http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2009/08/women_eat_daintily_around_men_1.html
I found this article from the Washington Post about a study done in Ontario, Canada that women ate less around men because of their idea of feminine was to eat smaller portions. First, I don't understand how people can NOT eat. I love food, and if you want to have energy, be healthy, and SURVIVE, you E A T. Who ever said ladies shouldn't eat until satisfied?
However, I will agree that I have read books, seen movies, and somehow have the little tidbit ingrained into my memory, and the results did not surprise me. This article jumped out at me because 1) it's true and 2) I can't comprehend WHY. I thought the feminine things guys are attracted to in women are due to something that used to be practical. A teacher once explained guys tend to go for girls with bigger breasts because they'd have more milk to feed their offspring. So as much as that bothers me to be judged so, that makes sense. BUT, how does starving yourself do any good? An unhealthy woman equals an unhealthy baby and premature death (of one or both) and thus more work, pain, and suffering for the husband. On the other hand, I would like to conjecture that this eating "like a bird" as one commenter quoted from Gone With the Wind is really a new idea of femininity. In America today, we seem to like ridiculously skinny, tall, blonde girls as models and girlfriends. Oh, not to mention if they're really ditzy, too. Just imagine Paris Hilton (the cash it the exra bonus). I have no clue how we jumped from practical (yet slightly uncomfortably vulgar) to plain out unhealthy silly girls. My second problem with such an idea of femininism is that women don't feel good about their body this way. Even for me it's a problem. In this day and age, girls must be skinny, and if possible, they should be fit AND healthy AND maybe a little athletic. The pressure to fit in and attract guys with the feminine-ly skinny body leads to such mental problems as anorexia and bulimia. Not to mention, lying to oneself and one's love interest isn't going to make the relationship last very long. If a guy doesn't like the way a girl sustains herself, that's the guy's problem, not hers. I really hope this expectation of skinny girls dies out with shoulder pads, seriously.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Opinionated Definitions
My definitions are for distinguishing the mental boy vs. man and girl vs. woman. Biologically, a girl is a female who did not go through puberty (vs a woman who did) and the same for boys and men.
A woman is a female who understands life is full of trials to overcome. She is on her own (independent of support such as a parent). She is matured and aware (thus cautious) of her surroundings.
A girl is a female who is innocent or naive. She doesn't realize the harsh realities of life and hardships and obstacles yet to come. A girl tends to see life through rose tinted glasses, but she will also has that straight forward, blunt, honest nature all children do. A girl requires someone to look after her and take care of her.
A woman is a female who understands life is full of trials to overcome. She is on her own (independent of support such as a parent). She is matured and aware (thus cautious) of her surroundings.A boy is a male who is innocent, honest, and oblivious of the pain of loss, hunger, or want.
A man is a male who has experienced or learned of such hardships and is naive no longer.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Persepolis Perspective
After all our discussions of femininity and masculinity, The Complete Persepolis contains a totally different set of values.Marjane Satrapi comes from a different culture with a new religion, and therefore, a whole new society to live up to.
The culture and religion of Iran seem to overlap each other probably due to my ignorance. However, I think it is safe to say Islam is a large part of the Iranian culture. The rules of Islam dictates what people should consider masculine and feminine. A woman's femininity in Iran includes her hair, the outline of her body shape, and any of the skin on her body. The Iranian government felt those three things seduce men. Thus, the veil and chador is required for all females. The government puts more responsibility and restrictions on women than men because in their culture women are inferior to men. However, men are responsible for covering their arms; bare arms is seen as a form of seduction, too. (To quote Satrapi, "There was a kind of justice after all!" p. 75) Also, men are not supposed to shave because Islam looks down on it, but in the time of transition from shah to the religious leaders, shaving was a form of rebellion and sign of support of modern progressive men. For both genders, anything Western was looked down on because our culture and ideals were so different from an Islamic one that they could never be integrated without some restrictions or freedoms given or taken.
When Satrapi moves to Austria, all of the values and ideas of masculine and feminine changes. She is allowed to cut her hair, and then show it off. She can wear whatever she wants, bare her skin if she wants to (but she doesn't because she is still faithful to her culture in that sense). Eventually, Satrapi even tries the punk look with gelled short hair, eye liner, and safety pin earring chains.
After all is said and done, Satrapi sees both the western ideas of masculine, feminine, and all together accepted versus her culture's set of values. It must have been a mind blowing experience because the two are on opposite sides of the spectrum, and she can experience both and mix them together to make new ideas on what is feminine and masculine.
The culture and religion of Iran seem to overlap each other probably due to my ignorance. However, I think it is safe to say Islam is a large part of the Iranian culture. The rules of Islam dictates what people should consider masculine and feminine. A woman's femininity in Iran includes her hair, the outline of her body shape, and any of the skin on her body. The Iranian government felt those three things seduce men. Thus, the veil and chador is required for all females. The government puts more responsibility and restrictions on women than men because in their culture women are inferior to men. However, men are responsible for covering their arms; bare arms is seen as a form of seduction, too. (To quote Satrapi, "There was a kind of justice after all!" p. 75) Also, men are not supposed to shave because Islam looks down on it, but in the time of transition from shah to the religious leaders, shaving was a form of rebellion and sign of support of modern progressive men. For both genders, anything Western was looked down on because our culture and ideals were so different from an Islamic one that they could never be integrated without some restrictions or freedoms given or taken.
