Recently I saw this excellent video advocating the message "STOP GENDER POLICING." The video is very well made and illustrates their point by using the example from the blockbuster Hindi Movie "Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai," where a girl is taunted initially for not being girly enough because of her dress and behavior. Slowly she realizes her mistake and starts behaving according to her gender? Then, the hero of the movie falls in love with her and the fairy tale begins. These types of movies cater to preconceived notions of gender-associated characteristics. The audience loved this movie, this is just one example and many movies portray similar scenarios. Actually, I don't expect these mainstream movies to advocate any social change in society but these movies and their popularity also show the current mindset of our society. Movies reflect the values and culture that we practice as a society. Criticizing girls for not being girly enough or rewarding them when they change their not-so-girly mannerisms to so-called girly ones is still very common. It seems there are very rigid rules in people's minds about how people from a particular gender should behave, and what they should like and dislike. People still comment about what type of jobs girls should or shouldn't do, and how a man should behave in a manly manner. These things are still going on in our society which is why such videos, blog posts, and seminars are necessary to spread awareness about gender policing.
Stereotyping anything is bad, and stereotyping genders is worse. There is an urgent need to update concepts of masculinity of femininity. It is wrong to associate these qualities only with a particular gender. People associate these characteristics so rigidly with one gender that it is considered abnormal, bad, or weird for any other gender to possess even part of that quality. Girls not wearing so-called feminine dresses or boys who don't like sports or who like to play with dolls are considered abnormal. People are labeled abnormal just because their likes and dislikes don't match with the likes and dislikes that society normally associates with their gender. This is wrong and unfair to kids who are perfectly normal but are forced to change their ways just because it doesn't fit into the stereotype of their gender. We see this happening around us all the time where girls are told not to be bossy, and boys are told not to play with dolls but play with action figures. People do it without even knowing that they are forcing gender stereotypes on their kids. They insist on gender-specific behavior because they think this is the right way.
Gender policing is so widespread and common that many parents do it by thinking that they are doing a great favor to their children by correcting their gender-related behavior. They believe that it is their duty to make their kids realize how to behave according to their gender. They try to educate their kids about what should be their likes and dislikes based on their gender. This stereotyped mindset is passed from generation to generation, and people who don't fit into this are forced to mend their ways to fit into it or are labeled as weird or abnormal. Many lives get ruined by such an environment because they start thinking that something is wrong with them. They are made to feel guilty for being the way they are, and this takes a toll on their mental and physical health. People should feel comfortable expressing themselves without feeling fear of being ridiculed. Our society needs to evolve to accommodate expanded definitions of gender and sexuality. This evolution is required for almost every culture and society to survive in the long run. It is good to see that many people are working towards spreading awareness about these things this video is a very good example of this attempt. I hope that people realize that knowingly or unknowingly they are doing "gender policing" in the name of culture, religion, or traditions and they should stop this. Likes, dislikes, or hobbies don't depend on the gender they differ from person to person. Forcing kids to mend their ways just because they don't fit into our definition of normal can have disastrous effects on their personalities. It can shatter their self-confidence and self-esteem. Let's pledge to fight against any type of gender policing, this will be a positive step towards making our society more inclusive, tolerant, and progressive. Let's not associate any gender with hobbies or personality traits, this way gender policing will automatically disappear.
Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.
[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]
Stereotyping anything is bad, and stereotyping genders is worse. There is an urgent need to update concepts of masculinity of femininity. It is wrong to associate these qualities only with a particular gender. People associate these characteristics so rigidly with one gender that it is considered abnormal, bad, or weird for any other gender to possess even part of that quality. Girls not wearing so-called feminine dresses or boys who don't like sports or who like to play with dolls are considered abnormal. People are labeled abnormal just because their likes and dislikes don't match with the likes and dislikes that society normally associates with their gender. This is wrong and unfair to kids who are perfectly normal but are forced to change their ways just because it doesn't fit into the stereotype of their gender. We see this happening around us all the time where girls are told not to be bossy, and boys are told not to play with dolls but play with action figures. People do it without even knowing that they are forcing gender stereotypes on their kids. They insist on gender-specific behavior because they think this is the right way.
Gender policing is so widespread and common that many parents do it by thinking that they are doing a great favor to their children by correcting their gender-related behavior. They believe that it is their duty to make their kids realize how to behave according to their gender. They try to educate their kids about what should be their likes and dislikes based on their gender. This stereotyped mindset is passed from generation to generation, and people who don't fit into this are forced to mend their ways to fit into it or are labeled as weird or abnormal. Many lives get ruined by such an environment because they start thinking that something is wrong with them. They are made to feel guilty for being the way they are, and this takes a toll on their mental and physical health. People should feel comfortable expressing themselves without feeling fear of being ridiculed. Our society needs to evolve to accommodate expanded definitions of gender and sexuality. This evolution is required for almost every culture and society to survive in the long run. It is good to see that many people are working towards spreading awareness about these things this video is a very good example of this attempt. I hope that people realize that knowingly or unknowingly they are doing "gender policing" in the name of culture, religion, or traditions and they should stop this. Likes, dislikes, or hobbies don't depend on the gender they differ from person to person. Forcing kids to mend their ways just because they don't fit into our definition of normal can have disastrous effects on their personalities. It can shatter their self-confidence and self-esteem. Let's pledge to fight against any type of gender policing, this will be a positive step towards making our society more inclusive, tolerant, and progressive. Let's not associate any gender with hobbies or personality traits, this way gender policing will automatically disappear.
Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.
[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]
Links:
1. http://www.storypick.com/rape-always-sex-video-will-change-way-look-rapes-forever/
