Gender Socialization In Michael Lewis's Buy That Little Girl An Ice Cream Cone?
analytical Essay
707 words
Gender socialization between boys and girls have been a topic of controversy for years. With views varying from supportive to disproving, one general consensus can be drawn from either side: gender socialization is the foundation of how children are brought up and is the primary reason for how boys and girls view the world in different ways. In Michael Lewis’s “Buy That Little Girl an Ice Cream Cone”, the reader is given personal anecdotes about Lewis’s family vacation trip to Bermuda, followed by an event that shaped the way he viewed both his two young daughters and the socialization of parents towards their children. Society’s differentiation between how boys and girls should act and behave is the main indication that children are socialized …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Opines that gender socialization is the foundation of how children are brought up and the primary reason for how boys and girls view the world in different ways.
- Explains that children are socialized differently through early childhood. they are exposed to gender-based activities, such as barbie dolls, action figures, sports, and maintenance-related chores.
- Analyzes how the socialization of young boys and girls creates a divide in the aspect of how children are brought up and expected to behave.
- Explains that there are still debating points stating that gender socialization doesn't occur or doesn’t pose a problem, which can be refuted using multiple examples that trace back to one main topic: sexism.
- Argues that gender socialization has been the center-point for flaws in modern-day society. socializing body's and girls not only heightens the expectations of others but also increases individuals harshness towards themselves.
Young children are typically raised around specific sex-types objects and activities. This includes the toys that that are given, activities that they are encouraged to participate in, and the gender-based roles that they are subjected to from a young age. Parents are more likely to introduce their daughters into the world of femininity through an abundance of pink colored clothes and objects, Barbie dolls, and domestic chores such as cooking and doing laundry (Witt par. 9). Contrarily, boys are typically exposed to the male world through action figures, sports, the color blue, and maintenance-based chores such as mowing the lawn and repairing various things around the house (Witt par. 9). As a result, young children begin to link different occupations with a certain gender thus narrowing their decisions relating to their career goals in the future. This separation of options also creates a suppresses the child from doing something that is viewed as ‘different’ from what they were exposed to. Gender socialization stemming from early childhood shapes the child and progressively shoves them into a small box of opportunities and choices relating to how they should live their …show more content…
Society typically excuses most behavioral-related slips ups among boys with the saying that “boys will always be boys”. However, if a girl were to commit the exact same mistake, nearly every bystander would be taken aback in shock. For example, Lewis describes an instance in which his three year old swore to an older boy who was teasing her sister (655). Lewis described this outburst as an occurrence that caused “all hell to break lose”, with parents stunned as to what they have just witnessed (655). On the contrary, if a boy were to act in a similar fashion observers would most likely overlook the situation, excusing it for ‘typical behavior among boys’. The general public considers swearing among boys to be socially acceptable, but if it were to be done by a female regardless of age it would be considered ‘improper’ and the female would be deemed as ‘ill brought up’. This difference between the socialization of young boys and girls creates a divide in the aspect of how children are brought up and expected to behave.
However, there is still and will always be debating points stating that gender socialization either doesn’t occur or doesn’t pose a problem. This can be refuted using multiple examples that trace back to one main topic: sexism. Sexism essentially has been the byproduct of gender socialization in the sense that it is based off the notion that ‘one sex isn’t
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that gender recognition is one of the first cognitive developments in a toddler and the effects it has on developing social lives.
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- Cites rubin, j. p., witt, s. d. and wood, e.
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In this essay, the author
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In this essay, the author
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- Opines that history can provide insight and make society aware of the current ideologies of gender.
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In this essay, the author
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how michael kimmel investigates "guyland" where young boys socially interact as "guys". as a sociologist at state university of new york, michael has perfected his specialty in gender studies.
- Explains that the "guy" age is the white, middle class, college bound young men that strive after all the playboy and muscle fitness magazines.
- Analyzes how michael refers to guyland of not having any girls, but when present they are allowed in.
- Argues that the term "boys will be boys" is outdated and an unsafe way to deal with the social interaction of these young boys today.
- Analyzes engberg's review on the book guyland, which is an undefined time span between adolescence and adulthood.
- Opines that women are invading guyland with the co-ed campuses, which can be good, and bad for the guys.
- Cites engberg, g. (2008). guyland: the perilous world where boys become men.
- Asks if the book is a benefit for the parents, teachers, and acquaintances that deal with these "guys" daily?
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