There Are No Female Mass Shooters

From: Michael

In American society, and western society in general, there are two distinct cultures of gender that we are taught from childhood. Girls are taught that caring and compassion are valuable behaviors, boys are taught toughness and to a degree, violence. According to Rudman, “[these gender schemas] guide how people perceive and organize the world as well as how they behave towards others.” Aggressiveness and a willingness to be confrontational are ingrained traits in most boys, as a result of our childhood cultures. Violence as a form of conflict resolution thoroughly permeates male-focused media, often even in a watered-down form in children’s media. This is, of course, not to imply that violence is never the answer— people doing genocides probably won’t stop if asked nicely —but it shouldn’t be the answer for interpersonal conflicts. Yet, this is what our culture encourages men to do. Not usually explicitly, but it is there nonetheless, in the dozens of action films and army toys and the like. So, it is little wonder that we have an epidemic of men trying to solve their problems through violence, which is compounded by the relative simplicity of acquiring firearms in this country. As one might expect, women almost never commit mass shootings— there have been fewer than five over the last 40 years. Women who want to commit mass murder tend to do poisonings, not shootings, perhaps because it is less confrontational— which would match up with the two cultures of gender.

The subject of my photo was chosen specifically to be provocative- images of firearms are uncommon in an academic setting like this, and much less loaded ones with the juxtaposition of school supplies next to them. The books are simply my own school supplies for this semester, and the rifle is also mine. (I enjoy target shooting, and the rifle is quite similar to what I carried in the army.) The hands belong to my roommate, but they can also be the viewer’s. I focused mostly on the use of empty space in the image: the chairs are empty, the walls are blank, the lighting is harsh and synthetic, and everything is in clear view. The empty space is deeply uncomfortable, forcing the viewer’s gaze towards the objects on the table. The symbolism in the objects is barely symbolism at all- they simply are what they are. The gun doesn’t need to symbolize violence; it literally is a tool of violence. The only true use of symbolism here was scattering ammunition around the rifle, the haphazard angles symbolizing the chaos of violence.

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.

A Split Decision

 

From: Justin

 As children, we are conditioned into groups in society in various ways, whether it be the way we are dressed, the way we act, or even the toys we grow up playing with. The toys that we grow up playing with we are placed into gender roles, which dictate our behaviors throughout our lives. In the reading “The ‘Two Cultures’ of Childhood”, it is described that children are segregated by the means of their activities that affect their interaction styles and the social rules they follow. With this segregation, children develop gender schemas that are subconscious associations that we make that attribute to what actions and behaviors are “male” or “female” actions. These schemas become a sort of identity for these children which can influence their preferences, behaviors, and attitudes. The segregation of gender aids in the types of toys that children show preferences for, but also influences the way that the children themselves play. The boys traditionally play with more masculine toys, such as trucks or action figures, that are hard and sharp which reflects the idea that boys are more “rough and tumble”. Where girls are traditionally seen as “softer” when compared to boys and play with feminine toys that are smooth and soft, such as a stuffed animal or Barbie. In my photo I have my sister who is 5 years old, a very impressionable age, choosing between toys that would traditionally be seen as masculine (construction truck) and toys that are traditionally seen as feminine (dollhouse and ponies). This represents the idea of the gendering of toys and trying to break the barrier of “Gendered Toys”. In the photo my sister is the main subject of the photo, wearing traditionally female-colored clothes and looking down at the toys she is debating on choosing. Her focus on the traditionally feminine toys is a reflection of society and how we do indeed gender our toys towards whatever gender our children are, rather than her looking at the traditionally masculine toy. The use of color is shown in the colors of her clothes and toys she is with, which (un)coincidentally is pink, a traditionally feminine color! The symbolism behind my photo is that some children are given a choice in what toys they play with, but due to external variables such as media, they are drawn to the toys that are repeatedly gendered in our society.

Media's Impact on Gender

From: Sophia

Media has a unique way of influencing young children. In many cases, media is the backbone of gender roles and schemas. Social media has dramatically impacted the way children are raised in society by showing unachievable gender goals. I chose to use these photos to show how media negatively influences the way children view the world.

In many media posts towards young girls, the image pertains to makeup, skinny models, marriage-seeking women, and motherhood. Women in media are shown as fragile barbie dolls that need to cover up their flaws to be “beautiful.” Body shaming in young girls is widespread since media posts only show skinny girls; this makes it difficult for many overweight women to be happy with themselves because they are constantly fat-shaming themselves. The desire to become extremely thin as a woman is detrimental to young girl’s mental health because the thoughts of “the perfect body” inhabit their minds every second of every day. Girls are shown videos and photos of skinny models to make the image of skinny girls the norm of society’s female body. The only way to get that way is to eat healthy and workout. Makeup commercials now target young kids to make them feel obligated to cover up their faces’ faults to be pretty. Media also shows that many young women long to be happy housewives and mothers to young children. Media has placed this feminine ideal into place with young girls so much so that many little girls play with baby dolls and toy kitchen sets to practice for their future. Many children’s magazines and commercials that are targeted towards children show mothers with children to sell baby dolls as a way to become a mother at an early age. Media influences society into believing that girls are not strong enough to do manual labor like men, so they must become this happy
housewife and a mother of many children. Media provides insight into how young children should act in order to grow up as a girl or a boy.

