Gendered Society

 Let me be the first to say that growing up in a “gendered society” is bullshit.  With the mixed information from various influences, I have always struggled with properly defining my gender within society.  During my early stages puberty, I was  under the impression that if you’re born with a penis, naturally you would grow up and become masculine. However, due to my sexual orientation of being a homosexual, society has alienated me from the stereotypical gender roles. The moment I stepped out of the closet was the moment society no longer viewed me as “normal”.

            It was during my middle school years when I discovered that society was solely based on gender roles. At age 12, I was placed under a microscope as all my actions and behavior were carefully examined. During this period in my life my friends/ peers/ classmates began to question my reasoning for acting feminine…I didn’t have an answer. It wasn’t too long before rumors sprung that I was a homosexual. Interestingly enough, those rumors weren’t far from the truth. It wasn’t so much the rumors that bothered me; it was the accuracy of the stereotypes and generalizations. Ultimately society studied my gender behavior and automatically classified me as a homosexual.

            The author of Gendered Lives indicates,  “Parents and stepparents are a primary influence on gender identity” (Woods, 161). In my case, this was false. I was very fortunate to have loving and accepting parents to allow me to discover my true gender without their influence.  My parental figures were no longer a factor during my developmental stages as they were viewed as gender neutral. From my standpoint, there were pros and cons of the absence of my parents influence. Primarily, I was allowed to gain independence and make decisions for myself at a very early age.  However, I quickly became a very indecisive. As I look back, I realize that I am currently 21 years old, taking a class in Gender & Sexual Communication, and I am STILL trying to differentiate between what is masculine and what is feminine. Most days I’m grateful for allowing my parents to give me the independence to choose for myself; however, the lack of my parents influence has caused me to improperly identify my gender role within society.





REFERENCES


Wood, J. T. (2011). Gendered lives, communication, gender, and culture. (Ninth ed. ed., pp. 118-130). Boston: Wadsworth Pub Co..