Sexism Rooted in Religion and in Society Today

It may be true that society has changed so much over the years and have benefitted everyone. But has it really? People have gotten discriminated against harshly in the past. Most of them women. This may be because of the gender norms and religion beliefs from the past that have over time, modified the way we see different genders. It has affected how different occupations treat women in economic and social ways, and how the media portrays women in society. Religion and gender stereotypes of the past have negatively influenced the sexist behavior (gender inequity) in society today.

Religion may be one of the root causes to gender stereotypes and profiling. In many religions, women have less of a job and men are more powerful. “The religions themselves practice overt discrimination against women within their own institutions. They are run by men for men.” (The roots of sexism in religion) For example, in Christianity, many leadership roles such as the pope, bishops, priests etc are only allowed to be run by men. This shows that already in the past, there weren’t that many women figures. In some other religions, women were just seen as objects that were used for sex or chores. Another example, in the Islamic religion, women are meant to be feminine figures and men masculine. Although this may be sometimes true in the physical sense, that doesn’t mean that all women should be seen in this way. Not everyone has the same idea on how women should be perceived. This is one of the reasons why there are stereotypes that follow this belief.

Stereotypes rooted from religious and social norms of the past have made it harder for men and women to be equal in economic and social terms today. Women have been idealised to do jobs with ‘less brain power’ and more caring, ‘easy’ jobs. Who’s to say that men can’t do them either? Even when men and women have the same job, they still get treated unfairly. “The median earnings of men with full-time, year-round jobs were $50,033 last year, [2013] compared to $39,157 for comparable women.” (The Wall Street Journal, 2013) That’s about a $10,000 difference. Referring back to the earlier point, this may be because men were/are viewed as more powerful therefore sometimes getting paid better.

Sexism has been going on for as long as we can remember. Another example of a time where sexism was a common occurrence was in Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1690s. This was the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Many young women were being accused of harnessing witchcraft and many of them were hanged, even if they were innocent. “ If well-respected men observed the young accusers and reported that their fits were real, then the court would be heeding not just a girl, but an established man.” (Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials, Marc Aronson) Society chooses to see the good and bad in people. Sometimes they choose to see the good or bad in certain people. Back then, they chose to see the greatness in men and women were just in the shadows. In the quote above, it says

Men and women are being portrayed differently in the media giving society false ideas. The media’s job is to manipulate people’s brains into thinking that they want or need something. For a long time, they have been using people to sell their product or services but in different ways. “I guess the sexism kind of morphed, it didn’t go away or necessarily get better.” (Buzzfeedyellow, 2015) Women usually get exploited to get men’s attention. You may be familiar with the saying “sex sells”. The media certainly believe so and so must the viewers because now there is more of a demand for ads of this genre because companies keep producing them.



The ad to the left is from the 1950s and shows a woman serving a man. The caption reads “Show her it’s a man’s world” This is saying that men are dominating in the world and women are just servants to the men. The ad on the right shows a male and a female advertising the same shirt. The man is casually wearing the shirt but the woman is sexualising it. The object of the ad was to show that the shirt can be worn by men and women but it looks as though both ads are directed to get men’s attention. The media is using people to meet the sexual craving to sell their products and women don't deserve to be treated as an object.

People who practice religion may believe that stereotypes have many other possible roots and that there is nothing to be done about it. It’s understood that people have different opinions on the subject but because of the beliefs of religion and the stereotypes that have formed because of it, sexism is still a problem in society today. Women (and sometimes men as well) are being taken advantage of in media, in economic terms and just in general and it needs to be stopped.

Our Society and Slavery

In the First World, we think of slavery as dead. Over. Gone. We think of it as an historic aberration, a blemish on the past, but certainly not something that still exists in modern times. Yet over 27 million people are still enslaved today, and that number isn’t decreasing. Slavery is not dead at all, we just don’t notice it, and our failure to acknowledge its existence,it allows it to continue unchecked. To truly abolish slavery we must take down a system that is already in place, and has been in existence for thousands of years. Slavery is deeply ingrained into many sections of society, and to eradicate it we must change society.

