Gender
Q 1)
Gender identity is how people feel inside and how they express their gender through personal appearance, behavior, and clothing. Sexuality on the other hand is about the individual’s ability to understand their sexual feeling and attractions towards others (Sumano, 2020). Understanding people’s sexuality is complex because it manifests differently for different people. My gender identify affects my sexuality by shaping how I understand and conceive the construct of sexuality. Today, society puts more pressure and specific expectation on us because of our sex. For example, to be successful, society expects me to be good-looking, Masculine, and manipulative. We learn to be boys and girls by observing things that are associated with our sexual orientation. Young girls learned that they are supposed to be beautiful with fluttering eyelashes while boys portrayed as strong and resilient. Through various characters presented in films and other media platforms, people are to understand their gender and appreciate those of others. Both boys and girls can understand their sexuality and sexual orientation by observing individuals with similar characteristics. Media influences our view of sexuality by influencing our realization, current identities, and by providing inspiration and role models (Gomillion & Giuliano, 2011). Society continues to make people believe that sexuality is all about who we are attracted to because they believe that sexual attraction action is driven by reproduction.
Q2
Growing up with expectations such as crying is a sign of weakness for men to influence how they respond to issues. Such expectations have made it difficult for boys to deal with emotions making it challenging to overcome full problems that require emotional relief (Sumano, 2020). Because it’s acceptable for girls to cry, men associate crying with weakness and femininity. Societies view about gender restrict women from showing dominance and require men to be assertive (Koenig, 2018). Similarly, males are restricted from showing weakness which is tolerated in women. Some of society’s expectations for men include being independent, aggressive, and strong. Women on the other hand are expected to be emotional, insecure, and dependant. Media content and social norms are some of the factors that influence our expectations of men and women.
References
Gomillion, S. C., & Giuliano, T. A. (2011). The influence of media role models on gay, lesbian, and bisexual identity. Journal of homosexuality, 58(3), 330-354.
Koenig, A. M. (2018). Comparing prescriptive and descriptive gender stereotypes about children, adults, and the elderly. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1086.
Sumano, K. (2020). How Gender Stereotypes Impact Behavior. One Love Foundation. Retrieved 23 July 2020, from https://www.joinonelove.org/learn/gender-stereotypes-impact-behavior/.