Week 7: Gender and Childhood

This week is the beginning of our gender presentations regarding children and adolescents. Week 7's lectures and presentations were about gender during childhood. Our first presentation was called "Gender and Childhood According to Disney."

This class presentation illustrated many interesting points when it comes to gender stereotypes in Disney films. The group asked the class whether or not we thought Disney influenced children's views on relationships. Many of us agreed. The reason behind this answer is because of the stereotypical female image that is portrayed in many Disney movies. To explain further, many of the women in Disney movies are passive individuals who rely on their beauty to find a man. Also, these "princesses" are almost always thin, attractive, and sexualized, yet appear to be vulnerable too. Having these values depict the ideal female, can create issues that negatively influence children. In addition, this subconsciously teaches young girls that they need to be beautiful in order to find their prince charming or someone that will love them unconditionally.

With that being said, many Disney movies teach children (girls and boys) messages that are beneficial as well. Examples of positive messages include sharing, working together, being a good friend, etc.

While looking at YouTube clips that related to Disney movies and gender for this week's blog, I came across an interesting series of videos. They are called "Advice for Young Girls" and they are created by Belle, The Little Mermaid, and Snow White. These videos take the subliminal messages in Disney films and sarcastically express various pieces of advice that girls should definitely not follow. These videos may appear offensive, but they are meant as a form of humour to display how silly some of the role models for little girls are in a variety of Disney films.

The link below is the advice video from Belle from Beauty and the Beast. In this video, she explains (or mocks) that little girls should do the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuk-h2ZYNJU

- Stick it out if you find a man whose big, hairy, and beastly but has a lot of money and a big house
- Eat dinner with your man, but sometimes don't because he wants you to be skinny
- Never settle for something that doesn't feel like it's a challenge
- The key to love is to tolerate everything
- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... As long as the woman is good looking

These words of wisdom are just some of the ridiculous messages that Disney movies often display to young children. It's difficult from my perspective because I grew up watching Disney films on a daily basis. My generation thrived on movies made by Disney, and although some people argue they teach children mixed messages, I understand the point of view that they are also classic films.

I think the important message in terms of children's movies is confirming the understanding. Children need to know that movies are made merely for entertainment purposes and not everything that happens in movies is real, appropriate, or the right thing to do. It is the parents' responsibility to speak to their children about this, otherwise we have little girls wanting to be princesses that need rescuing and little boys feeling the need to be a strong, emotionless hero.

Week 6: Men and Masculinity

As I mentioned in my post last week (week 5), my blog for week 6 will also focus on the subject of men and masculinity. The reading I will be addressing is called “My Son Wears Dresses; Get Over It” by Matt Duron. This story can be found at the following link:  http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/09/my-son-wears-dresses-get-over-it/279333/

For those who have not had the opportunity to read this piece of literature, I highly recommend doing so. It is a very well-written and informative article. To briefly summarize this reading, the author explains his situation regarding his son who wears dresses, heals, and make-up. This is a piece of his life Matt keeps secret to his co-workers and only shares with his close friends. The reason behind this is because Matt is a stereotypical “guy’s guy” and does not wish for others around him to treat his son differently because he appears to deviate from the so-called norm. Matt supports every decision his son makes regardless of whether or not it’s a “masculine” or “feminine” one.

Within this post, Matt makes a valid point in terms of his son’s “differences.” Matt explains that what his son wears and what toys he plays with is irrelevant because his son is happy and evidently that is the only thing that matters.

During class last week, our professor introduced the children’s story “My Princess Boy” written by Cheryl Kilodavis. This story articulated similar issues that both parents were facing when raising their “gender creative” sons.

In the book, Cheryl explains that raising a boy that prefers to wear girls’ clothing isn’t wrong, and that we should be accepting of them instead of trying to change them. With that being said, it’s difficult to ignore the outside pressures that come from the remainder of society. It is clear that Mike and Cheryl are not the only individuals who are dealing with a son that likes the colour pink. Many parents around the world seemed to find Cheryl’s book to be a helpful tool when accommodating their effeminate son(s). 