In this photo, I show makeup, heels, and a purse to portray what social media wants young girls to become involved with. These objects are photographed in front of a white background to represent the young, innocent girls the media targets to make a profit. I also provided a photo of my sister with her daughter to show that media influences young minds into thinking a women’s job is to become a mother. If you are not a mother when you are older, you are seen as unfeminine or not normal. Media describes girls as weak or helpless, so I also show a helpless female that needs a boy to do a manual labor task because girls are brought up with movies that show boys using tools while girls sit back and watch. In the Smurfette Principle, Katha Pollitt says, “they plead helplessness before juvenile filibuster” (Pollitt).

Media dos and don’ts for girls never be seen as stronger than men, never be too physically rough, never be overweight, never eat junk food; do be super skinny, do wear makeup, do become a mother, and do get married to a strong man.

Media is incredibly impactful towards young boys as well. The media paints the perfect gender schema for boys is to be masculine and robust, using male models that are super muscular and straight; boys are shown that they are responsible for taking care of women. Boys have action figures to create scenarios in which their action heroes save the helpless victims (girls). Media also generates negative gender schemas within the male community on muscular bodies being the only way you will be attractive to women. The gender transgression with the males of society is that men must workout, eat healthily, and become aggressive in society. Sex aggression is the commonly taught lesson of young boys. Media promotes sex aggression for boys through sports that involve rough physical contact with other players and intense
competition that will provide the young boys a sense of what it means to be a masculine boy in society. The misogyny in the particular culture tells young boys that they need to become these overly protective and strong men so that they will be able to save their wives from distress because men are the strong ones in society, whereas women are considered weak and helpless. This photo shows hand weights and a boy using a power tool while helping a female. The hand weights symbolize the muscular bodies that men strive to have due to muscular male models’ constant media exposure. Media influences boys into building muscles because being strong is what makes a great man. As stated in the Two Cultures of Childhood article “masculine as rougher, tougher, and more active,” and boys are raised to be these macho men (Two Cultures of Childhood 60). As boys are raised into this masculine persona, they believe they are the only ones to use power tools because they are stronger than girls. Movies use the main male characters to show boys that they are supposed to help girls or protect them from doing anything too strenuous. By showing my brother on a ladder using a power tool, helping a woman, I have demonstrated the media’s desire to create the perfect boy.

Media dos and don’ts for boys: never cry, never ask for help, never be seen as weak or emotional, don’t be gay; do gain muscles, do become great with power tools/machines, and do become the breadwinner in the household, do be heterosexual.

The green check marks on the photos represent the correct gender-specific desires that the media wishes to get across to the public. These objects and situations within the photo are the desires of the media’s influence.

Beauty Standards

From Theresah:

Growing up in Ghana, lots of schools did not allow girls to have their hair done. Whether it is up in a ponytail, braids, or down long, it was not allowed. It was expected for both male and female to have the same low-cut hairstyles. When it grows, it’s expected to be cut down before notified to do so. For guys, it was always expected for them to be bald or have very little hair on their heads but for girls, many did not understand why they had to shave their hair for school.

Till this day, many schools in Ghana still do not allow girls to have their hair done in any type of way. When school was out of session, I would notice my cousins and classmates would get their hair done all nice and pretty and when school resumes, it gets cut off again. I wondered why they would get them done knowing that when school resumes it would be all gone again. There is a saying that goes “if your hair doesn’t look good, everything else doesn’t”. I completely agree with that statement simply because since I came to the states, I started caring more about my hair because when I was in Ghana, it was always cut to the lowest point and the more years that come, the better hair gets. There are so many ways to get your hair done without actually getting it done through lace fronts, wigs, and extensions which is so painless and convenient.

 In the reading “X a fabulous child’s story”, the story was about trying to raise the child without following any specific gender roles. That is what the school system about girls having hair seemed like. Though there’s nothing wrong with the genderless idea, the choice was not optional. That’s what makes it wrong. It took years before girls could go to school; including them means they have to obey certain rules and regulations such as having low haircuts to blend in because “girls tend to avoid open competition or aggression. Girls more frequently in cooperative exchanges with each other, negotiate sharing arrangements and make turns without interrupting” (Maccoby, 1998; Serbin et al., 1984) which is why when it comes to being transparent, its so hard and they attack women where it hurts. Those who get diagnosed with cancer not only fear for their life and worry about the treatment and how to afford it, but they also fear about losing their hair because its symbolic in its own way and going without it is extremely hard.

In my photo, I am holding 2 wigs and on the top right corner, I tried to put pictures together to make it look like I was getting an incoming facetime call with a friend about hair choices. I chose to go with that idea because I always have braids, and when I don’t, I have a wig on simply because my hair shrinks supper fast. Especially when it gets wet. I don’t have an issue with my hair, it’s just a lot easier to manage with a wig. Though not a lot of girls actually facetime their friends to pick out hair, I just thought it would be fun to include more into the photo because in movies like “clueless” and “mean girls”, that was how the popular girls acted which doesn’t always happen.

