#gender labeling

[bruhbriebitch]

Today it came to my attention that my toothpaste says “for men” on it, so i guess i can’t clean my teeth with this substance anymore because i have a vagina and it is made for the penis people.

[afragmentcastadrift]

A woman in the office had brought in her toddler granddaughter this afternoon, and another woman had sidled over to coo at the youngster and say "Oh, you look so cute in pink! I bet you're a girly girl!" An innocent enough remark, I suppose, but it sets a precedent for the kid, it frames the expectation of who she *should* be - girl, a category, a construct in the vein of sugar and spice, hair-bows and frills, ponies and scented markers, and the bevy of things branded, marketed, and merchandised as being of and for girls. In that small comment, unfortunately, is a not-so-subtle stage-setting - that the affection for such things, for a particular look or flavor, is made less something of the child's own choosing, and more something that has been decreed for her persona. How to act and behave, and carry herself, in the years to come. I just hope that the familial adults in that kid's life allow her to find her own way. Be it pink dresses and wee biker boots, with a teddy bear and a plastic sword on her side - whatever the arrangement, it should be something she wants to make her own, and not what's some norm of "girly," not something that's a categorization bearing societal limitations.

[afragmentcastadrift]

I'm hoping that society gets to a point where kids are raised, en masse, to not see gender as a judgment, or treat it as a pejorative. And that those kids will be able to look into a store and see not "toys for girls" or "toys for boys" but simply toys and games - open and available to all. There should be no constraints placed on the imagination or make-believe, or on all of the ways it can enrich their hearts and minds to stretch and dream, and realize the depth and breadth of possibilities.

Because even the smallest restriction, the earliest categorization of what is deemed acceptable, or what is allowed based on an aspect of self, can be damaging. It sets a precedent for dividing walls to be built, it allows them to grow bigger, become stronger and more firmly set in place. And therefore all the more difficult to overcome later in life.

[afragmentcastadrift]

We are byproducts of preconceived notions. We react by rote, regurgitating without thought the definitions that dictate our perception of the world - what it means to be a woman, to be a man, to be straight or gay, black, white, Asian... We have on our tongues the aftertaste of expectations, a bitter tang, but its flavor is familiar.

We claim to value uniqueness, to value the individual, but we balk, we panic and lash out when we don't see or experience what we expect - because how can anyone be different from what has already been defined and categorized? Well-worn pages of a catalog, a guide book. We'll even stand in front of the mirror and adopt every photographed pose.

We think ourselves so enlightened, so above the labels and their distribution, so able to see beyond the stereotypes, and yet, knee-jerk, reactive, we wield them as weapons - arms up, shots going wild. Our first line of defense against, preventative of, an admission of fault, against acceptance of our own ignorance and need to change.

[gethighmorewithfreddie]

The Target I’m shopping at still has the gendered labeling up, so I went ahead and fixed it for them.

[fangirlonwheels]

Don’t touch my Deadpool...

Person: *picks up my Deadpool comic without asking*

Person: *wildly flips through pages*

Person: *points out how they think all the characters are “ugly looking” or “scary” (they’re aliens trying to take over the planet. do you expect the artist to make them look like super models?)*

Person: Isn’t this for guys? Why do you have it?

Me: It’s for anyone that knows what awesome is

[myloveforyouislikerice]

I just found out there were womens pens. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?

“softer grip”

[itsrabbidseason]

yesterday I brought chio chips.. there was one bag for 'girls' ( all pink and stuff and /only for girls/ men not allowed print on it) And one for my husband (manly man stuff on it and /no woman allowed print) I SO ate the ones for men... ( no but seriously wtf?! ) also they actually tasted better..fuck you CHIO!!