When Satrapi moves to Austria, all of the values and ideas of masculine and feminine changes. She is allowed to cut her hair, and then show it off. She can wear whatever she wants, bare her skin if she wants to (but she doesn't because she is still faithful to her culture in that sense). Eventually, Satrapi even tries the punk look with gelled short hair, eye liner, and safety pin earring chains.
After all is said and done, Satrapi sees both the western ideas of masculine, feminine, and all together accepted versus her culture's set of values. It must have been a mind blowing experience because the two are on opposite sides of the spectrum, and she can experience both and mix them together to make new ideas on what is feminine and masculine.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Society Dictates Lives
It is human nature to want to compare oneself to others as well as be like them and be accepted. I would hold society the most influential in shaping a person’s gender identity. I define “society” as the general or mainstream mindset of people which has eventually turned into spoken and unspoken rules of living.
Society pressures parents to raise children to be a certain way, to possess certain traits, and to look down on some behaviors as strange and wrong. Parents usually want their children to be successful in life, and their idea of success is measured by society’s reaction and acceptance. Stereotypical gender roles include such actions like sons should be sent into sports to build muscle and fame while daughters should go into dance, music, or art. (As a side note, I do understand though that parenting cannot account for all of a child’s gender development because a child’s personality cannot be changed by sheer will power, but society’s power if far-reaching.)
I believe environment can also be found, in a way, under society. Different groups of people based on their occupations and surroundings are given expected end results by means of how feminine the girls ought to be, and how much masculine qualities boys should possess. The expectations of a community of farmers will greatly differ from our presumptions of how New York City people are. Also, being around different types of people and cultures affects the traits one will value and the amount of masculinity or femininity one strives to obtain to be considered proper and normal.
One of society's strongest and individuality killing methods is the media. So many young Americans will see how the latest rapper or movie star acts, dresses, looks, and behaves then takes their new observations and strive to be like him or her. Their thinking is natural; those people are famous, loved, and accepted. For me to be the same I should be like them.
Overall, society dictates to everyone subconciously through widespread ideas and misconceptions what the ideal male and female are. Everyone wants to fit in (one way or another). Thus, many will develop (faking it until they make it true) the kinds of activities, clothes, looks, and actions to be a true woman or a real man.
Society pressures parents to raise children to be a certain way, to possess certain traits, and to look down on some behaviors as strange and wrong. Parents usually want their children to be successful in life, and their idea of success is measured by society’s reaction and acceptance. Stereotypical gender roles include such actions like sons should be sent into sports to build muscle and fame while daughters should go into dance, music, or art. (As a side note, I do understand though that parenting cannot account for all of a child’s gender development because a child’s personality cannot be changed by sheer will power, but society’s power if far-reaching.)
I believe environment can also be found, in a way, under society. Different groups of people based on their occupations and surroundings are given expected end results by means of how feminine the girls ought to be, and how much masculine qualities boys should possess. The expectations of a community of farmers will greatly differ from our presumptions of how New York City people are. Also, being around different types of people and cultures affects the traits one will value and the amount of masculinity or femininity one strives to obtain to be considered proper and normal.
One of society's strongest and individuality killing methods is the media. So many young Americans will see how the latest rapper or movie star acts, dresses, looks, and behaves then takes their new observations and strive to be like him or her. Their thinking is natural; those people are famous, loved, and accepted. For me to be the same I should be like them.
Overall, society dictates to everyone subconciously through widespread ideas and misconceptions what the ideal male and female are. Everyone wants to fit in (one way or another). Thus, many will develop (faking it until they make it true) the kinds of activities, clothes, looks, and actions to be a true woman or a real man.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
My Take on Persepolis
I was astonished when I opened up Persepolis for the first time due to the novelty of an Iolani required reading book in the form of a comic book!! After the initial shock wore off, to be honest, I began to worry because history is not my favorite subject not to mention Iran's is little known to me at all. However Marjane Satrapi's childhood innocence pulled me in because it came off ironic (due to the children not realizing their new restrictions). This book reminded me that freedom does not come free and that in other places in the world, people have to live with so many hindrances, with their whole lives being dictated to them practically. From a spoiled American perspective I think all those rules, especially the general bulk aimed at strangling all of Iranian women's independence and choice, are forms of intolerable injustice. I say "from a spoiled American view" because personally I believe such rules to be unjust, but somewhere in the back of my mind I know I cannot totally and willfully condemn a culture because our own American society and culture are not "the best" despite our blown up egos. If their culture was merely strict to everyone equally I would think they must have hard lives, but it would be easier to swallow compared to the degradation of women to a seeming lesser status in which men blame women for seducing them. I agree with Satrapi that it is not just women's responsibility to abstain. Plus, after reading about all the hardships Satrapi went through, I am now very grateful for the peace and independence I am allowed. If so many of my friends and family were executed, my life layed out precisely, and my life always in danger of some kind, I'd be either depressed or so angry I'd get myself killed. I'm so glad her life story is out for the public to see; it feels like a testimony and a triumph for her still standing not to mention succeeding! Persepolis is truly an eye-opening book with a lot of hard truths.
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