I tried to emphasize creative techniques such as symbolism, gaze, color, and background. Hair is a form of symbolism in beauty. The one who wears it regardless of the type always feels some type of joy especially when its exactly how they want it. My background is a typical in the bedroom moment. Its my favorite and only hang out spot because there’s a lot of negative energy in the house so having my own space is a blessing. My gaze is towards the screen and the person calling me. The color is to emphasize joy and brightness. My photo emphasizes how everyone as a whole is branching away from social norms and embracing beauty standards in a way that they choose not because it is expected or required. The story of X to me was a very good reading because the child was raised in a way that was full of mystery and freedom. We don’t all have to follow the boy girl social norms so long as were comfortable with the state we are in whether it is choosing to cut your hair supper short or trying out a new type of wig or hair do. Beauty is within. How we express it should be optional. Girl culture or not, you could choose to wear colorful wigs or go natural. Not all beauty standards have to be followed.

 

Work cited

Gould, Lois. “X: A Fabulous Child's Story.” Ms., July 1972.

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.

Ken and the Headless Barbie

From: Abby

Childrens toys perpetuate gender stereotypes by creating a polarizing ridge between young kids. Toys are separated into two categories, toys for boys and toys for girls. I have seen firsthand that this remains true today, even though these are considered modern times. I have been babysitting since I was 13 years old, and this past year I became a fulltime nanny for a family in my neighborhood. I take care of a 6-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl. They are fairly progressive children, as brother and sister they enjoy playing dress up, house, and doing crafts. However, when it comes to matters of their toys, the kids are completely tied to their gender categories. The little boy has Nerf guns, trucks, action figures, and a pretend axe throwing set. The little girl plays with her barbie dream house, dolls, and her stuffed animals. Even when they play together, the games always imitate real life and show their acknowledgement of gender roles.

Watching them play with their Barbie dolls and action figures inspired my picture. The picture shows the Barbie toy bin and the Superhero bin side by side. One particular time, they were just playing pretend and imitating a normal day. The boy got his Ken Doll from out of the Superhero bin, in his eyes Ken does not belong with the other Barbies but with his superhero collection. They set up a fake mall and had some girl Barbies go to the store, while they were “shopping” one girl got “robbed” and Ken had to come save all of the girls and catch the criminal. The young boy was insistent that Ken’s only role could be to save the girls, he wouldn’t shop or form relationships with the other Barbies, just save the day and leave. Both children were completely fine with this set up. When I suggested that one of the Barbies could save Ken, the little girl was all for it, but her brother wouldn’t hear of it. “Ken is a boy, and he has muscles which means that only he is strong enough to save people,” the boy insisted. I was not surprised by the way they were playing; they were simply acting out the world around them. Their dad is a man’s man who calls his son, “super-tough dude,” and his daughter, “little lady.” Their mom is a nice woman who runs her own business but is very soft spoken and passive. The children have been taught the gender codes by their parents and by the media around them. While they are very inclusive in conversation and talk about growing up to whatever makes them happy, they still follow gender roles and have set expectations for boys and girls.

Raising a child without enforcing gender norms on them is something that must be done purposefully and consciously. Gender neutral toys are hard to come by but is important to provide children with a way to express themselves without forcing them into a box. The story “X: A Fabulous Child’s Story,” by Lois Gould discussed the challenges that the parents of Baby X faced, including the fact that they struggled to find any gender-neutral toys. Gould illustrates that, “...Mr. Jones wandered helplessly up and down the aisles trying to find out what X needed. But everything in the store was piled up in sections marked "Boys" or "Girls". There were "Boy's' Pyjamas" and "Girls' Underwear" and "Boys' Fire Engines" and "Girl's Housekeeping Sets". (Gould, pg. 2) When they were forced to consult the manual, the parents were instructed to supply the child with “plenty of everything.” (Gould, pg. 2) Opening the avenue for choice is an opportunity that most children miss out on. Having the ability to make use of any toy will provide the child with much needed autonomy. The story of baby X shows that children are most often forced into their gender role based on what is provided based on their sex. Girls grow up liking dolls because those are the toys that they are given to play with, and boys grow up liking toy guns for the same reason.

