Professor Ciervo

English 160: Composition 1 

17 November 2020

How to “do” gender

Social constructions of gender are learning our roles and relationships with each other through society. Since early childhood people are taught on a daily basis the color blue is associated with boys and pink is for girls, men wear suits yet women wear dresses, fathers are yard workers(change) and political while mothers stay at home taking care of the children and household. It is having day to day interactions with those around you and acquiring habits and information from others. Being socially constructed can mean a person is brainwashed into society’s form of acting or way of thinking. It is people listening to the opinions of others and convincing ourselves that they are right. Social construction can cause people to limit themselves from having personal opinions or being ashamed of themselves for their preferences or perspective. Gender is nothing more than a social construct. ADD that can evolve.

Sex is a similar, yet different aspect from gender. While gender is made up of society’s opinion, sex is the biological and physical characteritics of men and women. Sex and gender overlap depending on the situation(change). For example, it is known that the male species are more aggressive than the female, leading more men to have strenuous jobs and women to have nurturing jobs. Though the cultures of both sexes are opposite in their physical form, it does not mean a woman cannot do a man’s job and a man cannot do a woman’s job. There are also women stronger than some men, allowing them to pursue difficult jobs. Just because (change) men and women are biologically opposites and there are expectations for both sexes, these social constructs have changed and will continue to evolve overtime. 

The question, “How is a person’s identity revealed?” is not common. Many believe that sex and gender are the same, which is seen from the first impression. Characteristics like long hair, breasts, big hips, perky lips, etc. are usually seen in women. Men usually possess short hair, big feet, big noses, etc. The way we interpret/guess a person’s identity could be through these characteristics and an individual’s actions. It is stated that the roles society expects from men and women are completely different; while men are aggressive, women are nurturing. What a person doesn’t question is why do we automatically predict a person’s sex without knowing them. Just because women have breasts and men do not, does not state that the person is a woman (could have gotten breast implants). Instead of asking a person how they identify themselves, we naturally just assume. Proving that gender is identified through society’s norms, restricting women and men from expressing themselves. 

There should be no specific way to “do” gender or show one’s own identity if the person is not comfortable in representing themselves that way. People “do” gender in their daily decisions and interactions with others. The choices we make in a day show our personality and our values. Doing gender can range from the pitch of our voices, to what we wear, what movies/television shows we watch, etc. This quote explains society’s expectations, “For example, girls and women are generally expected to dress in typically feminine ways and be polite, accommodating, and nurturing. Men are generally expected to be strong, aggressive, and bold” (Planned Parenthood). Gender can be shown in the simplest ways like how one dresses or styles their hair. If a man decides to wear a dress and heels to an occasion, he is stating his gender and preferred way of expressing himself. This is why it is wrong/unfortunate for society to expect men or women to wear specific clothing or do specific actions.(change)

A person who identifies as a “third person” or “third sex” means they are neither man nor woman. Individuals who identify as intersex do not want to be lableled; they rather just be treated as an individual instead of being stereotyped as masculine or feminine. Being intersex can be very difficult at times because of how others approach them. While the first impression is still a significant factor when first meeting a person, their view of the individual can be changed. For example, if a person meets a “third sex”(take off or leave quotation), but believes he or she is a male or female then they will approach the third person assuming the sex. This first impression can be changed when the people introduce themselves. Though society has evolved and become more open minded to the LGBTQ community, they will always be “different” and never looked upon as regular people. This causes many LGBTQ members to feel uncomfortable and ashamed about revealing their identities and preference. This affects people in a very negative way, leading more people toward depression or even suicide.  

What can we do to show our society that just because we are not the same, does not mean we are not equal? Stated in the book Introduction to Sociolgy, after the first person claimed to be an intersex in Nepal, more countries believed children should decide their own sexuality. Countries such as: Germany, Australia, and New Zealand gave people the opportunity to identify as third person in order to let both sexes decide their values and preferences. Parents were given the option to put intersex as the gender for their children in personal documents. This gives people the freedom and more of an option to identify as whichever gender they want. These kinds of options give people the opportunity to feel comfortable without having any restrictions of being who they are, acting how they desire, wearing what they please, etc. It allows people to feel more comfortable in their own skin and allows them to open up more. The significance of feeling equal with those around you causes less stress and oppression in the world around us. This can also lead to having a more loving community than what we have right now; feeling the acceptance of society can make one feel safe and secure in showing their personal information without the fear of being judged. (new paragraph maybe)After many years of being rejected/denied the LGBTQ community is finally able to feel better about expressing their love no matter the other individual’s sex. The NBC news stated, “When Deidre Downs was crowned Miss America more than a decade ago, the idea of legalized gay marriage and Miss America later marrying her same-sex partner in Alabama would have been an unimaginable future. Times have changed”, giving people a chance to marry their loved ones no matter the sex. Though people feel more comfortable about showing off their sexuality and identity, they are still discriminated against in many ways. Our society has a chance to stop the judgement and make everyone feel equal if they just accepted the fact that humans were not made to like the same aspects in life. It is well known that everyone is made in their own image, no one is the same. Acknowledging this will help people gain perspective and learn that it is okay if others like different things.