Gender Norms are Stupid

Gender norms are stupid. It's as simple as that. In today's society so many things are oriented towards men or towards women. Why? It's hard to believe that in 2015, in the United States no less, we're still deciding what kids and adults should like based on their anatomy.

One of my favorite YouTubers, Manny MUA, is a beauty vlogger. This may offend people, but I really don't understand why. Manny is so good at makeup, and it's something that he loves. Just because he can grow a beard and has a penis doesn't mean he can't wear mascara and a bold lip on a regular basis. Makeup may be more oriented towards women, and it has been for years, but many more men are stepping into the makeup scene. Patrick Star, Manny, and Jeffree Star are all breaking gender norms and deserve a huge round of applause.

I also commend Kayla, a girl in my orchestra. At each formal concert our orchestra performs, the girls have to dress up in long black dresses and boys have to wear a multiple-piece suit. Kayla doesn't like dresses (but I mean, who really likes the orchestra dresses?) and wanted to try something new. She decided to wear a suit. When I first saw her, I'll admit I was surprised. I had never seen a school activity in which someone was "breaking" a gender norm. She definitely got some weird looks from the boys and girls in our orchestra, but she was brave and was able to break out of her shell to make sure she was comfortable while doing an activity that she loves.

This blog post was inspired by a recent family dinner. "Pinterest isn't really a boy app." What? I didn't know that we were assigning a gender to a certain number of gigabytes on a phone. I got kind of mad. I'm tired of people being judged for what they like or who they are based on the gender that is typically associated with those things. There are so many more girls playing video games and boys who like makeup or princess costumes.

There is one thing I'd like to point out. If a boy goes against gender norms, I think it's more difficult for them to be accepted in society than if it was a woman breaking gender norms. Women are typically seen as more "dainty" and "fragile" and when we break gender norms, and we act a little bit tougher, some guys might find it attractive. However, if a man was to break gender norms, and wear makeup everyday I'm worried that he would be harassed. There's more of an expectation that follows boys around. I think they're expected to be manly and strong.


This sweatshirt in the right adds comedy to a real issue. Feminist Apparel has great clothes that share a great message! Look into their merchandise if you want to help spread the importance of feminism and other social issues!

In conclusion, gender norms are stupid. Girls can play video games and be engineers, boys can wear makeup and be stay at home dads. Everyone is different, and if you can't comprehend that, get over yourself.

stay peaceful( & open-minded)!!