On gender role socialization, mental health and culture

Why is it that the color pink, dolls, anything sparkly and makeup are seen as girly, feminine and weak?

On the other hand, why are cars, the color blue and sports seen as manly, tough and strong?

In my opinion, society plays a big factor in teaching women to be vulnerable, ashamed of themselves and emotional. Additionally, society is responsible for telling men that wearing dresses and expressing their emotions makes them girly and crazy.

For example, Harry Styles was on the cover of the December 2020 issue of Vogue magazine and had immense backlash and hate come his way. Styles wore a pale blue lace Gucci gown and black jacket, to which the response from conservative commentator Candace Owens was “bring back manly men.”

Styles took his response to social media platform Instagram, with a picture of him in a feminine outfit with the caption “Bring back manly men.”

Why did this man get so much hate for wearing a dress — a common form of expression for anyone to participate in? The stigma around men wearing dresses is even bigger than it has been before, and it’s been heightened by TikTok, where boys have been sharing videos of themselves in dresses in support of Styles.

Taylor Swift has been in the media spotlight since 2005, right before her first album came out. In 2009, she won an MTV Video Music Award. Kanye West interrupted her speech, saying that he thought Beyonce should have won.

Afterward, there was a power struggle between Swift’s fans and West’s fans. The media called Taylor Swift emotional and annoying for her response to the backlash, but West said he made Taylor’s name big and she was successful because of him.

West was praised for giving this young girl a “chance,” without backlash, because he was being nice to her.

If any woman were to do this on stage and pulled the same kind of stunt that West did, they would be harassed and “shaded” for being rude and insensitive.

Too many young girls are told they may never amount to as much as any boy could.

Too many young boys are told to work hard so they can provide for a family one day — and to not get emotional about their future the way girls do.

Women are still paid less than their male counterparts in many corporations, and part of the reasoning is that “men do a better job.” Women don’t choose lower-paying jobs, they just don’t get paid as much as men.

All this being said, the only difference between a boy and a girl is one pair of chromosomes. If you can teach a girl to be emotional and vulnerable, you can also teach them that they are strong and independent. Instead of telling boys to pack deep down every feeling they have — and ridiculing them when they finally decide to open up — show them support and encouragement, because their feelings are just as important as any girl’s.

Jenna Bachman is in the 10th grade at Warwick High School.

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Crédito: JENNA BACHMAN | WARWICK HIGH SCHOOL