What makes a boy a boy? What makes a girl a girl? Besides the actual sex parts of the child, nothing should define their gender. Boys are allowed to like the color pink, play with dolls, and like princesses. Just like girls can like trucks, the color blue, and play in the dirt. Boys and girls can grow up using the same items and doing the same activities. Just because a boy doesn’t want his room to be blue and have trucks everywhere, does not mean there is a problem that needs to be solved.
Society has formed these norms and split the two sexes with these such as characteristics. Words such as assertive and irresponsible are paired with the male sex, while words like gentle and foolish are often used in reference to the female sex.
An unborn child should not be a “he” or “she” but a baby or child. When having a gender reveal party or a baby shower, many tend to associate females with pink, or males with blue. Sections in stores are even split up like this, even if it does not say girl or boy, the packaging will distinguish which sex the product belongs to. Parents follow these social norms by dressing their child with “the appropriate” gender color. This is doing gender, but, if gender was undone, certain words such as she and he might not be used since it would not be paired with one or the other sex.
A child should be encouraged to express themselves in all sorts of ways. Wouldn’t you rather a child feel happiness and acceptance instead of the negative effects of bullying? Children should not have worries about conforming themselves to gender norms. Boys CAN do cheerleading, and girls CAN play football. Don’t get me wrong, this world has come a long way with acceptance, but not far enough.
As the youth generation grows, they learn from anyone and anything. Television and music doesn't help in eliminating these preconceived gender norms. Women learn from a very young age to mold themselves to fit into the best of their ability, the reasoning behind this is all of the “role models” in the media and how they present themselves. The worst part being that people are becoming dehumanized and violence, as a result, is becoming inevitable.