The most challenging part of stopping slavery is giving up our reliance on it. Unseen slavery powers many parts of the world economy, and so we all rely upon it, knowingly or unknowingly. The list of major companies that use slave labor is long, and shockingly includes many iconic brands such as Nike, Apple and Disney. The fact that we in the First World allow anyone, especially such high profile, successful companies, to get away with exploiting people is truly atrocious and shameful, and most of us are shocked to learn about it. So how does it come about? What is modern slavery?

Slavery relies on systems of bondage, discrimination and exploitation that have been in place for thousands of years and have continued to grow and evolve throughout history. Modern slavery is also fueled by globalisation. The movement of people, money, and information throughout the world, and the spread of production, supply, and distribution chains has allowed modern slavery to grow, and enabled it to stay out of the grasp of authorities. Of course Nike, Apple and Disney don’t directly enslave people, but their suppliers do, which makes them, the companies and us, their customers, ultimately responsible for the exploitation of slave labor.

Modern slavery exists in many forms, the most common of which is debt bondage. Debt bondage occurs when people are encouraged to borrow money, often on the promise of a better job, or a better life elsewhere. The debt they are subsequently forced to pay back is massively inflated by interest and other charges, so these people end up working for years with no reward, in short as slaves. Sexual slavery, where people, usually women and children, are forced to work in the sex industry is also flourishing in modern times. As is domestic servitude, where the normal and legal practice of live in help is used to cover the exploitation and control of another person, and contract slavery, where people are deceived into slavery by a false employment contract. So you can see that while the traditional chattel slavery, where a person is legally owned by another, may be virtually extinct, slavery itself is alive and well.

How is it that this abhorrent and illegal practice is so widespread today? Put simply, it is because we aren’t doing enough to stop it. Kevin Bales, president of Free The Slaves, says that the fact slavery is still thriving comes down principally to ignorance about the institution and lack of resources directed at eradicating it. This is particularly true in first world countries where we are often not aware that slavery is not exclusively a thirld world problem. Many people in first world countries believe that slavery is nothing to do with them and that they are powerless to prevent it. Nothing could be further from the truth. We all benefit from the slave trade, only the slaves themselves do not.

Slavery may be illegal in every country in the world, but that does not mean it doesn’t exist. Between 14,000 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year. Most are forced into the sex trade, domestic servitude, or agricultural labor. At any one time, between 52,000 and 87,000 are in bondage. We don’t notice these people because we don’t realise what they are, we simply don’t perceive them as slaves. David Batstone, the author of ‘Not For Sale’ describes how he had, unknowingly, been dining at a restaurant staffed by slaves. “That’s the paradox: slavery is in reality not invisible, Except in rare circumstances, slaves toil in the public eye. The truth is that we do not expect to find it in “respectable” settings.” he writes.

We may prefer to think of slavery as a thing of the past, but in doing so we turn a blind eye to the crime of slave trading and we fail to acknowledge the suffering of the slave. David Batstone also writes that

“Many people bristle to hear the word slavery used to describe the modern practice of exploitation. Deeply ingrained in the collective psyche of Western culture is the notion that slavery ended in the nineteenth century. It is not unusual to read a newspaper account of “slavelike conditions” in a copper mine in, say, Bolivia. The laborers were kidnapped, coerced to work without pay and prohibited from leaving the mine. So why would the writer ferfer to the laborer’s conditions as “slavelike”? Because the writer buys into the cultural myth that “real slavery” was vanquished long ago.”
If we continue to deny the suffering of these millions of people, nothing will change.

