the opportunity to build the right judgment. In addition, the demands to follow the rules and possess certain characteristics can inevitably harm the self-identification of those who defy gender stereotypes. That, of course, includes men who choose to wear tight pants instead of loose jeans. The most famous example of gender separation in clothing is the distinction between blue and pink. In this day and age women borrowing items of men’s wardrobe does not create controversy. Nevertheless, the men’s use of clothing elements that are recognized as stereotypically feminine continues to look extraordinary. Researchers indicate that “when there is a hesitance within the male sex to not wear pink due to it being too feminine, and men continually deal with the questioning of their masculinity” (Almy and Sanatullova-Allison 3). The stereotypes indicate that the pink color has a negative connotation, indicating its femininity and associations with gay people.
Fortunately, at the present time, men’s fashion begins to doubt such preconceptions and to look more androgynous. The current equality movements allow people of all genders to express themselves through any clothing. For this reason, demanding men to wear a particular set of colors or styles would be discrimination against identity. Sometimes color is just a color and it does not have to be related to society’s beliefs.
Works Cited
Almy, Alexandria, and Elvira Sanatullova-Allison. “Women are the breadwinners and men are the homemakers: Gender socialization in culture, society, and education.” IAFOR Journal of Cultural Studies vol. 1, no.1, 2016.
Del Giudice, Marco. “Pink, blue, and gender: An update.” Archives of Sexual Behavior, vol. 46, no. 6, 2017, pp. 1555-1563.