 Female and male children experience life in completely different ways. This is due to the way that children are socialized, the rules that they are taught, the clothes they are dressed in, the toys they are given, and the way that people talk to them. Children are socialized according to their assigned sex. The reading, “The ‘Two Cultures’ of Childhood,” by Laurie Rudman discussed the difference between the upbringing of boys and girls. The first section of the article is dedicated to exploring how activities and toys have been gendered and then effectively segregates children based on sex. The author included an experiment that was conducted by researchers who gave young boys a My Little Pony horse that had been transformed to fit their preferences. The researchers took the pony, shaved its cute hair, painted it an intimidating black color, and gave it super scary spiky teeth; the boys fell in love with the new boy toy and the girls didn’t recognize their beloved pony. (Rudman, pg.2) Toys aren’t defined by their name but by their appearance and how they directly correlate to the expected preferences of their intended audience. The pony became a boy toy when it was given a rough and tough makeover. (Rudman, pg.2) A normal pony would be considered soft, cute, and feminine and perfect for fragile little girls. After discussing the process of the My Little Pony experiment the article states, “Most likely, children have learned to avoid being seen playing with toys associated with the other gender... children not only segregate themselves by playing with same-sex peers but engage in different kinds of play within these groups.” (Rudman, pg.2) The toys that the kids I babysit play with are perfect examples of what how they view their genders. The boy loves his Avengers Action Figures because he thinks that it's cool that they have “guns and belly muscles (abs)”. He believes that boys make the best superheroes because they are the strongest and boys are allowed to get hurt. His idea of masculinity is a perfect immolation of what he has been taught by society. The little girl leans away from the action figures, she doesn’t like playing with them because they don’t create an image of what she likes. She prefers to play with the latest Barbie or doll, she likes to dress them up in fancy outfits and make them go pretend shopping. Her preferences match the ideal woman that the media has presented her with. She watches movies about girls who act like Barbie, they care about their looks and somehow always have the need to be saved by a man. They live in two totally different worlds; one being told to act out a tough guise and the other being told that she is a victim.

 In my photo, the foreground shows a headless and naked Barbie doll on the left and a clothed and distinguished Ken doll on the right. I made these two characters the center of attention in my photo to show the difference in how the media depicts men and women. Men are respected and shown in their best state, they are displayed as put together and stable figures, this is true for both children and adults. Young boys are told that they are natural leaders and that they inherently deserve positions of power. This telling is not only literate but implied through the media, boys are the heroes of children’s shows and movies, they are often the head of groups and make the decisions. For young girl’s the script is totally flipped. They are disrespected, never given the benefit of the doubt and are constantly undermined and victimized by society. Girls are told that they are prey, weak and helpless. Women are taught to live in fear of men because there is no possible way that they could ever evade the oppression of men. In children’s media, shows often depict girls as sidekicks, victims, or unimportant characters. The girl characters have no depth and are only shown as shallow accomplices. In photography, the foreground is what the viewer will focus on the most, their eyes will be drawn to the biggest and most attention-seeking aspect of the photo. I wanted to ensure that my audience would notice the difference between Ken and the naked headless Barbie, I sought to ensure that they would be captivated by the jarring contrast between the photos, especially since they are side by side.

The background of my photo is also very crucial in understanding the difference between the socialization between boys and girls. Backgrounds of photos can give the viewer an idea of the meaning of the photo and provides a secondary addition to the comprehensive purpose of the shot. My photo shows a side-by-side image of a Barbie bin and a Superhero bin. In the Barbie bin the dolls in the background are thrown in haphazardly and with no regard for their “safety”. The lack of organization is representative of how young girls are not taught that they have a meaningful place in society or that the way they are treated is worth considering. In contrast, the Superhero bin shows a group of Avengers who have been neatly stacked and well cared for. Their alignment is representative of how society values men and boys, teaching them that they are respected, deserve attention, and have a place as leaders. While girls are taught that their individual outward appearance is important, their inherent value as human beings is often disregarded. However, as history shows us, boys are the crown jewels of families and society, they are taught that the world would not function without them. Backgrounds of photos are often clueing to the deeper or continued meaning of an image. While they do not always draw attention, they are crucial when considering the message behind a shot.

Another important element of my photo pertains to the senses/ face. In my photo, Barbie is naked and headless while Ken is clothed and has access to all of his “senses”. This contrast symbolizes the power imbalance between males and females. I chose to highlight the headless Barbie to show that women and girls are robbed of their autonomy and are expected to fall blindly into line with no way to help themselves. We might as well be headless. In continuation, her nakedness symbolizes how women and girls are sexualized by the media, even when they are children. The media values the female body and appearance more than it does their talent or skill. Ken does not face any of these issues as a man. He is given control of his life and is free to pursue whatever he wants, with no fight. He has his head and his clothes because society allows him unlimited dignity no matter what. Senses and face are important elements of photo because it illustrates control and emotion.

In summation, boys and girls are socialized to live in two different worlds. Boys are taught that they can grow up to become CEO’s, firemen, doctors, or superheroes. Girls are taught that they are better off as stay at home moms, caregivers, or if they’re lucky they could be teachers and nurses, just like Barbie. Children are socialized not only through their interactions with the people around them but also through the toys that they are provided and the media that they consume. Toys model the expectations for each gender and encourages children to imitate the roles that they see their parents fulfill. Children of all genders and sexes deserve the opportunity to express their interests and have the power to decide the course of their lives.

Works Cited:

·      Gould, Lois. “X: A Fabulous Child's Story.” Ms., July 1972.

o   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.

A Beautiful Mess

From: Kaleigh

From a very young age, children are taught how they “should” act in regards to their gender they were assigned at birth. This is defined as “gender roles” and is something that has a huge impact on society as a whole. Both young girls and boys learn from the environment around them who they “should” be and how they “should” react to certain situations. In “The Two Cultures of Childhood”, Laurie Rudman explains that, “according to the gender schema theory, children learn gender schemas from their social environments, but they also adopt and exaggerate distinctions between the sexes” (Rudman 59). Girls are taught to be pretty and sweet while boys are taught to be aggressive and assertive.

