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Unspoken Expectations
Smile; you look prettier when you are happy. Laugh; laugh at their jokes, even if they are not funny. Make-up; cake it on, because if you have imperfections you are ugly. Dresses; because pants are too boyish. Follow these steps and you will be loved. Break these rules and all of a sudden you are teased and a disgrace. School grades do not matter because the higher the grade the more nerdy you are. And they want submissive girls who do what they say, because having your own mind is ugly. Hang out with the popular group, because if you hang out with anyone else you are “not cool”. These unspoken rules were and still are some of the social standards set for girls. Some girls, like Squeaky, the main character of the short
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For example, the quote, “Because I am Miss Quicksilver herself” (p. 31, line 172), shows how Squeaky is seemingly self confident. However, as the song ¨Little Game¨ by Benny states, “Put on false confidence, just to feel alive,” many people fake self-confidence to hide their insecurities from the world. This relates to Squeaky because the supposed, egotistical Squeaky is actually using confidence to hide her insecure, sad, self. Maybe this is because Squeaky wants to hide from the ridiculously girly expectations of her mother, as another quote from Raymond’s Run states:
The biggest thing on the program is the Maypole dancing, which I can do without, thank you, even if my mother thinks it’s a shame I don’t take part and act like a girl for a change. (p. 31, lines 175-178) This describes the girly stereotypes placed on Squeaky by her own mother, which is perfectly captured by the “Little Game” song lyrics:
Don’t you think it’s funny how they tell us how to live?
Don’t you think it’s funny how we’re all delinquent
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Sadly, Squeaky has to deal with things that many kids around the world face—neglect, gender stereotypes, and mental disorders. On top of that, the stereotypes Squeaky’s mom places on her are even more heartbreaking. Squeaky’s mom expects Squeaky to want to go May Pole dancing and dress up. She expects Squeaky to want to be girly and act proper. If that were not bad enough, on top of that, when Squeaky and her mom do go out together, and Squeaky does exercises for her running, her mom walks ahead of her, pretending Squeaky is not her child. Squeaky’s mom is ashamed of having a tomboy daughter. However Squeaky will have none of that. Squeaky’s wall of confidence protects her from the superficiality of society. Smile; you look prettier when you are happy. Laugh; laugh at their jokes, even if they are not funny. Make-up; cake it on, because if you have imperfections you are ugly. Dresses; because pants are too boyish. From Squeaky, the reader learns what it means to stand up for yourself in a society that pushes gender stereotypes; instead of giving in, she adopts her own motto: Be yourself; you look prettier when you have a brain.
Women pageant queens think they are supposed to represent the ideal of female beauty. The tomboy is especially associated with childhood and is defined by the girlhood performance of masculinity. As Michele Abate noted, “The traits most Americans are likely to name as constitutive of this code of tomboy conduct include proclivity for outdoor play (especially athletics), a feisty independent spirit, and a tendency to don masculine clothing and adopt a boyish nickname” (Abate). What does it mean to be a boy in children’s literature and the kind of varieties of boys that are represented? J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series typically features a social, educational, and physical dangers of school life that provide opportunities for adventure, mischief, and exploration. This collection of experiences allows boys to enact traditional forms of boyhood while practicing many of adult men’s culture and the ability to plan out schemes. Not all boys in children’s literature fit these conventional models of the physically robust athlete, hearty survivalist, or mischievous bad boy. Children’s literature also includes boys such as Laure in Little Women, who are described as sensitive, saintly, sickly, or effeminate. The literary and popular texts help understand expectations of boyhood and the insight into contemporary constructions of
She’s just so weak. If she would stand up for herself, no one would bother her. It’s her own fault that people pick on her, she needs to toughen up. “Shape of a Girl” by Joan MacLeod, introduces us to a group of girls trying to “fit in” in their own culture, “school.” This story goes into detail about what girls will do to feel accepted and powerful, and the way they deal with everyday occurrences in their “world.” Most of the story is through the eyes of one particular character, we learn about her inner struggles and how she deals with her own morals. This story uses verisimilitude, and irony to help us understand the strife of children just wanting to fit in and feel normal in schools today.
In this book, Peggy Orenstein explores the land of pink. She takes us on an adventurous trip to try and find out the truth about what society tells our young girls what they should be wearing, how they should be acting and most importantly looks are what matters. Orenstein herself is a mother of a preschool aged daughter so the topic of what influences young girls is of great importance to her. She struggles with making the correct decisions for her own daughter, Daisy, as she dives into the girlie-girl world, because as even she has found out, it is impossible to steer clear of it. She talks with historians, marketers, psychologists, neuroscientists, parents, and children themselves. She returns to the original fairy tales, seeks out girls’ virtual presence online, and ponders the meaning of child beauty pageants. In the process, she faces down her own confusion as a mother and woman about issues of how to raise a girl and teach her about her own femininity.
Running around barefoot, playing outside, and getting dirty were a few of my favorite things to do when I was younger; however, things have changed drastically since then. Now, at eighteen, all of the activities I used to enjoy make me want to cringe. Often, girls are encouraged to look and act a certain way based on what society’s expectations are at the time. Throughout adolescence girls tend to drift away from their old ways. Romances, body changes, and tensions with parents are all factors in this time of change. In Mary Pipher’s Saplings in the Storm, she claims that adolescents must adapt to stereotypical gender characteristics in American culture.
