I don’t think anything should be considered inherently masculine or feminine. Masculine and feminine are social constructs, and they vary from culture to culture. It’s ridiculous and supremely arrogant to assume that definite spheres exist simply because it’s easier to categorize than to allow things to remain in the grey, where they should be.
Do I think there is any merit to the ideas of "man's work" versus "woman's work”?
Absolutely not. These constructs are meant to divide the genders; we have far more in common than we have in difference.
I think our society dictates that it’s OK for men to be more violent, that it’s more acceptable than seeing a violent woman. And likewise, it's socially acceptable and expected for women to be the more nurturing, emotional, loving one in a relationship. But it’s all bull. Remove these socio-cultural constructs and let people be who are they are inclined to be without fear of alienation, and we would see a lot more gender variance in issues like these.
How does it make me feel to see people transcending these boundaries of so-called gender-determined behaviors?” It’s awesome! We need to be ourselves. Gender doesn’t need to be nor SHOULD it be confined to two boxes, which most people don’t neatly fit into but feel forced to in order to fit in and maintain face and image.
I’ve always hated sports. Playing them, watching them... it’s all so boring. It’s a bunch of imbeciles running around playing out mini wars and taking out their aggression through a series of silly rules. You won’t see me “protecting my masculinity” by calling anyone out and exchanging insults and blows. I like to look nice. Instead of going out to play sports with the other boys in elementary school I hung out with the girls and played jump rope and hop-scotch. I didn’t really have good straight male friends until my senior year of high school, and I’m still far more comfortable discussing how I feel with women rather than with other guys.
Showing posts with label Natural Spheres. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Natural Spheres. Show all posts
9.06.2009
TO HELL WITH GENDER ROLES: My Hobbies Include Aluminum & Steel, But I Also Love Baking And Ani DiFranco (DeLue)
From a biological standpoint it's becoming more and more apparent that there are real ingrained psychological differences between the sexes at the mental level. When you enter into this argument it must be realized that one is speaking of averages always. For example the portion of the brain which bridges the left and right halves, aiding in tasks which require both creativity and systematic processing, is on average larger in the female. This means that something like translation, which requires a creative understanding of language and a systematic knowledge of the syntax and meaning of millions of words in several languages comes more naturally to females. This does not mean that no man can be a good translator, but rather that there will be fewer male translators than female.
Similarly, an argument for the roles of men and women being somewhat biological can be made from an evolutionary standpoint. We enjoy a lot of freedom today that we did not enjoy in our past. Written history records but a blip in the whole history of "man" and though we may enjoy the ability and right to transcend stereotypes today, this may not have always been the case. Women as the caring mother and keeper of the home may seem chauvinist today, but it was an absolutely crucial role for early man, while the male had to hunt and bring in food.
The argument for why it had to be the man hunting and the woman being the homekeeper is a matter of biology. Average muscle mass and the fact that women were pregnant for the majority of their lives during early history are just two of the reasons for this role being the default for early man. Thousands and millions of years of these roles being vital and essential may well have led to a predisposition for the human race to fall into these roles.
I feel as if I'm playing devil's advocate here, I hope this doesn't ruffle too many feathers.
My opinions on crossing gender stereotypes today is that I am wholeheartedly in favor of it. Now that we have the freedom to make such choices I think it's best for a person to do whatever makes them most comfortable in life. If it blows their gender stereotype out of the water good for them, and if it conforms perfectly then that's equally awesome. I'm not sure how much I conform or defy my gender stereotype. I can almost always be seen in boots and jeans and my hobbies include aluminum and steel, but I do love to bake and Ani DiFranco is a goddess.
Wherever I stand between the archetypes, I would argue that there is a predisposition on the biological level for men and women to conform to their traditional archetypes, but that it is stronger in some and weaker in others, and that this doesn't mean that one cannot buck the trend and be a statistical outlier if it makes them happy.
Similarly, an argument for the roles of men and women being somewhat biological can be made from an evolutionary standpoint. We enjoy a lot of freedom today that we did not enjoy in our past. Written history records but a blip in the whole history of "man" and though we may enjoy the ability and right to transcend stereotypes today, this may not have always been the case. Women as the caring mother and keeper of the home may seem chauvinist today, but it was an absolutely crucial role for early man, while the male had to hunt and bring in food.
The argument for why it had to be the man hunting and the woman being the homekeeper is a matter of biology. Average muscle mass and the fact that women were pregnant for the majority of their lives during early history are just two of the reasons for this role being the default for early man. Thousands and millions of years of these roles being vital and essential may well have led to a predisposition for the human race to fall into these roles.
I feel as if I'm playing devil's advocate here, I hope this doesn't ruffle too many feathers.