Slavery will only be eradicated if we all take responsibility for its existence. All sections of society must acknowledge their reliance on slavery and take active steps to cease this unhealthy dependency. It is no good pleading ignorance and shifting the blame onto others. We must all stand up to be counted and reject slavery in its entirety. We must boycott products and services produced by slave labour, even if this means paying higher prices. We must lobby our governments to enforce anti slavery legislation, to end human trafficking and to help other nations tackle the endemic poverty, corruption and violence which allows slavery to flourish. We must provide better opportunities for those at risk of exploitation and we must work to overturn cultural norms which encourage and condone the exploitation of others. Slavery is a scourge on humanity and it is the responsibility of all humankind to work towards its abolition.

Government Censorship: Harmful or Helpful?

There's a new movie out, but in your country, you’re not allowed to watch it. There’s a big event that happened recently, but when you search for it on the internet there’s seemingly no information being broadcasted about it. There’s something controversial on your mind, but you’re not supposed to talk about it. These restrictions placed on people around the world are caused by the government’s censorship of its people, the media, and history. This topic is very disputed as many argue that government censorship can protect vulnerable members of society and prevent public disturbances. However while doing so, it prevents freedom of speech, public awareness and has the ability to be exploited by authorities who may use it for manipulation. Therefore despite its positive impacts, government censorship has negative repercussions that can cause damage to society and long-term harm to the citizens who are impacted by it.

One reason government censorship is harmful is that it prevents the freedom of speech of its citizens. One country with a prime example of this is Canada. In 2006 when Stephen Harper was elected Prime Minister, restrictions were placed on what scientists were and were not allowed to publish. According to Lesley Ogden of the Nature Publishing Group, “On numerous occasions over that [time period], government officials had forbidden [a scientist] from talking to the press or the public about her work on the genetics of salmon.” (Ogden, 2016) Due to censorship by the government, this scientist could not publish her work simply on the genetics of salmon, a topic not opposing the ruling party. This ridiculous censorship completely stripped the scientist in question from her right to an opinion and her right to free speech. Canadian scientists were not alone, corporations and unknowing civilians also had their freedom taken from them. CNET, a leading publisher of technological news, reports that “[Google] said it had received more than 1,000 requests from governments around the world to remove items such as Youtube videos and search listings.” (Musil, 2012) This illustrates that governments are trying to control everyday citizens who post content on a platform famous for free speech, the internet. It is a place where everyone should be able to enjoy the same freedoms without having to worry about persecution from the government due to a non-compliant material being published.

However despite this, censorship is not necessarily always a harmful thing. Many use a reasoning described in Tony Blankley’s 2009 book, American Grit, stating that “a temporary reduction of personal media freedoms is an acceptable price to pay in order to lessen the chance that [terrorists] will commit further atrocities.” (Blankley, 2009) This argues that censorship can prevent terrorism and help keep citizens safe from groups aiming to participate in violence. Indeed, to some extent, it can help to restrict those aiming to commit violent crimes and prevent them from recruiting more people. It can help create a safer world by limiting the reach of violence and can help the government to persecute those involved in it. Yet while all this may be true, is government censorship really effective enough for all the negatives to be overlooked? Indeed, it is highly unlikely that the small boost censorship provides in preventing terrorism is enough to make up for the complete loss of freedom that comes along with it.

Government Censorship is also harmful because it prevents the general public from being fully aware of what is happening in their own country. During the period of scientific censorship in Canada, “it was an incredible rigmarole to try and get the most innocuous bit of information to media or the public.” Ogden, 2016) and “it was like an iron curtain was drawn across communicating research to Canadians.” (Ogden, 2016) The people of Canada were completely oblivious to information that may have concerned them because of the censorship of the media. The citizens of a country have the right to know what is happening within their own borders. For it to be so difficult to communicate research, not even an opinionated piece, to the people that it is affecting surely cannot help in any way.

