When I was five or six years old, I fantasized about what I would look like when I was all grown up. I imagined that I would have flowing brown hair, luscious breasts, and a mesmerizing singing voice—a woman I perceived to be a man’s dream, probably thanks to a Corona commercial or two. By eight, I was flipping my hair out of the pool to look as sexy as Ariel does in The Little Mermaid when she first bursts out of the ocean as a human. Also, I ascended the sauna steps in a dress slip to look like she does at the end of the film when she emerges from the sea for the final time—her gown, shimmering and beautiful, clings to her slim body as she runs into the arms of her charming and handsome Prince Eric. Unlike Ariel, however, I did not shimmer, and I certainly did not look beautiful; my slip hung limply from my chubby prepubescent frame, and I moped about my lack of sex appeal. At eight years old.
As is evident, media images have had a strong effect on my perceptions of femininity ever since I was a child. In fact, I attribute a great deal of my preteen and adolescent behaviors to these media-based perceptions. For this reason, I am deeply interested in how television shows, film, magazines, advertisements, etc. affect males’ and females’ self images and their ideas about what acceptable gendered behaviors are. And I’m not just talking about the ubiquitous female quest to be thin and pretty—men, too, face stifling pressure. They are encouraged to hide their emotions, be as buff as possible, find a well-paying job, etc. These are just a few of the topics regarding the social construction of gender that I will delve into while blogging this semester.
I am also interested in broader social issues pertaining to gender. One may think that thanks to the feminists of the 1970s, humans live in a world where men and women are totally equal. But is that really the case? If so, why are American women still routinely paid less than men for doing the exact same job? The glass ceiling still exists when it comes to women in the workplace, unfortunately. And outside of the United States, Afghani women endure clitoridectomies and female babies in China have become the victims of infanticide—if you can only have one child, better make sure it’s a boy so that he can take care of you when you’re old (or so the logic goes)! I will be discussing a variety of international social justice issues that have to do with sexual biases and expectations for the next few months.
Going back to gender development in children, I am not just interested in how children have been acculturated by the media; I am also interested in how kids are affected by behavioral clues all around them. For example, ever been inside a Toys ‘R’ Us? There are two toy aisles: one is stocked with pink fuzzy things, Easy Bake ovens, and Barbies (which, by the way, would not be able to stand on their own if they were actual, life-sized women), and the other is jam-packed with black and red race cars, Lego adventure sets, squirt guns, and extremely muscular action figures. Why do we do this to our children? Can’t our kids play with unisex toys, such as, say, colorful blocks? Why do we insist on laying out certain roles for them as soon as they pop into the world? I, for one, would like my children—regardless of gender—to be whoever they want to be. It may sound idealistic, but it’s true. Parents are quick to discourage their sons from wearing Mom’s nightgown and high heels, and scold their daughters for becoming too loud or dirty. Is this kind of parenting psychologically and developmentally healthy? I am deeply interested in exploring the answers to these difficult questions.
I am looking forward to spending the semester thinking critically and writing about gender discrepancies in media and society, as well as contemplating various international social issues pertaining to gender that are currently pertinent. Because my life and behavior have been deeply affected by my perceptions of what a woman should be, look and act like, the subject of gender fascinates me. Career-wise, I am hoping to influence the world somehow, to change some of the unfair and harmful gender differences I perceive to exist all around me. Perhaps this blog will be the first step in doing so.
