Sugar and Spice

From the time we are very little, we are gender stereotyped. Little girls are made of “sugar and spice and everything nice,” and little boys are made of “snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails.” And the lines of masculinity and femininity never fade away. Instead, they become more and more strict, and more and more dangerous. By the time we become teenagers, the lines are very particular. Men are strong, confident, sexual, and competitive. Women are nurturing, easygoing, innocent and submissive.

This double standard is harmful to both men and women everywhere, especially our youth. The idea that men and women are so intrinsically different is ridiculous enough in it of itself. Behavior exists on an individual basis, regardless of whether a person is a man or a woman. And the masculinity/femininity theory does no good to anyone, and instead only functions as making anyone that does not fall on the correct side of that line feel abnormal and insecure. Rather than trying to designate behaviors as “masculine” and “feminine,” we should be trying harder to identify behaviors as “human.”

Furthermore, it sets up a dangerous precedent, particularly in the area of sexuality. The behavior patterns attributed to manliness and womanliness create an idea that men are created to pursue women sexually. With women, however, the role is more unclear. They are created to be submissive, and yet they are created to be innocent. This establishes that they are supposed to resist men’s sexual overtures, though they are eventually meant to submit to a man. That is a bit of a paradox, especially for women who happen to have their own sexual urges. However, the masculinity/femininity line doesn’t take women’s sexual urges into account. That would disrupt the idea of girls as gatekeepers of sexual innocence. These theories are harmful and illogical. If we admitted that men and women do not have a particular set of behaviors destined based on their gender, then we could overcome harmful sexual stereotypes.

The worst part of the masculinity/femininity line, however, is that the ideas of masculinity and femininity are less about men behaving like men and women behaving like women and more about men not behaving like women. It is common for women to cross the line. In fact, women are often encouraged to behave like “one of the guys.” Men, however, are greatly discouraged from crossing the line. The worst insults for a man are often derivatives of terms associated with the opposite sex (i.e. pussy) and men often fear being labeled as such. Not only does this provide potential harm for men who might not identify with “masculine” qualities, but it shows that our society undervalues women and views them as weak and inferior.

All people should be able to live as they choose, without being pressured into exhibiting particular behavior patterns because of their gender. And neither sex should be seen as superior or inferior. We need to eliminate the strict ideas of “masculinity” and “femininity.” They have no place in progressed society, and serve only to harm individuals.