Gender Socialization as a challenge for the world
by risa holmes
One day I went to school without wearing makeup. I was complimented by my friend for going with my natural beauty. When I got to school a person told me I was absolutely ugly without it, and I went home crying. I couldn’t figure out which opinion I should accept, and eventually I started wearing makeup again because the insult affected me more than the compliment did. Teenage girls are given more conflicting messages than any other social group. Throughout their time in puberty, they are told to live a certain way over and over again. Most of the time these messages contradict each other, worsening the already tumultuous experience of a teenage girl. It can be confusing and difficult when every day you are both positively and negatively socialized to look a certain way, act a certain way, and feel a certain way. This setting can create negative feelings like depression, insecurity, and anxiety, which don’t always go away after adolescence is over. Depending on the environment, teenage girls can become empowered with self confidence and strength or beaten down by a society that won’t accept them the way they are. While teenage girls all over the world are a target group, I as a teenage girl in the United States have been mostly positively socialized compared to teenage girls in other countries, and the norm in the U.S. of socializing girls and women to be empowered should be used as an example of how we need to treat women in the future.
Being a teenage girl is confusing, frustrating, and stressful, especially since it means being a part of a target group. A target group is a social identity group that is referred to as a subordinate group. They are exploited, attacked by discrimination and prejudice, and are not powerful or important in society. Teenage girls are one of the most negatively socialized identities, making them a prime example of a target group. They are taken advantage of and negatively sanctioned in multiple ways because they are young, female, and inexperienced. According to an article in a respected paper, society socializes and puts “pressure on young girls to grow up before their time, bombarded by images of airbrushed celebrities and the growing popularity of cosmetic surgery” (Cockcroft, 1). Teenage girls everywhere are practically attacked by negative messages from society in the media. We live in a society that tells girls that they need to change themselves in order to be good enough, but then girls are judged by other people when they do conform and try to change themselves. This shared belief that people aren’t good enough the way they are causes major problems that perpetuate the cycle of hurt and is one of the reasons why teenage girls continue to be categorized as a target group today.
Although my belief is that socializations aimed towards teenage girls in the U.S. are more positive than in some foreign countries, in this country there are still plenty of negative socializations harassing teenage girls. Girls are given conflicting messages every day on how they should look, how they should act, and how they should think and feel about themselves and others. A big issue with socialization towards teenage girls in the U.S. is that messages in the media tell them that they need to look like an image that isn’t even real, making girls feel bad about the way they look when there isn’t even a logical reason to. One example of this is when an ad by the company Venus for women’s razors shows a woman who has perfect skin that practically glows. This is unrealistic because in real life, people’s skin does not glow. In the television ad the people act like that’s entirely normal, when it is not. Also, the people who produce the advertisements Photoshop the model’s skin so that it seems like the model does not have any blemishes, which is also completely unrealistic. Anybody who has spent time living has had experiences that leave blemishes. So changing the appearance of the model and then labeling her and calling her a “goddess” or “gorgeous” socializes teenage girls to feel bad about themselves. It leads them to believe that because they’re different and do have blemishes, it makes them not a goddess and not gorgeous. Socialization in the U.S. surrounding appearance is twisted and negative, and leads teenage girls to feel negatively about themselves.
As I said before, teenage girls everywhere are socialized negatively in many ways, but in my opinion teenage girls in some foreign countries are worse off than teenage girls in the U.S. One of the areas where it is especially an issue is in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa region). According to the article “Gender-based sexual violence against teenage girls in the Middle East” (Ouis and Myhrman, 5), “there are thousands of girls in the MENA region that are denied their right to participation, education, play, and self-expression. They are forced into early marriage and used as domestic labourers in their own homes.” Teenage girls in the Middle East and North Africa region have practically no freedom when it comes to making decisions about their own life. In that culture, men dominate them and they are socialized over and over to be obedient and submissive. Teenage girls are socialized to keep their identity hidden, meaning they are socialized not to let any part of their personality out, which suppresses who they are and negatively affects them. That is a drastic difference from socialization in the U.S., where our values and self-image may be twisted, but at least teenage girls are socialized to actually have the power to control their own lives.
