Essay On Gender Stereotypes

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Gender stereotypes are basically rigid, oversimplified, exaggerated beliefs about masculinity and femininity that misrepresent men and women alike. Our perceptions are shaped by the culture in which those stereotypes lie. Those expected behaviors often become the expected realities of people. How do said expectations change when encountering people that do not quite fit the dichotomous binary? How do they differ across cultures and through various social prisms? Seeing as how gender is quite complex as opposed to static, how are they incorporated into the intersections in which they relate to? While I completely agree that gender stereotypes are rigid, I do see that their meanings can be altered in response to the social contexts and patterns that they are existing in. …show more content…

Gender Stereotypes exist because of constructs that allow for constant reinforcement. First of all, in order to get away from the notions of stereotypes, one must examine gender as something that is not universal or static. Notions like the fully masculine man or feminine female are not possible. The reason being that masculinities and femininities varies across cultures. Not only that, but it is possible for them to change over time. Secondly, at least in the West, gender roles are present since before the moment a person is born. Blue-Pink Syndrome states that everything is and can be gendered. For example, expecting parents decorate their baby's room with things that coincide with their sex. Pink frills and cute images for girls, and blue sporty images for boys. Lastly, gender stereotypes are shaped in the three levels of organization: by the individual, through interaction, and in institutions. Individually people choose how they want to act, as well as how they would like the rest of the world to see them as. They may emulate the gender stereotypes that best expresses their own identity. Through interaction people

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