"When I was 8, I was called bossy because I wanted to direct a play we would put on for our parents. When I was 14, I started to be sexualized by certain elements of the media. At 15, my girlfriends started dropping out of sports teams because they didn't want to appear masculine. At 18, my male friends we unable to express their feelings." -Emma Watson
"When I was 8, I was called bossy because I wanted to direct a play we would put on for our parents."
I remember when being called bossy at a young age. It was such a harsh criticism that I wasn't willing to accept because at the young age of 8 I knew that that was one of the worst adjectives someone could use to describe you. Some girls were able to accept it and indeed own the title. I was unable to; being called bossy was powerful enough to hide the leader role in me.
"When I was 14, I started to be sexualized by certain elements of the media."
Throughout the magazines, internet, TV shows, as well as the advertisements that go along with each of those "forms of entertainment," women are constantly and consistently being over sexualized. Have you seen the remakes of commercials were men fill in for the women? It proves how ridiculous we over sexualize women.
"At 15, my girlfriends started dropping out of sports reams because they didn't want to appear masculine."
I grew up in a hockey obsessed family. Soon enough I found myself skating around the rink when I was in 4th grade. By 6th grade I found myself tumbling into gymnastics and bumping my way through the Berkshire volleyball team. I was defeated by the thought that hockey was too masculine of a sport for me and as I shed my tomboy personality I shed my passion for hockey. I do however still know that one of my friend that I started hockey with still continues to play today which gives me hope that gender sterotypes do not defeat everyone.
"At 18, my male friends were unable to express their feelings."
I see this happening everywhere. I notice this particularly at school where some guys are constantly trying to out macho the others. I do notice that when my good guy friends hit a rough patch, they go into a moody hiding rather than get into an emotionally investing conversation with anyone.
I agree with your comment, while, as a guy, I wouldn't be able to understand it perfectly, I sympathize with the difficulties you must face. I think that you hit all the correct points on the stereotypes that plague females today.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I think that society does try to push females down, by calling them "bossy," and "moody." These labels only serve to tell women that they cannot be independent and that they must go with the flow instead of trying to change things for the better.
It's also saddening that your friends dropped out of sports for fear of feeling "masculine." Sports are always beneficial to one, male or female, and choosing not to do them only hurts the person and society as a whole.
I also agree that society tries to push us females down by calling us bossy and moody and all the other stereotypical words towards us females, because sometimes we might not be any of the words but maybe the way the person we were talking to took it in a different tone because we could've been giving them advice to try and help them.
ReplyDeleteI agree that society stereotypes your gender telling you how you should be. I believe these quotes still happen today in our society. I believe Emma Watson made a powerful statement that day when she made her speech. Nobody should be put down for them not being what society wants them to be because everyone is there own person and is unique in there own way.
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