Ridiculous Patriarchal Views and Ideals From To Kill A Mockingbird and the Present World

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Recommended: Stereotypes of gender in the classroom

“It’s time you started bein’ a girl and acting right!” Women are always expected to “act right.” As we grow up, we, as women, are told to act and look like a lady. We are expected to keep our legs closed and crossed, be clean, and be presentable. We should not cuss or be too loud. We are raised to be accessories. Today, females are seen more as equals to men, but there is still a fair amount of judgement against our gender.
Little girls are costumes in dresses and ribbons and bows. Their hair is curled and their nails are polished. Little boys can run and play and shout and yell, but little girls are told to stay inside and play with dolls. Little girls can not play in the mud like the little boys. Toy dump trucks are for boys, and baby dolls are for girls. From a young age, girls are expected to take on the roles of mothers, cooks, cleaners, even if those roles are just pretend. Countless years at Christmas, I recieved toy kitchens, plastic brooms and dustpans, and baby dolls that would “poop” and “pee” after you “fed” them. The stereotypical role of females was thrust upon me. I was expected to pretend to cook, clean, and take care of children. That is what girls are taught the end goal is. They are taught that they should aspire to take care of the household, cook all the meals, and do all the cleaning while the males look forward to adventuring, being astronauts or doctors or race-car drivers.
Listen to any conversation between high school boys when they are joking with their friends, calling each other names, and you will hear words that are distinctly feminine thrown out as insults. Even in an argument between females, the same insults are used. One particular word is viewed as one of the worst things to call someone, and ...

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...oo many. Just about every girl has been told to “act like a lady” at least once in her life. Now, I have no problem with acting respectable and appropriate, but I do have a problem with the behavior that seems to be expected from a “lady.” “Ladies” should be quiet, polite, not too emotional, not argumentative, proper and sweet. “Ladies” should not be disruptive, and should just kind of go along with everything. “Ladies” should take orders. To me, that is not what a lady is. To me, a lady is polite but will not settle. A lady will speak her mind, but in a sophisticated manner. A lady can express her emotions without throwing a hissy fit. A lady argues for what she believes. A lady does not need to be sweet to someone if they have not been sweet to her. So if I am told to act like a lady, that is what I will be. But I will be my idea of a lady, and not anybody else’s.

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