From the moment we are born, gendered patterns are present in pretty much all aspects of our lives. These patterns will determine what we’re like, what we do, how people look at us, and what

In my eyes, women have it real bad when it comes to what society expects of them. As we saw in Jean Kilbourne’s article, “The More You Subtract, the More You Add,” and in her documentary “Killing Us Softly #3”, women are expected to adhere to certain ideas about what it is to be female. Our culture, which is reflected and reinforced by advertising, sends mixed messages to girls and women about what it really is to be feminine. It’s suggested that they adopt a false self, and hide or simply sweep under the rug who they really are, in hopes to attain femininity, or at least what society has constructed femininity to be. This concept of femininity, urges girls to simply be nice and sweet, to compete with other girls for the attention of the boys, and to value romantic relationships with boys. All of this puts these little girls into a terrible double bind. On one hand, girls are supposed to hide or repress their power and exuberance, and be “nice” little girls. This is despite the fact that one day, when trying to be successful they might in deed have to compete with men in the business world. “They must be overtly sexy and attractive but essentially passive and virginal. It is not surprising that most girls experience this time as painful and confusing, especially if they are unconscious of these conflicting demands” (Kilbourne). Through all the images that we see, we have a preset notion of what women should act like and look like. The girls that are raised in today’s society are being raised in an environment that is extremely toxic to them. Fashion magazines and television, billboards, movies, these are all different avenues through which girls see these advertisements, or these ideas of what girls should really look like. These ads show us that in order to be normal, you must spend time and money to attempt to become the “ideal” woman, or a woman who to the human eye is simply flawless. Sometimes only one part of a woman’s body is used to sell something, which shows them to be less than real people or simply objects, which is very dehumanizing. The bodies that these supermodels have give girls and women a skewed image of what they should look like. Only about 5% of women have this extremely thin, unnatural body type. But to the other 95% who see these images in the media, its not just an unnatural body to them, they see it as a desirable body, one that will attract men, and the attention of other women as well.

As I continue to take away things from the Kaleidoscope of Gender, I’m quite amazed at the patterns of gendered expressions and experiences that come into play that are created by the interaction of the prisms of difference and inequality. Through the readings along with the films, guest speakers and media awareness presentations and class discussions, it’s most certainly changed the way in which I think about the world. I’ve become much more critical, analytical, and I believe responsible as well in the process. I’m also aware of these issues that both men and women face in our society in the United States and across the globe, from Turkey to Jordan and from Morocco to Germany. It’s not just opened my eyes to these issues, but it’s made me aware that when it comes to culturally const

Some topics in this essay:
Subtract Add”, Jackson Katz’s, Reaction Paper, Real Boys, Jackson Katz, Bad Reputation”, Germany It’s, Gender I’m, Arnett Furguson, Jean Kilbourne’s, women society, mainstream society, “tough guise”, guys” “two gay, society views, pretty masculine, social patterns, insight understanding, negative terms, led blue, minorities black,