toeing the line (1 Viewer)

[melancholia]

Gender roles placed by society are not always meant to be fulfilled.

Gender roles are how we are expected to act, speak, dress, drink, and behave based upon our assigned gender.

As a society, we outcast those who don't fit into their gender roles. For example, a boy would like to paint his nails, then as a society, we would tend to outcast the boy because he doesn't fit into the box that we made. Gender roles are created by us, from a biological standpoint, nothing is determining a person's gender but their chromosomes.

HYperfemnity and hypermasculinity are stereotypes males and females are expected to fit. For example, males are to be aggressive, insensitive, sexually experienced, and among other things. While females are to be soft, graceful, virgin marys, and among other damaging traits. These stereotypes are damaging as they don't fully allow people to express themselves or their emotions.

All males are expected to like sports, what if some males don't like outdoor activities? Does that make him less of a male?

All females are expected to be soft-spoken, what if some females are not soft-spoken? Does that make her inconsiderable of a female?

Females have rules that they are expected to follow. They are to be quiet, males are their superiors, they must stay home to cook and clean, and they have dress codes.

Females are given what to wear and what not to wear from a young age. We have stricter dress codes put in place. For example, some rules forbid females from wearing skirts and dresses that go above the knees. Now, this is all to protect the male students from getting distracted.

In school we can not wear tights, we can't wear dresses that make us look, "grown," we can't show our midriffs, we can't wear dresses/skirts that go above of our knees, we can't wear ripped jeans, our bra straps cannot be shown.

The principal once said, "if your female child was wearing something and a male student were to comment on your child wear, you would want me to discipline the male student, right?" Implying that it is our fault if we get sexually harassed.

Our sexual harassment is our fault, its as if we must feel ashamed for having this body.

All this effort is being put into protecting male students when the truth of the matter is that we should be teaching male students on what to do and what not to do. Rather than telling a female student to go home due to her dress, we should teach males (staff included) to not look at a female student sexually.

I shouldn't be asked not to wear something because it's toeing the line when it, in fact, fits all the rules.

Now, I'm not saying I should be allowed to wear shorts hanging off my behind, I'm asking why can't I wear tights or show my knees? This should be a catholic school because you're making us dress like nuns.

I should not feel ashamed to have my body, I should wear wake makes me feel comfortable, I should look out for male students because they should know better. We should teach them better.

We have failed as a society.


.
.
.

(now this a report i am showing to my history teacher, the one who made a sexist remark! he made many more. this generally to my school and its population)

 

[blueberries]

Are you rly showing it to your teacher? It's rly good report. I hope it raises some thoughts. Hwaiting!

 

[Bookworm]

I'm hesitant to say whether your principal is in fact truly speaking for all male students and their inability to control themselves and be mature and respectful. It could just be that your principal is an absolute moron. I think, just as it's damaging to hold female students to such strict dress-code standards, it's equally as damaging to believe that all male students have this issue. But in any event, I do agree: female students shouldn't have to worry about such ridiculous things. Maybe it's best to say, "Don't restrict female students so much, and don't encourage boys to be awful."

 

[melancholia]

I'm hesitant to say whether your principal is in fact truly speaking for all male students and their inability to control themselves and be mature and respectful. It could just be that your principal is an absolute moron. I think, just as it's damaging to hold female students to such strict dress-code standards, it's equally as damaging to believe that all male students have this issue. But in any event, I do agree: female students shouldn't have to worry about such ridiculous things. Maybe it's best to say, "Don't restrict female students so much, and don't encourage boys to be awful."

in my school, if you were to get cat-called, punched, or even given sexually remark the teachers wouldn't even bother writing a report. it won't even get to the principal. i agree with you, it's wrong to think alls males have this issue, I'm not trying to convey that all males students are bad, I'm just trying to convey instead of protecting them by giving such strict dress codes to female students, we should just teach them right from wrong. But if you're speaking about my principal, he blames hormones and that "all males go through it" when some males don't even think that way. I do agree with your last claim about not encouraging boys to be so awful. I'm definitely going to add that

 

[Bookworm]

in my school, if you were to get cat-called, punched, or even given sexually remark the teachers wouldn't even bother writing a report. it won't even get to the principal. i agree with you, it's wrong to think alls males have this issue, I'm not trying to convey that all males students are bad, I'm just trying to convey instead of protecting them by giving such strict dress codes to female students, we should just teach them right from wrong. But if you're speaking about my principal, he blames hormones and that "all males go through it" when some males don't even think that way. I do agree with your last claim about not encouraging boys to be so awful. I'm definitely going to add that

Wow, that's horrible... And yeah, I think that's fair. Good luck with getting through to your teacher <3