Gender Stereotypes in the 21st Century
Gender Stereotypes in the 21st Century
I strongly believe that gender stereotypes still exist in the 21st century, but what is a stereotype? A stereotype is a commonly held public belief about specific social groups, or types of individuals. There are several reasons as to why gender stereotypes exist today within our society inclusive of the media and literature, colour-coding of our gender and because of society’s expectations.
Firstly, gender stereotypes have been most influenced by the media which has become a powerful force in shaping the world’s perception. Written text has had a major impact on society and gender roles. Our gender refers to our social and cultural foregrounds that are built against our sexual differences. Written texts such as poems or riddles that have been taught to children are a major influence of them, although learning from a young age benefits their future years, they will always have these things kept in mind. For example in “Boys to Wanton”, Lionel is terrified by insects that it affects his everyday life, but there are books such as “Raymond Runs” where the main character challenges stereotypes. There are also several magazines that girls read such as Dolly or Girlfriend on a regular basis to identify what’s hot and what’s not. These magazines influence girls to look a certain way to either impress their peers, or they are trying to be like their idol, which could be a possible celebrity. Short T.V. commercials have also impacted us as they select people on their status of appearance so we are attracted to the commercial and they employ music and animations to capture our attention. Often T.V. ads are short and catchy, so we remember them easily, but whether it influences us to look a certain way or not is up to you.
Moreover, there are several types of behaviours that form our gender roles in today’s society that go unnoticed but are immeasurable. For instance, the colour-coding of new-born babies that the nurses, doctors or
I strongly believe that gender stereotypes still exist in the 21st century, but what is a stereotype? A stereotype is a commonly held public belief about specific social groups, or types of individuals. There are several reasons as to why gender stereotypes exist today within our society inclusive of the media and literature, colour-coding of our gender and because of society’s expectations.
Firstly, gender stereotypes have been most influenced by the media which has become a powerful force in shaping the world’s perception. Written text has had a major impact on society and gender roles. Our gender refers to our social and cultural foregrounds that are built against our sexual differences. Written texts such as poems or riddles that have been taught to children are a major influence of them, although learning from a young age benefits their future years, they will always have these things kept in mind. For example in “Boys to Wanton”, Lionel is terrified by insects that it affects his everyday life, but there are books such as “Raymond Runs” where the main character challenges stereotypes. There are also several magazines that girls read such as Dolly or Girlfriend on a regular basis to identify what’s hot and what’s not. These magazines influence girls to look a certain way to either impress their peers, or they are trying to be like their idol, which could be a possible celebrity. Short T.V. commercials have also impacted us as they select people on their status of appearance so we are attracted to the commercial and they employ music and animations to capture our attention. Often T.V. ads are short and catchy, so we remember them easily, but whether it influences us to look a certain way or not is up to you.
Moreover, there are several types of behaviours that form our gender roles in today’s society that go unnoticed but are immeasurable. For instance, the colour-coding of new-born babies that the nurses, doctors or