The poem starts with the line, “This girlchild was born as usual,” which suggests that as soon as a girl is born, society already expects her to learn the role she will soon play in when she hits puberty (1). Thus, showing why we are given dolls as little girls to illustrate how we should act and appear according to society. After we learn all the roles we will soon take part in, “the magic of puberty,” hits and girls immediately begin applying the ideals to their own lives (5). As if this attempt to conform is not enough we have other people telling us we are not to perfect. “You have a great big nose and fat legs,” says a classmate to the girl (6). This type of pressure can slowly but surely destroy even the little confidence women do have in themselves.
She begins to cry fearing that her father will not trust her anymore. However, when the father does not become angry, but blames her action on the fact that “She’s only a girl” (Munro 147), the young girl seems to accept his explanation. She said, “I didn’t protest that, even in my heart. “May be it was true” (Munro 147). At that point, it is possible to understand that the girl who once viewed her mother as being silly and dumb for talking about boys and dances was becoming that girl. She was accepting a gender role in society for herself that was based on going to dances and being with boys as opposed to feeding wolves and working on the farm (Rasporich 114).
When a book published in 1868 with the name “Little Women” is given to you, one would think that the story inside is about the lives of prim and proper young women, and it almost is. But Louisa May Alcott’s character Josephine “Jo” March chips away at society’s carefully constructed gender conforming mold. Her actions and speech appall most of the other characters in the novel, but there is one boy who is unbothered by it all. Theodore “Laurie” Laurence, another gender nonconforming teenager created by Alcott, never bats an eye at Jo’s different behavior. His own way of living, while not as drastically different from the norm as Jo’s, also shows that he is not your average young person. The two become great friends;
The poem, "Barbie Doll," written by Marge Piercy tells the story of a young girl growing up through the adolescence stage characterized by appearances and barbarity. The author uses imagery and fluctuating tone to describe the struggles the girl is experiencing during her teenage years, and the affects that can happen. The title of this poem is a good description of how most societies expect others, especially girls to look. Constantly, people are mocked for their appearance and expected to represent a "barbie-doll"-like figure. Few are "blessed" with this description. The female gender is positioned into the stereotype that women should be thin and beautiful. With this girl, the effects were detrimental. The first stanza describes the influence that a child is placed into during early childhood. Girls are expected to play with "dolls" and "stoves and irons," the usual toys that relate to the old-fashioned duties of women. A young girl begins to learn what she should be for society and not to deviate from the norm. The tone used in this stanza is quite silent and simplistic at first,...
In the world many people struggle with opening up the story “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara we meet the protagonist ,squeaky who is in charge of taking care of her brother Raymond ( who has special needs) . Squeaky learns that being vulnerable to others can help you make friends and can fill your life with happiness, joy & friendship.
Disney movies have a very narrow view of what women should be like. Since the arrival of the first Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, the idea of it has expanded, but rather marginally. There is a clear distinction of what a young women should be and what she shouldn’t be. Those who do not fit the mold of Disney’s expectations are cast aside to become villains, but those who do, end up becoming the damsel in distress. Ultimately, these stereotypes are what influences young girls who watch these films, and can have devastating effects on their self worth and change their idea of what it means to be a women. Films like Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
Squeaky's high self esteem makes her confident and not afraid to speak her mind. Squeaky being confident makes her feel comfortable with who she is and she is not afraid to express the things she enjoys. I think it is amazing how she is not ashamed to take care of her brother Raymond and how she is also not ashamed to do her breathing exercise down Broadway because she is not afraid to let people see what she enjoys to do. Squeaky has the confidence to explain herself to others as well. She understands and is not afraid to tell people that she is not made out to participate in the Maypole dance but to run the race instead. Her being realistic about that shows that she will not let people influence her but instead she will be true to herself.
In “I Was a Skinny Tomboy Kid” and “Bad Boy” they both have one central idea, that being different is difficult, but both express this in very different ways. Both authors share stories from them being different. The authors share experiences on how they struggled to fit in and how it was a difficult time.
In squeaky’s interior thinking we can see that she believes “you should be trying to be yourself” which is also shown in an important line from the song believer which is
Sometimes, people can find slang within a city and see how it affects their surroundings and themselves as a person. In the story “Raymond’s Run” a little girl is surviving by running in New York. A mixture of running, hazel’s big brother “raymond” and the little fire that is it within her attitude builds a whirlwind of a story. Though the story itself is interesting enough, the author gave Hazel linguistics, the ability to “trash talk” in a slang way, which creates a whole new mood throughout the narrative. Toni Cade Bambara notes, “And I don’t play the dozens or believe in standing around with somebody in my face doing a lot of talking.” Linguistic can change everything from the words the world speaks to the actions everyone shows.
Typical children’s literature interacts with the stereotype that women are vulnerable and dependent on hegemonic males. Connell & Messerschmidt (2005) explain that hegemonic masculinity and societal structures assert male dominance and normativity and female subordination and deviation. For example, action in literature is typically associated with male characters, due to the stereotype of men being brave, physically big and strong. In contrast, women are seen in association with the everyday imperatives of providing food, shelter, nurture and friendship (Green and Griffiths 2003). This consequently leads to women being portrayed as having to prove their worthiness in their academic and professional spheres due to the assumption that they should reside at home. The portrayal of gender stereotypes in the series is particularly important as part of children’s socialisation process and learning to behave in a gender appropriate way. This was particularly true before the first novels were published, as Billone (2004) argues that in 1992, childhood was an unsettlingly masculine place. However, if they were published today, one might argue that the issue of gender plays a less important role, due to the notion of gender neutrality in all aspects of