 

Girls are taught from a young age about certain beauty standards, and what makes someone “pretty”. They see celebrities on TV with pounds of makeup and “perfect bodies” and often begin to strive for that level of beauty, though unrealistic due to the amount of editing and artificial beauty used in the media. Young girls grow up seeing their mothers, family members, and other important women in their lives dress up or put on makeup every time they leave the house. They play dress up as children and are taught about makeup and beauty products. Many are taught a woman needs to look “pretty” in order to attract or please a man. This is extremely damaging to young girls and their self confidence, and often can lead to them looking for a mans validation.  

 

In this photograph I am representing the strain unrealistic beauty standards have on young adolescents. I use the line down the middle of my face to split the bare half versus the done up half of my face. This was in order to represent what society sees as “pretty” versus what might be seen as “ugly”. I wrote ugly on half of my face, but it is seen backwards to represent what a young girl might see when looking in a mirror. On the “ugly” half my hair is in a messy bun and you can see my arm fat peeking out of my shirt. On the “pretty” side I have a full face of makeup, the arm fat is covered, and my hair is down and styled. The hand around my neck is to symbolize the pressure and harm these standards have on young girls because it often can feel “suffocating” the amount of pressure put on someone to be what society views as “beautiful”. The sad and stressed face was also used to represent the pressure society puts on not only young girls but women as well.

 

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.

Sitting Like a Lady...?

From: Brianna

My project is making a statement around the "Sit like a lady" social construct. I put on a traditionally tomboy-ish outfit, and a traditionally girly one. In both outfits I made poses of man-spreading and of "sitting like a lady" to create a stark juxtaposition of how people, especially women, can/are expected to and taught how to sit while wearing certain clothes in order to prevent revealing what should be private parts of someone's body, disproving that clothes by themselves don't dictate how you are physically able to sit/hold yourself.

 

For the tomboy-ish outfit, I kept my hair tied up and messy, my shirt disheveled, no jewelry, and used makeup to create dirt, bruises and redness. All signs of hard, intense, and exhausting work, which women are not expected to be seen doing. In my girly outfit, my hair is brushed and down, my dress is laid properly, I have jewelry and heels on. Typically signs of a put-together, feminine, respectful/proper lady.

 

The juxtaposition comes when I'm posed doing the opposite of what is expected of that outfit. With the tomboy-ish outfit of a flannel, jeans with holes, work boots, dirty rough skin and messy hair, it would be expected to be more manly and sit with spread legs and to be assertive in my space. But I can still cross my legs, shrink down and shy away from a prying gaze (the camera) in the outfit. In the girly outfit of a dress, heels, brushed hair, smooth unabraised skin, and jewelry, it would be expected to have legs crossed/closed, arms closer to your body, being seen as proper or not being outwardly noticeable. But I can still sit with my legs spread, "revealing" those private parts, with my arms comfortably behind my head, relaxing in my space as much as possible and stare down the prying gaze (camera) with a challenge of power. Creating more of a visceral, negative reaction to why a lady is being so preposterous to think its okay to sit that way with a dress. However, someone in jeans doesn't need to shrink in on themselves and they have freedom to sit however they want because the implied femininity and revealing aspect are gone. 

 

In the mini excerpt of "The "Two Cultures" of Childhood" provided to us, it is mentioned that "Gender schemas associate maleness and femaleness with a myriad of different attributes, behaviors, and objects,  Defining "masculine" as rougher, tougher, and more active and feminine as nicer, softer, and more passive this theme carries through to gender stereotypes applied to adults including associating strength and power with men and warmth and nurturance with women this general theme also emerges in the earlier associations children make with each sex such as which toys are for boys and which are for girls" (page 2 in the canvas handout, page 60 of the actual text). This is what led me to create/emphasize my outfits in relations to my poses along with where my attention is focused in the photo. A rougher, less put together but ready to work, signs of dirt from that work-type outfit was used to convey the masucline look. A pretty, well done up, accessorized, clean outfit was used to convey the feminine look. In my photos of the man-spreading pose, my gaze is directed at the camera to acknowledge the gaze and give myself a sense of a power (power of choice to sit how I want, not conform to rules) in the photo while trying to take up as much room as possible. While my gaze in the “sit like a lady” pose is turned down and away from the camera/gaze to give a sense of shyness, dainty-ness, submissive-like aura. 

 

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.

The Consequences of Modern Day Beauty

From: Brandy 

This picture depicts my 16 year old cousin dressed up the way that society says she should and showcases the consequences of unrealistic beauty standards on adolescent girls. As girls, we constantly feel pressure from society, media, and models on how we should dress, what colors we should wear, how our hair should be done, and what our bodies should look like. There are so many societal rules that girls have to follow that these ideas normally contradict one another. These ideas are learned from a very young age and impact how we should look, act, and talk as we move on into young adulthood. As we learned in “The Two Cultures of Childhood,” gender schemas influence children’s identities, preferences, attitudes, and behavior. From viewing images and other media of what is expected from young girls, we end up with teenage girls constantly trying to stay in the norms of what is expected of them. They are taught to be femmine and that this can be shown very easily by wearing the color pink and wearing heels. They are also taught what boys find attractive. This aspect also influences what they will wear. In many movies, we see girls wearing tall heels and short skirts and this combination normally catches the attention of men in the film. This tells girls that in order to be noticed by men, you must dress provocatively. But we are also taught that guys don't like girls that are “easy” and show too much skin. This contradiction often leaves girls confused about what they should wear so that they are accepted by their peers, the opposite sex, and society as a whole.

