from: Caroline
As I was walking though my neighbor hood with my camera I came across two teenage girls. There names are Amanda and Katie, they just entered high school. I baby sat them back in the day. I began to talk to them. They are extremely bright students, and there topic of conversation today was how they were so excited about there new pair of argyle socks, and close toed shoes. So I decided to take a picture of just there socks and shoes. To me this is a perfect example of gender socialization. Not even these bright minded students could escape the need to fit in. During your early teenage years, the expectation of conformity is so high that it is hard to escape it.
3 comments:
I do agree with Caroline. In the society if you are not doing what everyone else does or wearing the latest trends then you are considered an outcast or not cool. And this is one of the greatest fears of adolescent teenagers, due to gender socialization. If a boy acts “feminine” then he is considered to be gay or a fag, but when a girl is acts like a boy often times it is encouraged, especially in the areas of sports, career, education, etc. This makes me wonder why we as a society reacts in such a manor. I believe that it all leads down to the fact that men and women are not equal. Society encourages women to be like men but not men to be like women. That is why in movies, magazines and just the media in general women are portrayed to be helpless and vulnerable, while men are perceived to be the dominant, and the more powerful person. Why would one want to go from being dominant and power to helpless and vulnerable? With the separation and socialization of the two genders and makes it very hard for anyone whether it is teenagers, children, or adults to be different without being frowned upon or criticized harshly in our society. This is why it is easier for greats minds (like the two girls in the photo) to dress like everyone else as oppose to stepping outside of the box.
Girls at the age have such a complex to fit in, they don't want to feel out of the loop and they dont want any negative attention brought to them; even if it is just not having a pair of socks. they so badly want to conform they all look the same. Its odd that most parents teach their kids to stand out, yet they all seem to fit the same mold...gender socialization at work.
I think that we can all agree that high school is what shapes epople into who they will be for the rest of their lives. People who were popular will be happier in their life, people that were made fun of in high school will be soically crippled for the rest of their life. High school for most, is what defines you and what kind of your person you will be come. Not everyone, but most will take on their experiences from high school and subconsciously apply it to life. its funny that even something as small as socks can be a determining factor to whether you fit in or not. That should say something about our society that socks can make or break you in this world. Socks can make even the best of people hang out/not hangout material. Socks can be the measure of popularity. Socks can be the deciding factor in how well you adjust socially for the rest of your life. That your whole life can be great, all because of socks.
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