My socialization as a teenage girl has been a lot more empowering so far than the socialization of teenage girls in foreign countries and even the U.S. The main reason why mine has been more positive is simple. Since I was a little girl, my parents have taught me over and over to think independently, to look at the big picture, and to recognize the flaws in society so that I can try not to let them hurt me. This outlook that my parents presented me helps me be happy, because it gives me a view that allows me to pick and choose from my socializations so that I am uplifted by the positive socializations and not set back by the negative ones. Sometimes my friends and other teenage girls I know are hurt by these socializations, thinking that they are too heavy, too ugly, or too round. The outlook that my family has given me allows me to step back and realize how twisted and plain wrong some of these socializations are. A teenage girl’s value and identity should not be based on whether she has a thigh gap, but on values like kindness and compassion. For example, I have been socialized in school to strive for perfect skin. If a person has any blemishes or acne, sometimes they are considered gross. Even when keeping in mind that this is a negative socialization, this opinion still affects me. However, the view on life my parents gave me has helped me realize that it is impossible to have absolutely perfect skin, and that I shouldn’t feel bad if I don’t. It shouldn’t matter what a girl looks like, what should matter is how she acts. The socializations coming from my family and other close knit communities like friends have helped me maintain this view. It keeps me from being overwhelmed by the discontent coming from other people.
Although teenage girls everywhere make up a target group, in the United States there is a considerable amount more of gender equality, especially considering the socializations that I have been affected by personally. The socializations aimed at myself and other girls are somewhat more positive. In the U.S., girls get to and are expected to make their own choices about their life, unlike in countries like those in the MENA region. There the life of a girl or woman is dictated by the dominant males close to them. Just the ability to do all of the things that men can do is a major socialization that tells teenage girls growing up that it is not only ok, but good to be empowered and to make decisions. That socialization is a drastic difference from many foreign countries where they have so many restrictions on women and teenage girls that it socializes them to never advocate for themselves, because they think that nothing will change even if they try. This helplessness leads to negative consequences for teenage girls and for their communities. However, researching and thinking about the socializations in the U.S. has opened my eyes, and helped me realize that not one country is perfect, and that the U.S. definitely has some ground left to cover. Society as a whole needs to own up to the inequality and start changing the rights of little girls, adolescent girls, and women for the better.
Citations
Cockcroft, Lucy. “Girls of today are 'stressed, drunk and discriminated against, report finds.” The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited, 2013. Web. 25 September 2013.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/6486230/Girls-of-today-are-stressed-drunk-and-discriminated-against-report-finds.htm
Ouis, P. Myhrman, T. “Gender-based sexual violence against teenage girls in the Middle East.” Eldis. Knowledge Services from IDS, 2013. Web. 25 September 2013.
http://www.eldis.org/go/country-profiles&id=36673&#.UkOXl9I3t85
Being a teenage girl is confusing, frustrating, and stressful, especially since it means being a part of a target group. A target group is a social identity group that is referred to as a subordinate group. They are exploited, attacked by discrimination and prejudice, and are not powerful or important in society. Teenage girls are one of the most negatively socialized identities, making them a prime example of a target group. They are taken advantage of and negatively sanctioned in multiple ways because they are young, female, and inexperienced. According to an article in a respected paper, society socializes and puts “pressure on young girls to grow up before their time, bombarded by images of airbrushed celebrities and the growing popularity of cosmetic surgery” (Cockcroft, 1). Teenage girls everywhere are practically attacked by negative messages from society in the media. We live in a society that tells girls that they need to change themselves in order to be good enough, but then girls are judged by other people when they do conform and try to change themselves. This shared belief that people aren’t good enough the way they are causes major problems that perpetuate the cycle of hurt and is one of the reasons why teenage girls continue to be categorized as a target group today.
Although my belief is that socializations aimed towards teenage girls in the U.S. are more positive than in some foreign countries, in this country there are still plenty of negative socializations harassing teenage girls. Girls are given conflicting messages every day on how they should look, how they should act, and how they should think and feel about themselves and others. A big issue with socialization towards teenage girls in the U.S. is that messages in the media tell them that they need to look like an image that isn’t even real, making girls feel bad about the way they look when there isn’t even a logical reason to. One example of this is when an ad by the company Venus for women’s razors shows a woman who has perfect skin that practically glows. This is unrealistic because in real life, people’s skin does not glow. In the television ad the people act like that’s entirely normal, when it is not. Also, the people who produce the advertisements Photoshop the model’s skin so that it seems like the model does not have any blemishes, which is also completely unrealistic. Anybody who has spent time living has had experiences that leave blemishes. So changing the appearance of the model and then labeling her and calling her a “goddess” or “gorgeous” socializes teenage girls to feel bad about themselves. It leads them to believe that because they’re different and do have blemishes, it makes them not a goddess and not gorgeous. Socialization in the U.S. surrounding appearance is twisted and negative, and leads teenage girls to feel negatively about themselves.
