When G.I. Joe starts painting his nails and Barbie joins the Army

 According to the dictionary, gender is defined as the state of being male or female. In the most basic way, what makes males and females different is physical anatomy; however, in society what makes them different is a much more complex definition involving a web of behaviors, speech and dress.

One of the most common places where societal gender roles are publicly acknowledged is when going to the restroom where males encounter an icon wearing pants, while females are represented by a skirt-wearing icon.

This is a clear indication of how society in America defines males and females: men are strong and trouser wearing, while women are delicate and dressed in frivolous skirts. That stereotype, however, is quickly fading and has been on the endangered list since women were granted the right to vote in 1920.

Women have been coming into more and more powerful positions in the last 80 years; to wit Oprah Winfrey, Anna Wintour, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Sandra Day O’Connor. In the past it would have never been possible for these women to acquire their positions of media personality, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, Secretary of State and a Supreme Court judge.

In step with the dissolving of female stereotypes, men have also received more acceptance and accolades for being great at primarily female talents, like designers Oscar de la Renta, John Galliano and Project Runway’s winner Christian Siriano. There are also praised chefs like Emeril Lagasse and Jamie Oliver.

“Both men and women carry the burden of stereotypes and in the future if we want to change how things are, the media and the workforce need to rethink the messages they send,” Liz Walters, a senior in graphic design, said.

The reason women in politics and men in the sewing room are interesting is because gender roles in society are ingrained from birth, which is why these politicians and designers are such anomalies.

Children are taught the rubric for how they should behave in the way society raises them. Girls are told how pretty and beautiful they are, while boys are complimented on how they are strong and clever. Girls are given pink fluffy toys while boys receive G.I. Joe’s wrapped in blue ribbon.

Ashley King, a sophomore in microbiology, feels that she is equally represented in class. “If I ask a question and my male classmate asks the same question, we’d be answered the same way. I wouldn’t be treated differently just because I’m a girl.”

Essentially, there is a way of acting whether a person is male or female, but a fog of confusion sets in when trying to discern what kinds of behaviors are innately feminine or masculine and how much is conditioned by society.

When females excel in sports or math, both characteristically male-dominated arenas, she is labeled a tomboy or a brain, both of which are typically less attractive descriptions for females versus a dancer or beauty queen. And likewise for males, when a guy portrays feminine qualities like being good at historically feminine tasks like cooking and sewing he too is deemed different, which elicits labels like effeminate or metro.

Either way, whether it is a masculine female or a feminine male, the root problem with these labels is that people aren’t allowed to express their full range of emotions and talents because some may not align with society norms. 

For example, the boy who likes to play dress-up when he is young may have his dreams dashed and emotional development damaged because parents want their boys to play sports, not become fashion designers.

That mode of thinking is entirely stagnant and primitive, comparative to how society used to understand race.

The goal isn’t to have an androgynous culture with no one being anything out of political correctness; however, the goal is to have a society that embraces people’s qualities and doesn’t treat them unequally because of those differences.

“I don't think [stereotypes] are getting better presently. There is a lot of pressure on males and females,” Walters said. “I was watching a commercial and it showed all these images of women and what they are ‘suppose’ to look like. A lot of kids have problems with those images because they are trying to be skinny and perfect; the latter of which isn't attainable while the first is unhealthy.”