gender stereotypes

Some of the most persistent gender stereotypes that came up in discussion in class would probably be "men are better at driving" and "women are more hygienic." I think the source of these stereotype is the amount of time they've been around, and the majority of each race acting according to the stereotype. In the 18th Century women were seen as inferior to men and weren't allowed the same rights as them. They weren't able to vote, drive, and would rarely get paid as much as men if they even had a job. Since driving was left up to the men, women were always seen to be bad at it. Over the years the stereotype just stuck. I've seen that men now a days joke about being scared that a girl got her license, or don't trust them behind the wheel. The stereotype that women are more hygenic is a newer concept I think. In media and everywhere around women they're being told how to look. Makeup, clothes, and hair are very important to women becuase it seems to be what guys judge them on. Guys don't have to really do anything, they just roll out of bed and start their day because women don't expect more than that. In our hallway by our high school gym you can tell which locker room is men and womens solely on the smell. Women just seem to care about it more, being clean is important to them. Of course it's a stereotype but you can see it on a daily basis.

Does gender matter?

We live in a constantly changing society. One that is willing to adapt and sometimes contradict certain stereotypes that have persisted for hundreds of years. Looking back at the gender issues a decade or two ago, some bear little resemblance to those that we face today, whereas others are the exact same. Through out our child hood we have been taught equality, the repercussions of bigotry, and above all the basic law; "treat others how you want to be treated." Yet some still insist on the superiority of the male gender. Shouldn't we all be equal; at least under the law, and in the opportunities we are provided. Should gender play a role in our lives? Well yes I believe it should, at least in our personal lives and the relationships that most crave as human beings. However that should be the extent of it. Gender should play no part in professional relationships and opportunities. It should not affect wages, nor should it affect how we view one another. Sure there are certain stereotypes that are very prevalent in our society, for example: women are worse drivers than men, women are more clean, guys are slackers, men can be players but women are looked down upon for the same actions. All of these opinions are ones that certainly do have a basis in reality, however they are not all encompassing. There are men that do not fit the "typical" male type, and likewise with the women as well. As Americans we promote ourselves as a very diverse, free, and equal nation. However, until we can look beyond gender as the defining characteristic in humans, the equality we strive for will never exist.

Women are weak, women can't drive, women talk to much, women take to much time doing things, these are all stereotypes of women and although these things do ring true in some situations they don't create any barriers or lines that can not be broken any more. In the past stereotypes of women were more serious than the sort of comedic attitude we have towards them today. 100 years ago women could not vote, they were subject to be stay at home moms who could not work and earn their own living. Women were dehumanized and not able to break free of the image society had set for them.

Gender stereotypes are still a prominent image in American culture today but they are more of a joke than an actually assumption of how women are. When something is said about how much women talk too much I merely laugh about it because talking is something that most women like to do a lot. I know that is the case but I also enjoy that aspect of being a women. I believe that in society today stereotypes of men and women are more of a way for the opposite genders to kind of understand each other. Men are slobs. Why do I think that? What could I do to understand that? Why do they behave the way they do? Men and Women are different. They are able to do different things and they are able to thrive in different areas. In being a women you cannot understand what it is like to be a man and vise-versa.

Because of where I live specifically I don't have to deal with very many of stereotypes. I feel that Telluride is a town that cradles individuals talents more so that judging one another. I am practically free of stereotypes. Yes I know that women don't get paid as much as men and but I also know that 20 years ago the majority of students getting in to college were men, now the majority is women. Things do change and they are changing quickly. I have the choice to be myself and do what I want to do, take my life in the direction I want it to go. I have the power of a women and i love that.

Not only can I accept and be the gender that I am I am able to thrive in it. I love being a women. It defines who I am in a lot of aspects. I love to take on some of the things that are expected of women. I love taking care of people and getting in touch with people's emotional sides. I love getting dressed up and making myself pretty in the morning. I love being able to cry during movies and talk to my friends for hours upon hours. My gender creates plenty of opportunities for me as well. I am able to be compassionate and powerful at the same time. I can be successful and happy. I can choose what I want to do and be and do it with care and grace. Sure I may never be able to do 20 pull ups or go hunting and love it, but those limitations do not bother me. I am designed to like things that girls like. I have no problem with that.

Gender does mater greatly. I think there are some things that are meant for men do do and somethings that are meant for women to do. This does not mean that women can't do the things that men do and men cant do the things that women do it just simply means that there are certain things that men are better at and things that women are better at. For example men are better at fixing things and women are better at caring for people. That's it, it's the truth. There are some women who are great at fixing things and men can be very compassionate but for the most part there is a line between what each gender can accomplish.

Gender Issues---Appearance

In today's society appearance matters more than ever. It seems to be somewhat important to men, but women have much higher expectations from society to have a good and clean appearance at all times. Women walk down the street and get judged from everyone. Men look at them to judge their looks, women look at them to compare, and kids look at them to see if they look like their mom.

