Gender Roles

Why should anyone have to conform and shape themselves according to what their society’s expectations and ideal norms are? Since the beginning of time, gender roles and social norms have crafted how people live their life and invoke their emotions in public. Throughout history, males have always been the dominating role in society.


Living as a homosexual male, I can say that I have studied and experienced social norms first hand. The fact that homosexuality is considered to be taboo and unusual, I either have to conform or rebel to what society will or will not accept. The word “accept” can easily fit into the topic of discussion, mainly because the simple meaning of acceptance, is to be accepted. In EVERY society, EVERY ONE struggles to be accepted, therefore people will do what they don’t want and don’t believe in, in order to be accepted and not stand out (in a bad way) in society.

Conforming with society’s norms and rules, is essential to one’s survival. The saying “Against the Grain” is a perfect example on why people conform with the demands of society. No one want to go “Against the Grain”, no one wants to stand out and be humiliated by others. Being a homosexual male, I struggle on whether or not to do certain things. Is it appropriate to wear this? Is it appropriate to do that? Sometimes I hate the fact that I am not able to do or wear things I want, just because society doesn’t find it normal. People so desperately try to fit in into society, that there is no room for originality. Then again, why not stand out? Why not be different.

Being different cannot necessarily be a bad thing. Sometimes I don’t even care what people think. When I start to ask my self those questions: Is it appropriate to do this or wear that; I just tell myself, “WHO CARES?!” Most of the time I like to resist conventional roles. Why should my originality and being different-ness not be shown? I believe that being different, or going “Against the Grain” is also essential for survival. If no one stands up and tries to change things; things will always be the same. I understand that change can sometimes be scary, but people need to start being more open to different things. And I strongly believe now, society is starting to become more open to things. So maybe at first I would try to conform with conventional role, but now I’m starting to resist society’s norms.

So I conclude that change is essential for one’s survival. Because if one conforms with what society wants them to conform with; one will be unhappy and living a lie. Besides, what is normal anyways. What was once normal in the past, isn’t normal now. And I am sure that people are happier now, and believe what was normal in the past was wrong and immoral (slavery and women not having rights for example). So the only reason that something was normal then and not now, is because there had to be change to begin with. Someone had to stand up and fight for change.