Next door in the United States, censorship was beginning to take place in schools. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a group of school districts set up a board to select a curriculum with “parameters put forth will give students a false impression of [the United State’s history]” (Lindberg, 2014) including the exclusion of topics that would “encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.” (Lindberg, 2014) Their goal was to prevent anything that promoted going against the government from being taught in a classroom. If this curriculum was successfully implemented, students would receive an education missing influential parts of their history. Upstanders such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks who disregarded authority to protest for change fit the description of topics that may be discluded. Some of the greatest moments in human history have come via those who challenged the government, but now would be ignored by teachers because they didn’t comply with the new guidelines.

Yet censorship can also be used to maintain a more peaceful society. “During an emergency, [censorship] helps in controlling panic and rumours throughout the nation.” (Pillai, 2016) This was observed in India in 2008, during a terror attack in Mumbai. Stories about what happened flew around the country with no one being sure which to believe, causing widespread panic. Censorship helped to remove false stories and leave only the true ones for the public to see. As well as this “Book may be used to portray wrong information about individuals or groups that could incite violence.” (Pillai, 2016) False information could encourage unrest and spark violence. Censorship would remove the false information and prevent citizens from ever being able to see the incorrect versions, thus maintaining order in society. However on certain controversial topics, who has the authority to draw the line between what is true and what isn’t? In these cases, whatever the government regards as correct is generally regarded as so and remains in circulation for the general population, be it the truth or not.

Thirdly, censorship can easily be exploited for government manipulation. For example, after the 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square in China, the Chinese government went to great lengths to erase the event from history altogether. In the 2014 book, the People’s Republic of Amnesia, author Louisa Lim explains that “The government tried to saturate the country with its version of events” (Lim, 2014), wanting the Chinese people to only believe what the authorities were saying happened. They did so to retain control over their large population, in fear that if their people knew the truth it would spark a rebellion against their only recently established stable government. Yet this censorship caused a large impact on the population they claimed to be trying to protect and became “a massive secret that has become a massive vacuum, like a poison that has contaminated the air [they] breathe and [their] whole life and spirit.” (Lim, 2014) Pretending that something didn’t happen in order to pretend it doesn’t exist is hard to do without making those that do remember, feel outcasted and alone.

It was not just countries with newly stabilized democracies whose governments felt the need to use censorship for manipulation. The reason behind the censorship against scientists in Canada was due to the government's need to hide the environmental atrocities that came at the cost of their choice to focus on boosting the economy. It is not uncommon for governments to “use censorship to promote a flattering image of themselves and [to] remove any information that goes against them.” (Pillai, 2016) However does it really make that big of a difference? Surely “topics that promote patriotism, respect for authority and free enterprise” (Lindberg, 2014) can only help to increase the stability of a society. It is true that the censorship used for manipulation can, in fact, be used in a good way. Some examples of this are preventing violence or promoting peaceful interaction between citizens. However more often than not the manipulation is indeed used for harm, and that risk is one too large to take in return for the positives that the censorship offers.

Indeed, government censorship is bigger than just whether or not an individual feels it is morally wrong. It is the question of how much power we give our governments. While it is necessary for some form of government to prevent society from slipping back into a state of nature, a line must be drawn between what is required and what is too far. The role of the authorities should not be taken for granted, yet their use of censorship is clouding the judgement of many members of society, whether they are aware of it or not. At the end of the day, whether it is in a country's constitution or not, a freedom of speech, a freedom to access information and a freedom of opinion should be a universal human right, not one dictated by which country one lives in or the stability and confidence of its government.



Bibliography
Blankley, Tony. “BLANKLEY: Yes, We Need Censorship.” Washington Times. The Washington Times, 12 Feb. 2009. Web. 29 May 2016.
Pillai, Prabhakar. "Pros and Cons of Censorship." Buzzle. Buzzle.com, 5 Apr. 2016. Web. 24 May 2016.
Musil, Steven. "Google Sees 'alarming' Level of Government Censorship."CNET. CNET, 17 June 2012. Web. 18 May 2016.
Ogden, Lesley Evans. "Nine Years of Censorship." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 3 May 3016. Web. 07 May 2016.
Lindberg, Maya. "The Danger of Censoring Our History." Teaching Tolerance. Southern Poverty Law Center, 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 07 May 2016.