Men look at women for only their looks. They only want sex and if they have some kind of interest in a relationship they want to be seen with a "hot" girl. They care about what their friends and people around them think and they only want to be seen with a girl with good looks. If she's considered a slut it's even better cause then everyone assumes he's getting laid.

Girls are being more girly than ever. It is completely normal for girls to wear lots of make up, style their hair, dye their hair, wear all kinds of jewlry, and wear tight, low cut clothes. This is starting to become more common at a younger age. Honestly, they aren't really doing all that for themselves, it doesn't make them feel any better. But what guys and people around them think is what matters and what boosts their confidence.

This is starting to become a kind of stereotype. Girls are clean and presentable and need to appear perfect, while guys can do absolutely nothing for their image. That is ok and that's what society is accustomed to. This is promoted through the media and entertainment also. In all of the tabloid magazines it talks about what celebrities are getting plastic surgies, what designer clothes they wear, and what brands of make up they use. Because celebrities, who are loved by most, use these products, regular women should too. Also, it shows in TV shows and movies that looks are very important and that is what guys care about. Just think about Secret Life, where all the people in the show do is have sex and get pregnant. And the girls are always comparing themselves to other girls and want to be the best and have more people like them. In the Ugly Truth, the guy has a whole TV show talking about how guys only see looks and don't see personality. In Fired Up, the guys go to a cheer camp only to get ass.

Every day we are exposed to some source that tells us women need to look good at all times. Women are clean and are essentially sex symbols. And men can look however they please.

fighting

“This was freedom. Losing all hope was freedom.” Pg. 22

Once we have nothing to work forward to, we can do whatever we want. Sever the ties of responsibility and future plans, and we can feel fully alive and present in the moment. This notion is significant to the themes of the book, as it accurately portrays the narrators obsession with death and his desire to find the sublime in the end of existence. However, I see faults in this notion, because the narrator is constantly surrounded by death in his work, yet finds no solace there. He is able to fall into little moments of death every evening when he has cried his heart out with those who face death’s inevitability. But he is alive, and he knows he will remain alive much longer than any around him; he is “the little warm center that the life of the world crowded around.” I feel that him deriving pleasure and peace from comparison with the near-to-dead is not exactly hypocritical, but it is confusing. I guess by contrast he can feel grateful for his own life. But why do the actual dead not provide him, and Marla for that matter, with the same comfort? Why is it that the weeping Bob is so much more impactful than the crisped bodies of the cars he examines? Why do the empty corpses in caskets of funeral not make an impression, but the “real experience” of people who are going to die do? These people are still alive and suffering, they are not dead. But the author equates the experience to perceiving the true nature of oblivion, the end. On top of that, when another death-obsessed faker comes into the picture, the narrator can no longer get the sick pleasure of dying people; he now views what should be the oh-so-sweet end of the fragile Chloe as a non-event, and again he cannot sleep. I cannot look past the inconsistencies in the death and dying notion to truly understand what is being gained by the fake loss of hope.

On top of his obsession with watching dying people die, the narrator also ‘comes alive’ during fight club. He claims, “You aren’t alive anywhere like you’re alive at fight club.” But this is physical violence enacted willingly by two individuals, and the support groups are products of fate and bad luck that end in demise. So then his peace comes from the unknown factor of death, and his livelihood from the consented pain that he brings upon himself. I don’t get that.

Self.

Page 49

"Maybe self-improvement isn't the answer...Maybe self-destruction is the answer."

I feel like this quote basically sums up a lot of the book (well of what I have read so far). This question has appeared in history before (almost all "evil" acts could be related back to this statement), and since it doesn't have an answer, it gets people wondering a lot. And then it gets those people to self-destruct. However, doesn't something negative always turn out from this? And, okay, maybe for something negative to happen might not be the worst thing in your book, but how else could humanity survive. Later in the book, Tyler does mention that his intention is to "...break up civilization so we can make something better out of the world." But how come this hasn't worked yet? Many have tried to bring civilization to ruins, and some people go along with it, but then there are always going to be people, the "good guys" who try and stop it. Because that's what we're taught. Good is good and bad is bad. We like good, we don't like bad. But why? I think that's the whole beginning of the thought that self-destruction might be the answer.

Then again, can't self-improvement be the same thing as, or at least similar to self-destruction? In order to "improve" ourselves, we have to break something down of our identity that we want to reform. So really, maybe the answer is to have just a little bit of both. One has to have a balance, a moderation, with self-destruction/improvement, just like with everything else:)

freedom

"This was freedom. Losing all hope was freedom." I hope I can get enough money to buy a new material item so I can be a slave to keeping it in tip-top shape. Fuck that. When you hope for something, you are either let down or you acquire it. In both situations you had to go out of your way to do something to get something so you can end up with something. If you had never hoped for anything, you would be free from going through the steps to get it. Even if this means not going after anything, not setting hopes or dreams for something, you are free to enjoy nothing. Free to fester in your own freedom from everything.

"This is the amazing miracle of death, and it should be so sweet if it were 't for, oh, that one." (35) I just like that quote.