We also learned in “The Two Cultures of Childhood” that toys shape and reflect the ideals of each gender. In the article, it states that girl toys are typically soft and plush to encourage gentleness and nurturance. The idea that girl’s toys have to reflect the traits of a mother from such an early age indicate that girls are expected to hold onto these values throughout childhood, adolescence, and the rest of their lives.

In the photo, we see many of these aspects reflected. The girl in the photo is wearing  a pink shirt and sparkly heels to showcase her femininity. The color pink is also seen in other parts of the picture such as the curtains she is standing in front of, her plush toy, the hairbrush, and lotions and perfumes sitting on her desk. She is also wearing a short white skirt to showcase what men find attractive. Women are often critisized for the number of sexual partners they have, how often they have sex, and how early they have it. The skirts color is important because it indicates that she is still pure and innocent while still trying to gain approval from the opposite sex. Another way she tries to maintain her innocence is by holding on to the pink stuffed bear and the childlike socks that she is wearing with her heels. Both of these elements symbolize her childhood and femininity. In addition to this, she is also wearing a white sweater on her upper half to “cover up” so that she still has some modesty. This is her trying, again, to gain the approval of a society that constantly shames girls for wearing too little of clothing. These contractions ultimately just confuse young girls and push them into an identity that is no longer their own. The photo is cut off at her shoulders and is done so intentionally to imply that she no longer has her own identity because of all of the pressures from society. While she was trying to be someone that society approved of, she was not able to truly be herself and was placed in a mold or cage instead.

The picture was taken at a low angle and pointed up at the girl. This indicates that she is what other people, young girls in particular, should look up to. This also shows how powerful the images of women are within our society and how dominant they can be over adolescent girls. The background also contains items that young girls often have in their rooms or bathrooms. On the desk next to her, there are multiple bottles of perfume, lotion, lip gloss, makeup brushes, mascara, and hair brushes. All of these items are used to add to or enhance the girl’s appearance and is just another example of how our society encourages young girls to change themselves to fit the mold of gender norms.

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.

Stuck in the Middle

From: Alexa

From a young age, girls are expected to conform to their traditional gender roles and these rules are still expected in adolescence and adulthood among most young women. The idea of traditional gender roles between girls and boys are prominent through the different behaviors, activities, rules, etc. that are introduced to us at a young age. In our reading, The “Two Cultures” of Childhood, we are informed that “children learn gender schemas from their social environments… and that gender schemas become part of self-identity” (Rudman, 59). Since these gender schemas can impact an individual’s own self, we grow up thinking that girls are only interested in makeup, they only know how to be emotional, and they can’t do anything outside of the house, while boys are interested in sports, are aggressive, and can do everything that takes strength. This could be adopted at a young age when little girls observe their mother or sister dress up in pretty clothes and wear makeup, whereas little boys might observe their father or brother watch sports and act tough. Having the mindset of being trapped into the traditional gender norms that our society sets forth can be hard for adolescent girls.

 

American culture plays into the idea of women having to be vulnerable and nurturing, while also showing how beautiful they are. Around adolescent age is when girls are testing out different hobbies, activities, and who they want to spend their time with. Many girls are sometimes stuck in the middle of wanting to choose, or, they want to step outside of the traditional gender norms, testing out more “masculine” ideas. Something that our article informed us on was the difference between masculine and feminine in our society that defines “masculine as rougher, tougher, and more active and feminine as nicer, softer, and more passive” (Rudman, 60). This is something that my photo highlights.

 

My photo specifically focuses on the differences between the socialization of girls and boys in U.S. culture. My photo’s purpose is to show how deeply teenage girls have to think when choosing between different hobbies of the “two genders,” while not conforming to the traditional norms. I wanted to showcase the two different, stereotypical sides that are in place in our society for boys and girls. I have the teenager in my photo positioned from behind and in the foreground, having her hands on the table, and looking down to choose what she wants to do. Having her in the foreground shows that she is the main character of the photo. Looking at the background, one side of the table has makeup, perfume, jewelry, high heels, and a rolling pin, common objects that symbolize femininity, the other side has video games, weights, tools, and a baseball bat, common objects that symbolize masculinity. From a first glance anyone from our culture would be able to tell that the side with makeup is for girls and that the side with video games is for boys, based on gender roles and norms. If you look closer at the photo, the female side is darker than the male side, with both sides having an emphasis on them. I decided to do this to show that there is always the option of going outside of the gender norms; if a girl wants to play with more “boyish” objects, she can, while still having the option of choosing the other side. I chose to enhance the color on the objects to show the typical pink and sparkly color for females, while having colors such as red and blue for males, showcasing the conformity within the objects on the table. The darker colors in the corner highlight a feeling such as breaking through a trapped door of gender norms for the teenage girl. Lastly, I wanted the camera angle to be even with her in the photo to help the viewers get an understanding of what decision she is going through, not having it pointing down at her to make her feel misunderstood or looked down on.

