As I sit in my bed, coffee in hand, watching Nick at Night’s priceless re-runs of The Nanny, I can’t help but notice the magnitude of the “typical” gender positions assumed within the American culture. We see Miss Fine looking sexy, as usual, dressed from head to toe in the stereotypical sexy woman outfit. Her job as a nanny suits a woman well within the American life, while the dashing Mr. Sheffield resides as the head of the house, bringing in an excessive amount of money. We see these roles being played all throughout America, whether it’s the media or simply within our daily lives. There are standards and expectations around every corner just waiting to create that barrier of the unattainable goals and dreams faced by women and men around the world.
In my mind, gender and identity have to do with the individuals that, as human beings, we grow and develop into. Each and every soul has the ability to decide just exactly what is going to make them who they truly are. Not one of us are exactly the same, each mind forms and deciphers the bits and pieces that will form them in their entirety. I believe that there is a lot of freedom in that process; however, I also believe that there is an intention and purpose behind the gender we find in our world. We were created for specific purposes within the human system of life and I think that we need to realize the beauty and intention behind it’s design.
I was highly informed, however, by Judith Lorber’s article about gender from a social perspective. We tend to associate, as a society, certain labels with each gender. We have expectations, stereotypes, and “norms” within our society that are ritualized on a daily basis. This kind of gender separation is not, in my opinion, the way it ought to be. I agree with Lorber in the fact that girls and boys are raised, taught, and expected to behave certain ways and like certain things. She explains, “In social interaction throughout their lives, individuals learn what is expected, see what is expected, act and react in expected ways, and thus simultaneously construct and maintain the gender order.” (Lorber, “Night to His Day”) Our order is constant, but is continually being broken and re-written. It has become more and more common to see men responsible for “womanly” duties, as well as women for “manly” duties. We are beginning to stretch the boundaries and the many assumptions placed upon the human race.
Being in this class and studying these areas of gender within America literature is going to stretch my views and opinions in various ways. I am anxious to learn and understand more about issues such as gender expectations and assumptions from other perspectives other than my own. Hopefully by the end of the semester I will have a broader understanding of the culture that I live and breathe every single day and I will have more confidence and assurance in my views regarding gender within our world.