Personal Appearance And Personal Identity

Adolescence is a time at which people from all places and cultures struggle to form their own identity. No longer children, but not yet adults, they must forge their sense of self and come to terms with the image they project to others. For young girls in particular, self identity and image is often closely associated with physical appearance. “Blue Gold” and “ Does My Head Look Big In This?” are both coming of age stories in which young girls from different places and cultures struggle to form their own identities, and in each of the stories physical appearance and clothing play an important part in the girls’ journeys towards self affirmation.

“Blue Gold” is a three part story which confronts the issues surrounding the technology industry through the stories of three girls from very different cultures in living in very different circumstances in different places around the world. Each girl must try to find her sense of self and make a place for herself in society. “Does My Head Look Big In This?” is the story of an Australian-Palestinian-Muslim girl and her journey towards self discovery. She must reconcile her Palestinian Muslim heritage within her place in secular Australian culture. A shared theme between these two books is that physical appearance and dress are central to self identity and image.

In “Blue Gold” Elizabeth Stewart uses Laiping’s uniform to show her loss of self identity and freedom. Laiping is a Chinese factory worker, the factory uniform, identical to thousands of others, demonstrates Laiping’s insignificance in the eyes of the company that controls her. Her uniform strips her of her personal identity and transforms her into “just a factory girl, like a hundred thousand others.” Laiping loses all sense of self and self empowerment. The idea, of clothing having the power to take away identity as well as display it, is also prevalent in ‘Does My Head Look Big In This?’ Once Amal starts to wear the hijab, people perceive her differently; “Too many people look at it as though it (the hijab) has bizarre powers sewn into its microfibers. Powers that transform Muslim girls into UCOs (Unidentified Covered Objects), which turn Muslim girls from an 'us' to a 'them.” When Amal dons the hijab people view her not as herself but as a Muslim, they ignore her character and focus her religion alone. To Amal this is not the way the hijab should be viewed. To her it is a symbol of her religion of which she is justly proud, it is not meant to strip her of identity but help project it. Throughout the story, Amal meets many people who are weary of Islam and who see the hijab as the single most important thing about her. However fortunately Amal also meets people who understand that the hijab is simply a symbol of her religion, an important part of her identity but not her sole defining characteristic.

In “Blue Gold” the story of Sylvie, a Congolese girl who is trapped in a refugee camp in Tanzania, is closely linked to her personal appearance and dress.The main focus of her story is her impending forced marriage to a ruthless warlord named Kayembe. Kayembe wants to marry her because she is pretty, he has no interest in her character or values. He views her as an attractive chatel. On the day of her wedding she is forced to wear a dress chosen by Kayembe.The dress is described as being too long and having “wires in it to shape a woman’s bosom.” Clearly Sylvie is being forced into womanhood too early, she is entirely under Kayembe’s control, her identity and self empowerment are being stripped away and the wedding dress is a powerful symbol of this . Conversely while many people in Amal’s story assume that the hijab is a symbol of oppression and that she was forced into wearing it, when this is definitely not the case. The hijab is an integral part of Amal’s self identity and image. Amal chooses to wear the hijab without any pressure from her parents. She does so because she is proud to be a muslim woman, to her the hijab demonstrates her identity and self empowerment.

In “ Blue Gold” Fiona’s story is one which concerns body image as part of a young girl’s self perception and identity, which can be connected to one of Amal’s friends, Simone. Fiona’s world comes crashing down around her as a topless photo that she foolishly sent to her boyfriend is released onto the internet. She is bombarded by unwanted comments from her peers, as well as people she has never met. She loses confidence in herself and her body. The lack of clothing in the photo is not only a plot point, it is a symbol for her vulnerability. In “Does My Head Look Big In This?”, Amal’s best friend Simone also struggles with body image. Poisonous barbs from her mother and judgmental comments directed at her by other students lead Simone to loathe her own body. She tries desperately to lose weight and to achieve a perfect and unattainable figure. It takes the kindness and love of her friends to convince Simone that she is beautiful no matter what she weighs, just as it takes the love and understanding of her mother, teachers and friends to help Fiona regain her confidence and self identity.

