Barbie vs. Society (Sept. 8th Class)

Today's class discussion took me back to my childhood and made me reflect on some issues regarding gender that I otherwise may never have considered as stereotyping or "differencing." There is a universal difference between males and females. However, the difference is perceived so many different ways it is nearly impossible to have a conversation or debate on an even playing field. Being a female, the "Barbie" socialization is most intriguing to me because I grew up playing with Barbies. As I continue to develop into a woman, my perceptions of the "socially accepted" female body has changed. I will continue to discuss this topic after voicing what I learned from the assigned readings.

Females are often referred to as the "weaker sex." Barbara Ehrenreich faces this topic head on in her Time Magazine article "Making Sense of la Difference." Ehrenreich discusses the various historic beliefs and what tests have been done to try to make or break the theories that exist. Ehrenreich writes "In the 19th century, biologists held that a woman's brain was too small for intellect but large enough for household chores." It is unfortunate to read such a degrading statement knowing that females have overcome adversity in the past century. Women now hold upper management positions and are competitive with males in many different jobs. Although this course is not strictly based on female stereotypes there are many popular assumptions that still cause a stir. Another stereotype that exists today involves females being worse at math than males. The article states that a females academic development declines after puberty. I believe that each person is different and that although many of the assumptions may prove true to some, it depends on the way a person is taught and raised.

Our class discussion relates to this topic because gender differences occur in all aspects of life. I was surprised to hear that Barbie dolls come second to make-up kits as popular toys for female youths. The fiction of gender exists socially, culturally and structurally. The broad topic of gender stereotypes can go in a million different directions. In the sports world, a lot of the issues deal with our childhood experiences that have shaped the way we label athletes and sport. As an elementary student, I participated in volleyball, basketball and track. Our basketball was always smaller than the boys' basketballs and our hoops were often lower. Also, the final scores of boys games were usually double if not triple ours (females). When asked what would change if the social gender stereotypes did not exist, I can confidently say that I would have played football. Football is my favorite sport but I have always known it to be a male dominated activity. Looking back, I am glad that I did not participate in football because of how I might have been perceived in public. It is a shame that a child or young adult can be portrayed as unfeminine or emasculated just because he or she goes against the social norm. Unfortunately, this is the society we live in and stereotypes take years to diminish.