Look at the following fonts. Are they masculine or feminine?
GENDER
GENDER
GENDER
GENDER
GENDER
GENDER
Name a manly task.
Name a womanly task.
Gender is one of the most basic ways in which we categorize
human beings. From an early age, we are socialized into
identifying ourselves as either male and female.
However these identifies carry preconceived meaning. As we
mature in society, we are taught what those identities mean.
What does it mean to be a boy? What does it mean
to be a girl?
These preconceived ideas are not always universal. They
may differ from culture to culture, from context to context,
from time period to time period.
For example: in Western culture
the colour pink is currently
associated with girls. (Think about
princess dresses or the pink
ribbon, the international symbol
of breast cancer.) The colour blue
is usually reserved for boys.
However in the early 1900s, the
two colours weren’t as clearly
organized. The two colours were
often used interchangably with
some parenting magazine calling
for pink to be a boy’s colour and
blue to be a girl’s colour.
If you go further back to
the 1800s, infants were
mostly dressed in white.
Both boys and girls wore
dresses and skirts until
the age of 5-6. Gender
differences weren’t
highlighted until the child
could walk.
"Sex" refers to the biological and physiological characteristics
that define men and women.
"Gender" refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours,
activities, and attributes that a given society considers
appropriate for men and women.
"Male" and "female" are sex categories, while "masculine" and
"feminine" are gender categories.
Some examples of sex characteristics :
•Women menstruate while men do not
•Men have testicles while women do not
•Women have developed breasts that are usually capable of
lactating, while men have not
•Men generally have more massive bones than women
Some examples of gender characteristics :
•In the United States (and most other
countries), women earn significantly less
money than men for similar work
•In Viet Nam, many more men than women
smoke, as female smoking has not
traditionally been considered appropriate
•In Saudi Arabia men are allowed to drive
cars while women are not
•In most of the world, women do more
housework than men
Within a society there are defined gender roles. Gender roles
refer to attitudes and behaviours that a particular culture
considers appropriate based on his/her sex.
The process in which a person learns and accepts roles is called
socialization. Socialization works by encouraging and
discouraging certain types of behaviour so that the child will
understand what is and isn’t acceptable.
People who influence a person’s conception of him or herself
are known as agents of socialization and these include school,
family, religion, your peers, and mass media.
Consider not just the costumes themselves, but the body
language the models are using to sell the costume. What does
it say about gender roles?
Police officers: as a society we
respect their authority. We
expect them to uphold the law
and keep the peace.
What function do
these costumes serve?
Watch Anita Sarkeesian’s Feminist Frequency episode about
gender in toy commercials. As you watch the video, consider
the following questions:
1. What do toy commercials aimed at boys value?
2. What do toy commercials aimed at girls value?
3. What do toy commercials aimed at boys encourage boys
to do?
4. What do toy commercials aimed at girls encourage girls
to do?
Watch Anita Sarkeesian’s Feminist Frequency episode about
gender in toy commercials. As you watch the video, consider
the following questions:
1. What do toy commercials aimed at boys value?
2. What do toy commercials aimed at girls value?
3. What do toy commercials aimed at boys encourage boys
to do?
4. What do toy commercials aimed at girls encourage girls
to do?
Socialization doesn’t end at childhood. It continues throughout
our life, reinforcing ideas about males and females, masculine
and feminine.
We see these ideas reflected in advertising…
We see it in the movies we watch…
We see and hear it in the music
we listen to…
We even see it in the
careers we choose. In
the movie Meet the
Parents, Ben Stiller
plays a man named
Gaylor Focker.
One of the jokes of the
movie is that he is a
nurse.
When you are examining a media text and analyzing the
representation of gender, think about not just the message it
is sending, but also the values it is reinforcing about gender.
Think also about the voice. Who is delivering the message?
Who is the message intended for? Whose voice is left out of
the message?
Let’s end this lesson by watching Caroline Heldman’s TED
talk “The Sexy Lie”. As you are watching it, think about the
following:
1. What is sexual objectification?
2. What is the sexy lie and its consequences?
3. How does it contribute to the socialization of individuals?