The Common Stereotypes Of Gender Norms

Patriarchy is a term most commonly referred to male dominance in society. It is the idea that women are oppressed and inferior to their male counterparts; patriarchal norms take place in all aspects of life. It affects our idea of beauty and it supports inequality. Unfortunately, it is perceived as an acceptable societal norm (because it surrounds our everyday life) and it maintains gender inequality today. Patriarchal norms feel ‘normal’ because it has been around for thousands of years; however, our generation can put a stop to patriarchal norms and obtain equality for all.

The idea of male supremacy dates far back into time, patriarchy divides men and women in the home, workplace, and society. The common stereotype of patriarchy
is that men are the sole providers of the household and women are to carry out domestic duties. Patriarchy defines our perception of beauty and allows men to feel entitled to women (Loeto). However, in modern times, women are working and still expected to fulfill household chores and raise children while men simply work. In a BBC Four video, husband and wife are interviewed and discuss their contributions to domestic chores. The husband embarrassingly admits he does nothing compared to his wife who takes on two roles as a provider and caretaker (Feminism and Gender Roles). The husband is perfectly capable of helping with household chores, however; he doesn’t because it crosses his mind that it is ‘a woman’s role’(Feminism and Gender Roles). Although women have made progress in gaining more roles in society, they are still suppressed in the slightest ways; gender roles, beauty myths, and overall male domination. Patriarchal ideas are everywhere, and maintain gender inequality.
I believe gender inequality stems from gender norms that surrounded us since birth. Granted our parents may or may have not heavily implied gender norms on us when we were born but, society has always placed gender norms onto us. We generally do not acknowledge gender norms because it is a norm to us. Even before we are born, gender norms were already implied on us; most parents paint their child’s room pink or blue depending on if the child will be female or male respectively. As innocent as it seems to pick a color for a nursery, it already establishes a ‘code’ that most children follow as they grow up (Serres). Pink is commonly associated with ‘girly’ things; headbands, makeup, jewelry, etc. While blue is associated with ‘boyish’ things such as; sports, cars, action figures etc. Even the most innocent things such as toys, television, and books establish gender roles in our childhood (Loeto). Dolls, ponies, and fairy tales are geared towards a female audience while action figures, action related shows, and horror stories are geared towards a male audience. Simple things that provide entertainment in our childhood unconsciously provide a template that most of us follow because we believe it is ‘normal’. Gender roles embedded at a young age define the way children view the world, it emphasises beauty for girls and independence for boys (Loeto). As innocent as it may seem, applying gender roles on
young children is secretly enforcing patriarchal norms on them as well. Encouraging young girls to like princesses’ who are ‘dainty’ and ‘girly’ translates to weak and feminine in patriarchal terms. Also, encouraging young boys to like action heroes who are ‘masculine’ and the ‘men always save the girl scenario’ implies that men are superior to women and that women cannot do things on their own, and solely rely on men to take care of them. Simple cultural narratives such as; ‘boys will be boys’ and ‘take it like a man’ implies that boys were born to act a certain way and only men can handle tough situations (Serres).

Patriarchal ideas define beauty, and most people fail to realise how heavily patriarchy has a control over the beauty industry.
It defines what beauty is by controlling the way women should look and feel in order to be accepted by society. By doing so, it allows women to alter themselves to feel approved from their male and female counterparts (Loeto). Being thin has been popular for the last couple of decades because, “thin people are considered to be the most sexually appealing to men.” (Leoto). This relates to women altering their bodies to feel desirable by men. The beauty standard established by societal norms is based around the idea of pleasing and catering to men’s sexual pleasures. Essentially it is a false reassurance from both parties to look and feel a certain way in order to ‘fit in’. Body image is a central role in our lives, that some people invest their time and money into the way people see them physically. It is idea that both men and women want to look their best but, women tend to spend more effort than men in their appearance (Leoto). In different societies there are different beauty standards, therefore; it is generally accepted that women should look a specific way to be considered beautiful and attractive in their society. Women who fail to live up to their society's beauty standards often feel dissatisfied and unattractive (Leoto). Some women go to the extreme and result to cosmetic surgery or eating disorders to achieve the ‘standard of
beauty’ their society has set up through male satisfaction. This feeling of displeasure amongst women (and the small percentage of men) affects their self-worth and their participation with the world. The pressure to conform with society only results in suffering from negative body image issues (Leoto). A simply solution to this problem would to ignore beauty myths that men play implied on us; however, since women do conform to men’s desires, it reassure the upper hand that men have on our society. It is a passive, yet powerful position that men have.

Patriarchal ideas not only put males first but, they perceive women as the ‘weaker sex’. This is possibly due to cultural and religious beliefs that have morphed its way into modern society. In the olden days, men were seen as the ‘dominant sex’ because of their masculinity. Masculinity played an important role when the standard of living was much more difficult than today. Most women could not do the tasks men did; hunt, fight in war, etc. Instead, they were given ‘easy’ jobs such as; gatherers, weavers, etc. These traditions of ideas have followed our generations so severely that dictionary.com has labeled the ‘weaker sex’ to be women, and thus, allowed the general public to believe women are ‘stupid’ and ‘helpless’. However, since women have been obtaining more equal rights (i.e. voting, driving, education), most people believe men are becoming the weaker sex (weaker sex). According to The Economist, girls are excelling past their male peers in schools. This information has led the public audience to believe that men are becoming the weaker sex. Studies have shown that girls devote more time to their studies than boys who believe school is ‘a waste of time’ (weaker sex). The gender gap between girls and boys has not been filled but reversed and widened. As much as I support women empowerment, I feel the best way to achieve that is through equality instead of role reversal. If women want to truly be the ‘stronger sex’ they should learn that suppression does not necessarily make one stronger than the other.

Patriarchal ideas about bodies have been used to justify and maintain gender inequality for years. It exists in the sneakiest ways, allowing the general public to believe it is socially acceptable. Just because patriarchal ideas are common does not necessarily mean it is the right way to treat women in society. Patriarchal ideas have taken control over the beauty industry, and allowed men to feel dominated. Instead of role reversal, our generation should strive on equality for all genders and sexes. Patriarchal norms will soon be a thing of the past that we can all laugh about.