The class discussion that derived from reading this storybook hit very close to home. My little cousin, Owen, is a Princess Boy. In fact, my aunt recently bought this book just for him. It’s difficult to understand what it means to be around a boy who wants to be like a girl unless you personally know one. It's easy to pass judgments on someone you've only casted eyes on but never spoke to before.

To explain further, Owen is your typical six-year old child who lives at home with his mom and dad. The only difference between Owen and other youths his age is that his favourite colour is pink; he loves sparkles; and would rather play with Barbie and Bratz dolls than trucks. Is there anything wrong with Owen? Absolutely not! Is he happy? Yes!

It doesn’t matter if this is just a phase or how Owen will be for the rest of his life, but what breaks my heart is how he will unfortunately be treated when he finishes grade 1. For now, other children aren’t overly concerned with his outfits or choice of friends (girls), but soon enough they will be. I’m worried about Owen’s safety when he gets older, and more importantly I’m worried about his feelings. Kids are cruel these days and I can only imagine the mistreatment and discrimination he will be subjected to in a short time.

I said this in an earlier post, and I am going to mention it again. The overall bottom line when it comes to children is whether or not they are happy, safe, and healthy. Nothing else should be a concern to other children, teachers, parents, or any other set of individuals who feel gender stereotypes need to be followed on a strict basis. Who said gender norms were normal anyways? What does normal even mean?

Week 5: Men and Masculinity

The topic of men and masculinity will be discussed for both week 5 and week 6 as it is a subject that is often ignored when learning about gender theories. Most of the importance is often placed on women from a feminist perspective instead of looking at both males and females. Our class also had a presentation on this subject and I will be including relative information from it in my post.

The reading I will be relating to this week is called "Masculinities and Athletic Careers" by Michael Messner. This article highlighted many interesting points in regards to men who play sports and the research behind young boys gaining an interest in the world of athletics.

Messner indicates that earlier studies of masculinity and sports argued that sports socializes men. He states that sports teach young males cultural values, behaviours (such as competition), toughness, etc., which are culturally valued aspects of masculinity. Who determines what "cultural values" are for males and whether or not they are appealing for the masculine population? With that being said, if men don't take an interest in sports, do they immediately deviate from the norm? How is this fair?

In the article, the author insinuates that sports are for men. He uses the excuse that men often take their sons to football or baseball games as a way of bonding or spending time with their male friends. It is important to note that this does NOT make sports a man's activity. Women can have an interest in athletics as well. However, men and women have different ways of showing his or her interest in a particular sporting activity.

During our class presentation, the group showed the class the following YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxyZ71k99zo

The video was called "What if Guys and Girls Switched Roles in the Gym." This video clip was fascinating as it showcased the idea of men and women changing places in terms of working out. For example, the women that were acting like men drank protein shakes, lifted heavy weights, and acted in a very masculine manner. As for the men acting as women, they socialized instead of doing cardio, they participated in yoga, and were showed by the men how to properly lift the dumbbells. Although these examples are popular stereotypes, it was captivating how men and women often appear to the opposite sex.

The last point I will discuss in this post is a topic of conversation that took place during our class presentation: issues that men or boys face. This is often a situation that gets overlooked by the general population. As men are supposed to appear strong, tough, and emotionless, it is often forgotten about that men have feelings too. Many men are taught at a young age to suppress their feelings in front of other individuals. Why is this exactly? Just because men have an ideal they are supposed to abide by does not mean they by any means have to. Women have a ridiculous model we are to follow as well. Neither expectation is realistic or even possible to accommodate as NO ONE is perfect. With that, why do we spend so much time TRYING to be someone we're not? Why can't we just be happy with ourselves and focus on more important aspects in life?