During childhood, we learn that certain activities are associated with each of the two genders. Boys more often partake in physical activities that involve being rough and rowdy and girls more often choose to partake in cooperative activities and play with baby dolls (Rudman 2015). In society whenever we see someone going against these gender norms, there is often feelings of confusion or surprise since the strong gender schemas developed early in life are being broken down.
In the photograph, a girl is wearing a football uniform and is also holding a football. In America, football is almost exclusively a male sport, the only exception being the lingerie football league which exploits women’s attractiveness to rake in money from sex-hungry male viewers. However, in this case the girl appears to be ready to play the rough and tough kind of football most people are used to watching on Sundays. When taking the photo, I wanted to convey how she is going against the “girly girl” trope by appearing more masculine showing a stern look on her face and holding the football as if she were about to throw it. I also wanted to show her confidence in herself by making her take up the entire frame of the photo, displaying that she feels strong and proud of her choice to go against the gender schemas. There is also dark overlay on photo since darker colors tend to be associated with masculinity, unlike lighter colors like pink and yellow are with femininity. The photo’s purpose is to show the “two separate social worlds” of childhood colliding and being broken down right in front of our eyes (Rudman 2015).
In life competition is very important. Nothing is ever going to be handed to you, it must be earned. From a very young age boys learn about competition and how to compete through sports and other physical activities. In contrast, girls tend to avoid competition and most often do not partake in activities with large amounts of competition. I believe that this leads to an unfair disadvantage for women and is partially the reason why there is a hierarchy of gender in society. If we chose to prevent these gender schemas from being developed at such a young age, I believe that we could rid of this hierarchy and finally find a balance between man and woman.
Works Cited
Rudman, Laurie A., et al. "The Two Cultures of Childhood." The Social Psychology of Gender: How Power and Intimacy Shape Gender Relations. The Guilford Press, 2015, 59-63.
1 comment:
From: Emily
When you first look at this picture what thoughts come to mind? Why is this girl playing a “male” dominant sport? Does she have separate rules than the guys? Does her family worry about her playing such an aggressive sport? These are the questions society has taught us to ask when we should really be asking different questions. Boys who play football are constantly being asked a separate set of questions. How many touchdowns have you scored? Do you plan on playing in college? Did you wreck anyone out there this week? Like the author said girls are brought up with the preconceived notion that competition if for boys and that girls don’t need to “win”. Personally, growing up my parents and family raised me to understand that competition is good and healthy. It gives you something to fight for and makes you work hard to accomplish your goals. My brother and I grew up playing sports, having family game nights, and playing poker against each other. I played softball from ages 5 through 17, competition created the person I am today. My father wanted us to grow up knowing what it’s like to work hard for something. I now work 3 jobs, so I can afford my car payment, phone bill, insurance, school, Ect. Then, I go to school on days that I don’t have work. More children should be brought up with the idea that they can do whatever they want to if they work hard enough and are happy. The photographer did a beautiful job conveying that in her photo.
Post a Comment