Personally i feel gender influences on body image can play a huge role. I grew up in a household where you had to suck it up because no one is going to help you. Now if i really injured myself bad that’s a slightly different story then i’d be told not to cry . It made me brush off pain no matter what. Being hurt makes me want to say something but it is natural for me to hide it for fear of being less of a man.Growing up with more of this gender role discussion is slowly helping me think it’s okay to show emotion and show that i care about people even if it makes me sound "not tough".
Wow, thanks for the authentic share!
ReplyDeleteLike how you were raised to be "tough", I was raised to aim for only getting A's. Although this doesn't quite have to do with gender, I always felt pressure to be perfect (similar to how you felt you had to act a certain way). This really took a toll on me; I even started experiencing anxiety attacks because of this " pressure." I found my lungs tightening, my hands uncontrollably shaking, and my eyes watering when I simply didn't know how to complete one problem on a math test. It was really silly to have such a reaction to that situation, but that was the world I was living in.
When I realized that I was the one making up all this pressure and that I was the one who could take control of my anxiety, a burden was lifted off my shoulders. Knowing that I had the choice to make my own standards to live by instead of living by the standards my parents encouraged was also freeing.
I think this lesson that we all have choice can be incorporated into the subject of gender. There are certain "standards" society has set in regards to how each gender should act, many of which you're in no control of. However, you do have a choice to either follow these rules or to carve your own path. It's cool to see that you're also making conscious decisions towards how you want to express yourself instead of going with the flow and following society's pre-made "standards."
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