Gender stereotypes are harmful because they only teach men and women to act in certain ways. They confine people to a set of behaviors associated with their gender. Women are assigned feminine traits, such as modesty, empathy, gentleness, and amicableness. On the other hand, men are expected to be strong, competitive, commanding, and aggressive. I have learned that gender stereotypes manifest in various ways and typically hurt society.
The first and possibly most important thing I realized from watching the videos is that gender is a social construct, and nothing is inherently masculine or feminine. Human beings ascribe gender labels to things based on their own beliefs about gender. For instance, blue was a color assigned to girls because it is delicate, while pink was for boys because it portrays strength. However, this changed in the 1940s when some companies decided that pink was a girl’s color and blued a boy’s color. This shows that all beliefs about gender are man-made and changeable. Since gender roles and stereotypes are simply a construct, society should change harmful ones.
Numerous harmful gender stereotypes are taught and reinforced early in life. When watching the video “How Movies Teach Manhood,” I noticed that many children’s movies teach children that boys are meant to fight while girls are meant to be saved. Many Disney princess stories feature girls being saved by a prince. In the film Rapunzel, a prince rescues Rapunzel from the tower where she is trapped by a witch. I think structuring movies in a way that shows girls as being perpetually helpless negatively affects how women are perceived in society. It reinforces the idea that women are weak and unknowledgeable, which leads to them being treated this way. For instance, I know that car dealers quote higher prices for women who are unaccompanied by men when purchasing a car. Dealerships do this because of the notion that women do not know much about cars. Not only is this stereotype condescending towards women, but it is also harmful.
Many people assume that gender stereotypes only marginalize women, but in reality, they harm everyone. Gender roles and stereotypes teach men that they should be fierce and unemotional. It is also considered unmanly to talk about emotions with other people. Consequently, men are taught to suppress their emotions from an early age. I distinctly remember a time when I went shopping and saw a boy who was about five years old running between the aisles. When he fell down, his mother picked him up and told him to stop crying because “men do not cry.” I have also heard boys being called gay for expressing sadness. In adulthood, suppression of emotions manifests in the form of failing to discuss one’s achievements, problems, and anxieties. For instance, many men do not discuss financial problems with their partners because they think it makes them look weak. Gender stereotypes teach men that their mental health does not matter, which is a harmful idea to propagate.
In addition to the different ways in which gender stereotypes affect men and women, I was surprised to learn how deep toxic masculinity runs. I knew that perceptions of masculinity affect men’s mental health and relationships with others. I was also aware that some men buy products marketed for men. However, I did not think that some products are outrightly rejected by men on account of their “feminine” attributes. For instance, Dove soap had to release a separate soap brand for men because the original did not appeal to men. The shape, graphics, and logo of the original Dove soap were considered unmanly. I think this speaks to the fragility of toxic masculinity. It is unreasonable to ascribe a gender to a product based on its shape, color, verbiage, and graphics. Despite the ridiculousness of toxic masculinity, it persists in modern society. For instance, I have a male friend who loves floral shirts but does not wear them because “flowers are for women.” The idea that some products are meant only for women and others for men is an antiquated concept that should be eliminated.
Society should strive to bust gender stereotypes because they are harmful. They force everyone to live a constrained life. Any deviation from the norm is considered unnatural, and people are heavily punished for not abiding by gender roles. One of the most effective ways to eliminate gender stereotypes is by not teaching children that some products, behaviors, or personalities are feminine and others masculine. Overall, I learned a lot about this topic, and I can now easily recognize gender stereotypes and resist them.
References
Gendered Marketing [YouTube Video], The Checkout, Web.
How Movies Teach Manhood | Colin Stokes [YouTube video], TED, Web.