My opinions on crossing gender stereotypes today is that I am wholeheartedly in favor of it. Now that we have the freedom to make such choices I think it's best for a person to do whatever makes them most comfortable in life. If it blows their gender stereotype out of the water good for them, and if it conforms perfectly then that's equally awesome. I'm not sure how much I conform or defy my gender stereotype. I can almost always be seen in boots and jeans and my hobbies include aluminum and steel, but I do love to bake and Ani DiFranco is a goddess.
Wherever I stand between the archetypes, I would argue that there is a predisposition on the biological level for men and women to conform to their traditional archetypes, but that it is stronger in some and weaker in others, and that this doesn't mean that one cannot buck the trend and be a statistical outlier if it makes them happy.
GENDER IS A STATE OF MIND: Gender Isn't Purely Biological But A Mental Construct (James)
Having taken a Women’s Studies course [WS251: Women & Nazism] for the very first time last semester, I’ve had feminist theory hammered into my brain. I accept the idea of masculine and feminine constructs, but I believe that they’re pure myth based on male and female archetypes. That said, I don’t believe that they are biologically ingrained in us.
There’s extreme overlap between so-called male and female behaviors. The idea of men’s work vs. women’s work seems to only become an issue when a woman is incapacitated by a uniquely female issue (ie. pregnancy). I agree with Nelly when she says that male and female behaviors are not set in stone and definitely are not mutually exclusive.
I, too, love it when people transcend gender boundaries. Moreover, I just love it when people do what isn’t expected of them. My most recent transgression was performing a group Bellydance at the Dance Ensemble’s fall recital. Besides that, I dress up for the Gender-Bender Dance every year, I like baking stuff for my housemates, and I care a lot about how my clothes look on me.
However, I have no desire whatsoever to be a woman. I treasure my masculinity: my love of horror movie gore, my dreams of being a stunt double, my hidden desire to punch my ex square-in-the-nose... I guess it all reminds me that I may be gay but that doesn’t make me any less of a man.
There’s extreme overlap between so-called male and female behaviors. The idea of men’s work vs. women’s work seems to only become an issue when a woman is incapacitated by a uniquely female issue (ie. pregnancy). I agree with Nelly when she says that male and female behaviors are not set in stone and definitely are not mutually exclusive.
I, too, love it when people transcend gender boundaries. Moreover, I just love it when people do what isn’t expected of them. My most recent transgression was performing a group Bellydance at the Dance Ensemble’s fall recital. Besides that, I dress up for the Gender-Bender Dance every year, I like baking stuff for my housemates, and I care a lot about how my clothes look on me.
However, I have no desire whatsoever to be a woman. I treasure my masculinity: my love of horror movie gore, my dreams of being a stunt double, my hidden desire to punch my ex square-in-the-nose... I guess it all reminds me that I may be gay but that doesn’t make me any less of a man.
I LOVE GENDERFUCKS: I've Broken Plenty Of Gender Stereotypes In My Day (Nelly)
Hmm... while there are "masculine" and "feminine" energies, I don't really think there's much difference between the two. I especially don't believe there's anything that could be considered exclusive to either category. As for that man's work vs. woman's work... if you think about it, things considered woman's work nowadays were men's work before the World Wars. So that entire idea is pretty dumb in my opinion.
Men act more upon their aggressions than women do I think. Or act upon them in a different way. Women can be violent. Men can be very passive as well. Both genders bring love to a relationship. The difference lies within the sphere of *how* they bring it and how they show their love I think. Women are more open about it while men are probably a little more reserved, as that's what's expected of them. A lot of it is based upon expectations to conform with the norm.
I love it with people are genderfucks! I'm more "masculine" in attire and sometimes in my behavior as well, so I'm a little bit biased to those who don't fit in a little box. I've broken plenty of gender stereotypes in my day: I'm the one my parents turn to when it comes to putting furniture together, as my brother sucks at doing so. I cook, do dishes (when I absolutely have to), clean when I have to, and can fix a computer. I know how to jump a car too.
Being what's classified as a butch lesbian also forces me to break gender stereotypes wherever I go. And to break stereotypes everyone may have about butches.
Men act more upon their aggressions than women do I think. Or act upon them in a different way. Women can be violent. Men can be very passive as well. Both genders bring love to a relationship. The difference lies within the sphere of *how* they bring it and how they show their love I think. Women are more open about it while men are probably a little more reserved, as that's what's expected of them. A lot of it is based upon expectations to conform with the norm.
I love it with people are genderfucks! I'm more "masculine" in attire and sometimes in my behavior as well, so I'm a little bit biased to those who don't fit in a little box. I've broken plenty of gender stereotypes in my day: I'm the one my parents turn to when it comes to putting furniture together, as my brother sucks at doing so. I cook, do dishes (when I absolutely have to), clean when I have to, and can fix a computer. I know how to jump a car too.
Being what's classified as a butch lesbian also forces me to break gender stereotypes wherever I go. And to break stereotypes everyone may have about butches.
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