Why is the world divided into genders? Who decided that dresses were for women and pants were for men? When most people think about gender, they think of certain ways that each gender is supposed to express themselves. It is becoming more normal for those lines to blur which is great but that is mainly in the bigger cities. In my small town, it is still seen as abnormal, wrong and the devil’s work. I don’t understand why. I think part of the huge problem is no one is willing to question the social norm. Too often, we want to place people in a neat box. Sorry honey, but no one’s box is perfect. That is the beauty of the human race.
For me, I am a cis female meaning that I was born female and I identify with being female. I also am a human that frequently buys clothing from the boy’s section. I wear snapback hats and a full face of make-up. I wear dresses and high heels but I also wear baggy pants and a ‘mens’ graphic tee. To some people that would classify me as ‘gay.’ I am still trying to figure out how the clothes I wear correlates with the people I am attracted to. I may never be able to figure that one out.
In our society, we enforce these gender heteronormative ideals on our offsprings the first day they are born. We give baby girls pink onesies and boys blue. This isn’t how it always was so if you try and tell me it is tradition, I will laugh at you. In the 1880’s, little boys were known to wear white dresses until they were six or seven (When Did Girls Start Wearing Pink?) How did we go from what we called gender neutral clothing to specific clothing and colors and is this helping or hurting our society?
To me, I think it is hurting society as a whole because it is suppressing the individual we are meant to be. This could lead to sadness, anger and even death. Some people argue that it’s tradition or the bible’s way. Since I already debunked the tradition thing, that leaves religion. Since we don’t have just one religion in America. are you saying that might not affect me at all because we don’t share the same faith. I think the ideals of what is expected is so engraved into the fibers of our society people are afraid to unravel it. It would completely change our society and change is scary, but I also think it is necessary.
What gender you identify with, the clothing you choose to wear, the music you listen to, and who you are don’t have to correlate perfectly. If it is authentically you and you are happy and comfortable, that is all that really matters. Start pulling at the strings, challenge the norm, be who you want to be. The world isn’t going to end. The world’s colors will become brighter and purer.