Physical appearance and dress contribute to the way we see ourselves and others. The authors of both books understand this and harness the concept in the development of their characters and storylines.“Does My Head Look Big In This?” takes a very overt position with the clothing being a central theme of the book whilst “Blue Gold” weaves the symbolism of clothing (and even the absence of clothing) into the underlying stories.”Does My Head Look Big In This?” forces the reader to confront the issue of clothing and question whether clothes make a person or whether they are merely another layer of the character's identity. In Blue Gold, however, the theme of physical appearance and dress was largely understated however when focussed upon was both powerful, intended and well considered.

Social Media's Influence on today's Youth

Eating disorders are becoming the norm in today’s society. Up to 30 million people of all ages and genders in the United States are affected by eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating. Almost 50% of people diagnosed with this illness also fit the criteria for depression. These disorders more commonly affect young girls aged 12 to 25 but is also starting to show more in boys as well.

Eating disorders are illusive to a lot of people. For some, they associate eating disorders with people who are extremely depressed or are looking for attention. This is not the case for most people. Social media is one of the main causes for eating disorders. This drives teenagers to the brink of doing anything to be “pretty”.

“I think that pictures on Tumblr and Instagram with models that have perfect bodies contribute to girls feeling insecure and that tv shows and movies glorify eating disorders and make them seem not as bad as they are.” says grade eight student Isabella Duncan.

For many people the “desirable” type of body they see on social media is just out of reach. Impressionable young girls and boys opening up Instagram on their phones and seeing photos of the good life, photos of flawless people with perfect bodies, perfect jobs and perfect lifestyles, going to amazing places on holiday and look like they're always having fun drives them to trying to be the same. These teens then think to themselves, maybe if I looked like that I would be as happy as them.

After seeing picture after picture teenagers start to detest their bodies and blame themselves. They start to think that maybe if they were just a bit skinnier, or just a bit prettier they would have it all. For many teens with social lives, it is hard to stay on a constant diet when there are so many temptations, and hard to find time to go to the gym regularly. Even if you manage to do all these things it still takes time to progress and lose weight. 

“In my friend group, we always complain about how we look and say things that we don't like about our bodies. I think that girls feel like they have put themselves down so they don't seem self centered or arrogant.” says Isabella Duncan.

Eating disorders are not just a “phase” or for attention. Social media has chalked up eating disorders to something they’re not; a passing trend that you use to lose weight and then move on. This is an important issue as it affects the people around you in their everyday lives.

Even though it seems like a scary thought, it is a reality for many people and it is important in today’s society for us to make it a mission to help spread body positivity and make every body type acceptable.

By Francesca Marshall

Don't Listen to the Stereo

From a young age, we are introduced to a world full of stereotypes. Specifically, gender. The media, our parents, our religion and our society are just some of the aspects that influence our beliefs and in a way, have overtime created gender stereotypes. They can sometimes teach us unideal ways of living. Stereotypes categorise humans into groups that tell us what we are meant act or be like, which in result can make many feel untrue to themselves or like outcasts.

Her life has been set out for her. Finish school, get married, have kids and support the breadwinner of the family.

Noshin is terrified as she overhears her mother on the phone with her grandmother, sobbing one night, saying that her life has been ruined by the men in their family. Her grandmother’s whole life consisted of assisting men and she could hardly be her own person. She didn’t want to live like that anymore. Noshin cries to herself thinking about how unfair her grandmothers life was. “In my country, Bangladesh, women are treated more as maids” said Noshin Saiyaara, 14. “The life of a girl; clean the house, cook and take care of the kids.” This makes it clear that to this day, there are still unequal and stereotypical behaviour in society. This could be because of her religion and that they believe it's right. But is it? Should this be socially acceptable in a society where more and more cultures have grown to be more open about the decisions that women make to become more of equals and not maids?