 

I hope that this photo helps us all understand that we can do whatever makes us happy, no matter if that’s breaking through our gender norms or sticking with what we feel is comfortable.

 

Work 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.

Girl Culture

From: Sarah

Girl culture investigates girls’ relationships to their bodies and the ways in which they use body projects to establish their identity. We are all influenced by the things that surround us, whether it be music, television, movies, books, or magazines. Pornography is another major piece of media that impacts the way girls view themselves. We are taught to compare ourselves to the women we see in this media. In Lauren Greenfield’s statement along with her photos, she says that a suburban teenager says she would like to be an exotic dancer. Another prepubescent girl mimics the sexualized moves and revealing clothing that she has seen on MTV. These are prime examples of young girls being influenced by the exploitation of women’s sexuality in the media.

This photo was taken at a thrift store in Nashville. Your gaze falls on what is closest to the camera, which is the stand of Playboy magazines. The Playboy magazines are the main focus of the photo. The clothes behind the magazines are also important. I believe that the magazines not only represent the exploitation of women’s sexuality but also the achievement of the perfect body. The store is selling the idea of a perfect body and sexuality with the magazines while also trying to sell clothes that only run up to a certain size, as most vintage thrift stores do. It is an industry that only caters to women of a certain size.

While Playboy has contributed to a sexual revolution, it also promoted the detriment of females everywhere by normalizing the sexual objectification of women. These magazines exist solely for the benefit of men. The women were there only to serve men’s desires and were not viewed as their own person, with sexualities separate from those of the men they were designed to serve. Hefner and Playboy chose to promote the idea of women as sex objects, not as full human beings. It is enough for young girls to already see female sexuality in movies, music, and television, but the use of the Playboy magazines in the store further perpetuates these ideas that women are sexual beings.

“Let’s Play?”

From: Benjamin

As we grow up, we are instilled with expectations associated with both the male and female sexes. These associations can (and do) dictate how most people live and socialize with others of the same and opposite sex. These expectations are known as gender scripts and are taught to us by those around us from birth. In my photo, titled “Let’s Play?”, we see a doll gazing in the background at a variety of toys typically associated with boys in the foreground. This photo can represent a myriad of interpretations regarding gender scripts that are ultimately up to the viewer.

As a viewer, you may be wondering “Why doesn’t the doll just come and join the rest of the toys in the yard?” The reasoning behind this is best described by three quotes from the reading The Two Cultures of Childhood written by Rudman et al.:

“Children quickly develop strong gender schemas (Bem,. 1981, 1989), cognitive associations of different attributes, behaviors, objects, or social practices with “male” and “female” . . . Gender schemas become part of self-identity, influencing children’s preferences, attitudes, and behavior as they strive to act in socially appropriate “masculine” or “feminine” ways (Martin & Ruble, 2004).”

Girls are not typically associated with the toys shown in the photo, and as stated above, children strive to act in these socially appropriate, gender confirming ways. You could argue that the doll does not wish to break the expectation of not playing with boy’s toys, which coincides with the next quote. “Most likely, children have learned to avoid being seen playing with toys associated with the other gender (Bannerjee & Lintern, 2000). Thus, children not only segregate themselves by playing with same-sex peers but engage in different kinds of play within these groups.”

            Another possible take on the photo is that the doll simply does not wish to play with the other toys due to learned attitudes towards the opposite sex. “. . . Children’s attitudes about the other sex are often more overtly hostile, representing well-entrenched intergroup attitudes.” Girls learn through socializing that boys and girls are not supposed to mix and as a result form negative attitudes towards the opposite sex, making the idea of play between them undesirable. This gender script just goes to further separate and reinforce the divide between both sexes.

            “Let’s Play?” uses a variety of elements to represent the idea of gender scripts and the learned divide between male and female. The element of space is seen in how the toys in the foreground appear larger and more powerful, while the doll in the background appears small and frail. This overlaps with the expectation of men being more powerful while women are less so and stay behind the scenes. This element works alongside the gaze of the doll towards the foreground where the rest of the toys lay; the meaning of the gaze left up to the viewer’s interpretation (whether that be longing, disdain, or something else). This culminates together with color: the doll is left in a dark, shady background giving it a sad ambience while the other toys are brightly colored and cause the doll to stick out in the photo as if she does not belong.

 

Work 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.

