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Alexandra Pikel
August 2, 2015
English 1050
Essay Two: Diversity Issue Reflection
Gender Roles
Traditional ways of living in society has lead men and women to define
gender roles. Whether is be in the past or in the present, gender roles have
always been around. In traditional homes men are to keep up on the physical
activities such as: yard work, making the family income, taking out the trash,
and protecting the family. Women are the caretakers of the home. They are
to tend to the needs of their children and husband. The women will clean,
cook, do laundry, and keep up on the house. Although times have changed
and women have more rights and are seen as equal to men in todays
society, gender roles are still seen widely because society links the identity
of being male or female to the gender roles.
Social and cultural factors are a main cause of what shapes gender
roles. In American culture we see men as strong and protective and we see
women as fragile who need protecting. Montoya states, A social
understanding has always been that a woman is not to witness,
demonstrate, or indulge in acts of violence (211). The women in this essay
defy the social stereotypes that women are weak. Montoya also says, The

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boxers in this book represent a new generation of women who grew up with
such role models as Wonder Women, the Powerpuff Girls, Cat Woman and, in
some cases, working mothers (211). This generation of women grew up with
role models and superheroes that were not limited to males. Typically
superheroes and role models, such as athletes, were men. These men
showed strength and courage that women could not do. But as Montoya
showed us, women are becoming the new face of athletes, role models, and
inspirations. Personally, growing up, my mother was a single mom and had a
full time job while raising three girls. She has been an inspiration to me and
has shown me that women can do anything a man could do. She fixed our
cars, she took out the trash, supported our family and loved us. She, like
many of the women boxers in Montoyas story, defy the stereotypes and
enable women to break barriers (211). Women like the ones in Montoyas
story allow our society to accept and embrace the true equality of women.
Although men are not limited to gender stereotyping, we most often
see this happening with women. The public image of a woman is defined by
her beauty such as curves, breasts, hair, and even her size. Growing up as a
girl we are constantly reminded by social media what our bodies should
look like. Whether it be shows on TV, billboards, commercials, or
advertisements, girls are influenced by what the medias idea of what the
perfect body looks like. Women on theses advertisements are thin, large
breasted, have full lips, and are flawless when it comes to their skin. They
are the medias idea of sexy when in reality much of these women shown

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in advertisements such as the one in Euphoria Calvin Klein (mens fragrance

ad) (208) dont look like that in person. Media changes these womens bodies
to create the perfect look. Women strive to achieve this look and beauty,
some have become mentally and physically ill while perusing a perfect body
that in reality is unachievable without the help of Photoshop.
I, being a woman, can relate to such expectations to maintain a
feminine figure. Growing up I was a gymnast, I worked out daily and spent
many hours at the gym. In order to keep up with this competitive sport I had
to be strong. Strength has its benefits but it also has its consequences. Ive
never had a thigh gap so many work to achieve, my thighs are muscular
and do not always cooperate with the new trending fashions. Women are
also expected to soft shoulders and thin arms. Where men are expected to
have chiseled arms and broad shoulder. I on the other hand have very toned,
muscular arms which dont always like to fit into shirts with longer sleeves.
Throughout my life I was seen as intimidating just because I had bigger arms
and legs than most boys at the time. I was seen as masculine.
Gender stereotyping isnt only shaped by social definitions of a male or
female, it can be also be shaped by cultural factors. Different countries have
many different gender roles based on their culture. Satrapi helps us to
understand this in The Veil, she states We found ourselves veiled and
separated (363). Satrapi explains the effects of the Islamic Revolution that
took place in Iran in 1979 on students. Before the revolution girls were not
required to wear the veil and were allowed to go to the same schools as

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those of the opposite gender. Once the revolution began opposite sexes were
not allowed to attend the same school, women were required to wear the
veil, and womens rights were taken away. Satrapi claimed she wanted to be
a prophet (365) before the revolution took place. Once the revolution was
in place and women were limited to their rights Satrapi was questioned on
what she wanted to be when she grew up and was punished for wanting or
thinking she could ever be a propheta woman as a prophet. She later then
claimed she wanted to be a doctor to get out of trouble and to please those
around her. Satrapi was a victim of gender stereotyping and showed that
if you didn't act a certain way that there would be severe consequences as
Alex Mower stated.
Many factors in todays society shows us that gender discrimination is
still an issue. Though we have come a long way and women and men are
seen more as equal, social and cultural ideas of what a man and woman
should be and do still influence us today. Forms of gender stereotypes
include how masculinity defines you as a man or feminine qualities define
you as a woman. We are breaking down those barriers and allowing our
culture to see that the way we act does not define us to our gender.

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Course Reflection
Throughout this course we have been pushed to understand and open
our minds to diversity. We were taught about the issues involving gender,
race, ethnicity, class, etc. Through readings like Worked and Overworked
by Greenhouse and "Nobody Mean More to Me than You and the Future Life
of Willie Jordan by Jordan I have been able to examine my beliefs to diverse
cultures. These issues have made me understand the effects of our diverse

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culture and be aware that we truly are different individually in our cultures,
beliefs, and lifestyles.
As a result of this class I have become a more critical and analytical
thinker when it comes to representations of diversity. Diversity is not just
race and ethnicity, diversity is our differences. We see diversity in our daily
lives whether that be differences in groups of people or whether that be our
different cultures. Reading some of the articles we were assigned to allowed
for me to realize that everyday difference is how we are diverse and can
learn to accept and understand each other.
The readings of this course and assignments allowed for us to examine
effects of diverse cultures on individuals and groups. Some are effected
greatly be diversity that can either be a positive or negative effect. Some
challenges groups face are dependent of factors such as language and
lifestyles. The effects and outcomes of diversity on these groups and
individuals have allowed me to examine my beliefs and attitudes towards
diverse cultures and I have been able to relate my experiences with theirs.
Though our experiences are not the same we all have experienced
discrimination and we have gained knowledge in understanding the effects
of diversity.
Overall this course has taught me life skills that can help me grow as
an individual. Though my beliefs are different than those of different cultures,
I am more open to accepting and understanding diversity. We as a society

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can be unified if we allow diversity to exist without judgement. We need to

find that our differences makes us stronger and a better society.

Work Cited

Satrapi, Marjane: The Veil. Pages 361-68.

Montoya, Delilah: Women Boxers: The New Warriors. Pages 211-14.
George and John Trimbur: Reading the Gaze: Gender Roles in

Advertising. Pages 206-10.

Mower, Alex: Week 4, class discussion.