Noshin told our journalist that she wants change. Her siblings and herself are determined to change the traditions of her family to benefit their lives for the better. “I want to change the routines of my family. I’m not going to sit around and do nothing, I want to work and contribute to my family.” Her experience has empowered her to change their ways, to be who she aspires to be in the future.

From a variety of people that took part in a survey on their thoughts about where stereotypes originated, the most commonly agreed opinion, with more than 50% of the surveyed people, is that stereotypes have been an ongoing tradition for a very long time. For instance, during medieval times there were little to no women as knights and it was the men's job to be chivalrous towards the women. Women were thought to be more delicate so their jobs were often to do housework and cook and maintain the family.

In modern day, we have come to a point where stereotypes have been advertised so much, that they have started to infect more and more of the human species into thinking that they might be true. Isabella Duncan, a student from an 8th grade english class thinks that “Overtime, stereotypes have been reinforced by people with fixed mindsets.” In many ways this is true. Through the people in the media and our society, the message that women and men are different and not equals is very clear statement. You may not realise it, but everyday the commercials you see can have traces of gender stereotypically and it’s hard to realise it because they’re just so common.

Many ideas are reinforced through television to a specific audience. To do this, commercials have to make it relatable to the audience hence, showing things a girl and/or boy would do. In the case study “GENDER STEREOTYPES IN MASS MEDIA” by Malgorzata Wolska, she states “More and more commercials are directed to children. They indicate ‘the proper place’ in the society for girls and boys. Girls are shown as babysitters nursing dolls or cleaning house with a pink cleaning kit, whereas boys do sports or play computer games.” It mentions that most commercials main target audience is children, so the concept of gender stereotypically is already being engraved into their heads. In the future, when they understand how it impacts their identity, they will have a ‘template’ to follow.

Everyone can be affected because of gender stereotypes in many ways. Having to be a certain way and being surrounded by people who support gender stereotypes, can sometimes result in peer pressure and bullying. Life as a middle schooler can be hard, considering that there are lots of pressures with fitting in with others. A middle school student who wished to remain anonymous, tells their story “I am a dancer and a singer and that's what I want to do when I'm older. Ever since I was young, I've been bullied for doing what I like to do. I started hanging out with girls because some of them had the same interests in dance as me or they just understood. I think boys are more disturbed with the stereotype issue and they find it harder to welcome misfits, than girls do.” What is revealed here is that sometimes, people can get peer pressured if they don’t follow a stereotype because it's unfamiliar to others, so the action and person is slightly alienated.

What's strange, is that it's harder for a boy to enjoy something that usually a girl would like, than the other way around, because they usually get picked on by other boys who are more manly. Rhea Goyal’s theory for this is that “In the past, boys have generally been viewed as stronger, smarter etc. while girls were viewed as inferior to boys, so now society says it’s okay for a girl to move up to a boy’s standard, but not okay for boys to move down to a girl’s standard.” It suggests that by being a boy and doing things a girl would do, it would make you less of a man, and that you are admitting to being weak.

Lately there has been less discrimination towards people that happen to go against the grain of a stereotype, but it still happens. If you are someone that is in this situation, know that you are not alone and that there are always going to be people to help and are going through something similar. Its great to be yourself, to be unique. Don’t let stereotypes and hateful comments from others hold back what you desire to be or do. “There shouldn't be any barriers or force, because people's choices are their own,” said Noshin Saiyaara.

Let's imagine that all these concepts have been compiled and put into a stereo. Some of the music could be great, and you like to listen to it, but sometimes there is going to be bad music. People might have different tastes to you, but you don’t need to change your taste to please others.