Hey there. I've been meaning to make this post and see how you guys may feel about it. Alright, so gender roles have always frustrated me. A lot. However, ever since I began questioning, it's as if they've been an even bigger annoyance. Whenever I'm watching cartoons with my baby brother, my parents often keep the shows on the usual stuff; Blaze and the Monster Machines, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, etc. And in these kinds of shows I notice little things. I notice how only the female characters wear anything remotely pink. Boys get red and blue and green and basically every other color. I see how in Peppa Pig literally only the girls wear dresses and the boys wear a shirt. Boys wear blue or something and girls wear purple or pink (except Peppa, with red thank goodness). My brother does like to watch Shimmer and Shine, a show known for genies and sparkles and stuff. However, my parents like to blame this interest on either the dancing or that fact that pretty girls are on the screen. Because he's only allowed to like pretty girls. Just the other day, my step dad said that he's not going to bother worrying about all the 'ridiculous gender and non binary stuff' anymore since my bro is 'all boy'. He likes trucks and plays rough. That must mean he's masculine and won't like anything girly. He's not even allowed to like anything like color guard or planting flowers when he's older. His toys are ONLY superheroes (or plush animals) even though he really has displayed no interest in that stuff yet. I just get so incredibly frustrated with all this. I'm tired of girls having to only like pink dresses and boys liking blue trucks. I'm tired of the commercials that only show only one boy or one girl playing with something, because you know, boys just can't like princesses even though they can fight nowadays and rule over an entire kingdom. I get frustrated and annoyed and I want to just start venting that frustration on my parents who are literally some of the most conservative people when it comes to gender roles. I was told I wasn't taught to mow the lawn because I'm female. However, my brother is going to have it hard because he's male. He's going to have more chores and more physical labor and mow the lawn and everything when he's ten. :bang: I can't even get some decent smelling deodorant because I like the 'boy' kind. Seriously? So all in all, how can I calm myself down? How can I try and ignore all this and not stress myself out? Do any of you even get annoyed with this stuff like me? Thanks, I appreciate it.
I feel you so much. I'm already noticing how stereotyped all the world is around me ever since I started questioning. From the color of your school bag, to anime characters, I do get frustrated too when everything is gendered. My dad once told me that all guys eat meat, but I'm vegetarian (although I don't really identify as a guy, I told him to consider me as one), and also said that only girls are vegetarian, I was so surprised and confused by how little sense that made. This also goes for gay peeps, who, somehow, are never mentioned on tv, especially not on kids shows (based on those I saw). Or on school exercises, seems Mary always falls in love with Jake. It's like we don't even exist I'm always so happy whenever I see a person destroying those boundaries and being who they are without caring about what society thinks of them. Short on time sorry, wish I could write more, but it's cool that you pointed this out! ^^
Yes! Crush the patriarchy! Overthrow the system! All the colors for everyone! Rainbows everywhere! Non gender-segrigated legos! Buy whichever deoderant you like best! My arm pits smell like "Avalanche".
I've noticed it too. I personally find them ridiculous, and that's coming from me, a walking stereotype. Thing is while I do quite enjoy pink and purple (especially purple) and nice handbags and cats, that's far from the limit. I also enjoy sci-fi, science, machines and mecha, things society says "girly girls" like me can't like for some reason. I don't give a crap what some magazine says, it's a dream to be a mech pilot, even if that is out of reach. (Despite the fact that the burly stereotypical male stereotype could not fit in the modern Kuratas.) Gender is irrelevant in terms of capabilities. when inside a massive robot, it's only your mind that matters... Mind over matter. Spoiler
I've always been contrary with gender roles. I was a small boy as much as I could be, then I tried to be more of a girl and failed, now I am a woman with the aesthetic of a rocker dude. My hobbies are mostly "masculine" or androgynous, some are a little girly maybe like drawing or something. I like to think ive been smashing gender roles most of my life. Now I'm having this strange upturn for the books that as I curate my grown up tomboy style and finally pull myself out of loserdome, guys are weirdly attracted to that. And I just hate the way that interacting with guys as a romantic interest makes gender roles so intense. Puts me off a lot. So that's what's annoying me about gender roles currently.