As I said before, teenage girls everywhere are socialized negatively in many ways, but in my opinion teenage girls in some foreign countries are worse off than teenage girls in the U.S. One of the areas where it is especially an issue is in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa region). According to the article “Gender-based sexual violence against teenage girls in the Middle East” (Ouis and Myhrman, 5), “there are thousands of girls in the MENA region that are denied their right to participation, education, play, and self-expression. They are forced into early marriage and used as domestic labourers in their own homes.” Teenage girls in the Middle East and North Africa region have practically no freedom when it comes to making decisions about their own life. In that culture, men dominate them and they are socialized over and over to be obedient and submissive. Teenage girls are socialized to keep their identity hidden, meaning they are socialized not to let any part of their personality out, which suppresses who they are and negatively affects them. That is a drastic difference from socialization in the U.S., where our values and self-image may be twisted, but at least teenage girls are socialized to actually have the power to control their own lives.
My socialization as a teenage girl has been a lot more empowering so far than the socialization of teenage girls in foreign countries and even the U.S. The main reason why mine has been more positive is simple. Since I was a little girl, my parents have taught me over and over to think independently, to look at the big picture, and to recognize the flaws in society so that I can try not to let them hurt me. This outlook that my parents presented me helps me be happy, because it gives me a view that allows me to pick and choose from my socializations so that I am uplifted by the positive socializations and not set back by the negative ones. Sometimes my friends and other teenage girls I know are hurt by these socializations, thinking that they are too heavy, too ugly, or too round. The outlook that my family has given me allows me to step back and realize how twisted and plain wrong some of these socializations are. A teenage girl’s value and identity should not be based on whether she has a thigh gap, but on values like kindness and compassion. For example, I have been socialized in school to strive for perfect skin. If a person has any blemishes or acne, sometimes they are considered gross. Even when keeping in mind that this is a negative socialization, this opinion still affects me. However, the view on life my parents gave me has helped me realize that it is impossible to have absolutely perfect skin, and that I shouldn’t feel bad if I don’t. It shouldn’t matter what a girl looks like, what should matter is how she acts. The socializations coming from my family and other close knit communities like friends have helped me maintain this view. It keeps me from being overwhelmed by the discontent coming from other people.
Although teenage girls everywhere make up a target group, in the United States there is a considerable amount more of gender equality, especially considering the socializations that I have been affected by personally. The socializations aimed at myself and other girls are somewhat more positive. In the U.S., girls get to and are expected to make their own choices about their life, unlike in countries like those in the MENA region. There the life of a girl or woman is dictated by the dominant males close to them. Just the ability to do all of the things that men can do is a major socialization that tells teenage girls growing up that it is not only ok, but good to be empowered and to make decisions. That socialization is a drastic difference from many foreign countries where they have so many restrictions on women and teenage girls that it socializes them to never advocate for themselves, because they think that nothing will change even if they try. This helplessness leads to negative consequences for teenage girls and for their communities. However, researching and thinking about the socializations in the U.S. has opened my eyes, and helped me realize that not one country is perfect, and that the U.S. definitely has some ground left to cover. Society as a whole needs to own up to the inequality and start changing the rights of little girls, adolescent girls, and women for the better.
Citations
Cockcroft, Lucy. “Girls of today are 'stressed, drunk and discriminated against, report finds.” The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited, 2013. Web. 25 September 2013.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/6486230/Girls-of-today-are-stressed-drunk-and-discriminated-against-report-finds.htm
Ouis, P. Myhrman, T. “Gender-based sexual violence against teenage girls in the Middle East.” Eldis. Knowledge Services from IDS, 2013. Web. 25 September 2013.
http://www.eldis.org/go/country-profiles&id=36673&#.UkOXl9I3t85