Gender Stereotypes

Boys have it Tougher The relative difficulties of boyhood versus girlhood, the latest issue in the nation's ongoing gender wars, has raised a serious question of who has it harder the guys or the girls (according to the article "Who has it Tougher " Boys or Girls?"). I can understand the fact that it is hard on both sides, but after reading some of the articles in the books like " The Fragile American Girl Myth" and "Boys don't cry" and by comparing them, I came to realize that guys have a harder time than girls. Boys have it a little tougher than girls do because they always have to be strong both mentally and physically. Boys are never able to express their true feelings or emotions, which they fear might make them appear unmanly. Moreover,
Boys don't know how to cry, because they are raised and taught that way. "Many boys grow up believing that emotional or sensitive behavior makes them look week or unmasculine"(pg. 65). One day when I was sitting in a park I saw two kids playing around, Amy and Mark. While playing and running around they both fell down, their dad came and he said "Oh only my little baby what happened? Is it hurting? Don't cry", to Amy. On the other hand, to Mark he said, "Mark get up, it's just a little scratch, be a big boy and don't cry". This is an example of how parents raise their boys. Since they've been raised that way, boys think it's shameful to cry, even when they are in pain. So they were never able to express their
I personally feel that this is one pitiful situation. When a girl can wear shirts, dresses, outfits, casuals, T-shirts, pants, shorts, even male styles of clothing and all of these are very acceptable. Where-as a guy has only pants and shirts in all different colors and designs that's all. I heard from one of my friends that there was a little boy, wore his cultural Scottish dress which is called a "Kilt' to school. He was ridiculed by his classmates, and he was sent to home because the principal said boys can't wear a skirts to school. This made him feel bad and lose his interest in wearing his native dress. But it's all right for a girl to wear pants as her native dress to school. Why is that??? That's my question all the time, "why can't a guy wear what ever he wants, why is it when a girl wear boys pants and shirts she is called a tom boy and not made fun off?". At same time if a guy wears a dress, that's it, he will be mocked to the core. I sure wish this biased situation would soon be changed by the upcoming