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Let's Put An End To Gender Roles

Live on, and be yourself.

Dominique Ravin

Mar 13, 2016

Centenary College of New Jersey

247

Quinn Dombrowski

Boys cry. Boys hurt. Boys have scars. Boys have pasts. Boys are allowed to express emotion. Boys are allowed to wear pink. Boys are allowed to wear makeup. Boys are allowed to wear nail polish. Boys are allowed to enjoy feminine things. Boys are allowed to have long hair or even dyed hair. Boys are allowed to prefer music over sports. Boys don’t even have to like sports at all. Boys are allowed to pursue careers in fields such as cooking, acting or fashion design. Boys don’t need to have masculine bodies. Boys are allowed to choose not to be sexually active. Boys are allowed to kiss boys. Boys are allowed to prefer personality over appearance.

Girls are allowed to enjoy sports such as wrestling or hockey. Girls are allowed to wear as much or as little makeup as they desire. Girls are allowed to wear absolutely no makeup at all. Girls are allowed to choose not to shave their body hair. Girls are allowed to have short hair or even no hair at all. Girls are allowed to prefer suits over dresses. Girls are allowed to wear baggy clothing. Girls are allowed to have small boobs. Girls are allowed to be masculine. Girls are allowed to curse. Girls are allowed to have tattoos. Girls are allowed to have piercings. Girls are allowed to stand up against their oppressors. Girls are allowed to pleasure themselves. Girls are allowed to openly talk about sex. Girls are allowed to have as many sexual partners as they desire — without feeling ashamed. Girls are allowed to kiss girls. Girls are allowed to say no.

If an individual identifies as a certain gender, then he or she is that gender. Regardless of their behavior or appearance, their identity is valid. Period.

We as a society need to start searching for internal approval rather than external. We are not slaves to society, and we cannot be reduced as such. It would be a complete waste of life to become exact clones of other beings. It is the unfortunate truth that most fall victim to society. We become emotionless robots. We are stripped from our creativity and forced to comply with societal norms. But the truth is, we can rise above it. We are so much more than those meaningless stereotypes which society has placed upon us. We have so much more to offer this world. We must break free from the chains that paralyze us. We have the potential to become such magnificent works of art, but only if we allow ourselves. I refuse to become yet another carbon copy of someone else. I refuse to lose myself.

We are individuals. We are not slaves. We have a voice. It’s time we show the world who we truly are.

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Let's Put An End To Gender Roles

Live on, and be yourself.

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All names should be "unisex names."

1. Communicating via email can be awkward.

2. Appointments usually accompany weird looks.

3. Introducing yourself to someone is never without a hitch.

4. You’ve probably thought about changing your name.

5. You’re often asked why you have the name you do.

6. You get excited when you meet someone of your gender with your name.

7. You feel awkward when you meet someone of the opposite gender with your name.

8. You’ve had someone say to you, “I knew a [your name], but they were [your opposite gender].”

9. You’ve heard a bad joke/pick-up line or two about your name before.

10. People are surprised when they see you.

11. You’re extra sensitive to other unique or unisex names.

12. You’ve fought with your parents about it.

13. All things considered, you’re happy your name makes you unique.

You know that all of these things apply to you. You'll just never tell.

I get it... I'm pale.

1. At least I can't lose you in a crowd!

2. Oh my goodness your skin is like glow-in-the-dark.

3. Can't you just get fake tan?

4. Do you tan or just burn?

5. Your kids are going to look like Casper the Friendly Ghost!

6. *holds arm against your arm* Look how much darker I am compared to you!

7. *holds pale arm against another pale arm* Aw, at least you're darker than her!

8. I laid out by the pool almost every day over break!

9. I haven't used sunscreen since I was, like, five.

10. *adjusts selfie lighting to their face* Oops, where'd you go??

11. *after working out* Your face is SO red!

12. *wears white* Look! You're all one color!

13. You need to get some sun.

14. Aren't you excited for summer?

The struggle bus is real.

1. Child prodigies:

2. Hearing other musicians in the practice room next door and accepting that you will never be as talented as them:

3. That anxiety that takes over before every performance:

4. Taking a million 0 credit classes:

5. When there's a paper due the next day, but you have to attend yet another concert in order to pass a 0 credit class:

6. When your friends try to encourage you after a performance, even though you are criticizing everything in your mind:

7. Knowing that there's always that one professor during juries:

8. The oh-so-attractive band/choir uniforms:

9. Realizing that a college campus is maybe not the best atmosphere to finish your latest composition:

10. Hearing "Oh, you sing opera? I LOVE Phantom of the Opera!" for the hundredth time:

11. When people think finals week is a breeze for you.

12. When you're drowning in the stress that comes with 18+ credits (and not to mention all those 0 credit classes) and people ask you how you are:

13. When it all comes down to it, though, you know that at the end of the day, music is your passion:

Because you need it in your life.

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6. holds arm against your arm Look how much darker I am compared to you!

7. holds pale arm against another pale arm Aw, at least you're darker than her!

10. adjusts selfie lighting to their face Oops, where'd you go??

11. after working out Your face is SO red!

12. wears white Look! You're all one color!