Photo Assignment

From: Samantha

Gender roles are something that is more complex than just girls liking pink and boys liking blue. To understand gender roles we must look back at centuries of what society has taught people is right and the “rules” that are laid out for specific genders to follow. In my picture you can see the clear distinctions between what we view as normal for a young girl and what we see as normal for a young boy. When I told my cousins who live with me to change into an outfit they would choose to wear, their favorite toys and to pose for a picture we see how gender roles in our society play an impact in what they chose. Cassidy (the little girl) had a hard time choosing between her favorite clothes but a similarity was that they all were pink or purple. Her toys she chose were a Barbie, a my little pony and little animals. All of these are things that she has taught are appropriate and are okay to play with. Loyal (the little boy) is wearing sweats which shows how our society has adapted men to be ready to go out and do stuff where the girl should be dressed nicely and be home. For his toys he chose a hoverboard, a remote helicopter and a rubix cube. To me this toy selection shows how boys are taught to be active and to focus on real world things rather than girls who play imaginary, where everything is perfect. In The “Two Cultures” Of Childhood article from Module 5 it states, “Consistent with the general theme that boys are rougher and girls are sweeter, boys’ toys are hard and sharp, whereas girls’ toys are soft and smooth.” I see this in my picture where many of Loyals toys are rougher and more “manly” than Cassidys who are more cute than functional. The pose Loyal chose was very assertive whereas Cassidy chose a very “feminine” pose that is very soft. In the text The “Two Cultures” Of Childhood it highlights, “In general, then, boys tend toward greater assertiveness, overt competition, and physically rough play in their interactions with same- sex peers, whereas girls develop a more considerate and cooperative style.” In general we see these things not just taught by parents but by friends and schools. We need to think more about allowing children to form their personalities and discover who they want to be and not to predispose them to society's rules.

 

 

 

Citations

 

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.

Smoke and Mirrors

From: Emily

            From a young age we are introduced to unrealistic beauty standards. Like, “The miniaturized human figures girls play with typically include baby dolls or feminine icons such as Barbie, explains Rudman in “The Two Cultures of Childhood.” Barbie, an unrealistic representation of womanhood, teaches girls to idealize unrealistic beauty standards. As girls go from childhood to adolescence who they idealize changes. It changes from the unrealistic body image of Barbie to the impossible beauty standards of models and actresses on tv, in movies, and in magazines. These beauty standards are extremely harmful to the mental health of teenage girls. These standards are destructive because the women we see in the media have had a whole team of hairstylists, makeup artists, and stylists to make sure they look their best. On top of that these images, even the natural looking ones, are heavily edited. Young women see these images of seemingly perfect women and try to emulate it themselves. Learning quickly that these things are impossible to truly obtain they turn to unhealthy things to get them as close as they can to “perfection.”

            In my photo I have combined two images of myself. The image on the left is of myself in loose fitting clothing, no makeup, poor lighting, and no editing. The second photo I have used the creative technique of color, by wearing a pink top to increase my femininity. I have also slightly changed the camera angle from being more straight on in the first photo, to being in a lower position to show superiority. I have also changed my angles from being more straight on and masculine in the first photo to have softer angles in the second photo. This better enhances my feminine features. The overall illusion in the second photo is that it has been completely edited. These two photos show extreme an difference in my appearance between the two. What is the most harmful is that young girls believe that the photo on the left is a reality, where in reality the photo on the left really is not what I look like at all.

 

 

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.

Beauty or Beast

From: Haley

Growing up kids tend to pick up on their roles from the people around them, whether it a parent or siblings, kids are always watching to see how to behave. In “The Two Cultures of Childhood” it is said that “children learn gender schemas from their social environments, but they also adopt and exaggerate distinctions between the sexes” (Rudman). In our household there was 4 girls and 1 boy- we girls were always taught that we could do whatever we set our minds to but my brother was always being told to man up and that he would be head of household one day so he had to learn to do the things we didn’t.
I chose this side by side of my youngest siblings, one year apart, to show how my brother was pushed more towards the outdoors type of activities and how my sister was more interested in beauty standards at their age. They learned these schemas by watching others in our family, my brother wanted to always be with our dad, uncles, and grandfather- who were all outdoorsy people. While my sister always wanted to hang out with us older girls, and our mom. In the article it says “Thus, children not only segregate themselves by playing with same-sex peers but engage in different kinds of play with these groups (Rudman 61). The picture of my brother holding a fish and looking proud of it, and my sister after her first eyebrow waxing, red and glossy eyed, shows the different roles boys and girls get accustomed to as such young ages. 

In my sisters photo, her gaze is looking straight into the camera. You can tell the pain she was feeling through her eyes. It brings a powerful sense of, “why did I do this” to the photo. This is how it is for many girls conforming to beauty norms and accepting “beauty hurts” as way of going through life and accepting the pain in order to feel pretty or receive compliments. I also made sure she was the center of the whole side in order to give the sense of all attention on her. The way many women feel stepping out into the public, that everybody is watching them. My brother’s photo is in B&W for the dramatics. Here’s a young boy who feels on top of the world because he caught a fish. His gaze is on the fish, the accomplishment of his activity- which instead of beauty in most cases men wants something they can hold onto. I also zoomed the picture out in order to show his entire body, his stance taking up most of the photo. He is the center of attention but his attention is focused on the fish. Instead of worrying about what people think of his catch, he is focusing on the joy he feels in the moment- something boys tend to do better then girls.
These photos help to understand the way the two different gender cultures compare and how it is taught from a young age. Watching others is a big part of how kids determine how they want to act and how they would like to be seen.