Hey Everyone,
With all the discussion about what should be considered feminine in another thread, I would like to ask everyone just what DOES it mean to be masculine or feminine in today's culture, anyway?
The past few months, I have been watching several propaganda videos from life in the United States and UK in the 1950's. Back then, gender roles seemed clearly defined, evenif only for the camera: Dad polished off his briefcase every morning and left for work, Mom stayed at home and manned (pun intended) the home.
But in today's world where broken homes seem to be the norm and more and more people of both genders have to take on various roles in order to meet the hectic demands of life, do we still have any distinct lines as to what is considered masculine or feminine?
For instance, I know one of the chores I hated taking over after my ex-husband left was mowing the lawn. NOTHING about that entire task--being covered in dirt and yard clippings, changing the oil, sharpening the blade with a file--felt feminine to me in any way, shape, or form. But of course, it was a job that needed to be done, and so it's not like there was a choice.
And so, this topic has me thinking about such things as:
* Is washing dishes (and doing other various domestic chores) masculine or feminine?
* Is working on cars, or shooting a gun masculine or feminine?
* Is caring about your appearance and putting a lot of effort into self-care masculine or feminine?
* Is being good with technology and computers masculine or feminine?
* Is choosing to wear a scent, like perfume or cologne, masculine or feminine?
* Is being a single parent masculine or feminine, since any single parent feels the burden of trying to fill BOTH roles?
And so the list goes on. If everything these days seems to be one big blur, how DO we define what's masculine or feminine in our modern world?
Feel free to share any thoughts you may have on this topic, but as a conversation starter, how would you finish the following statements:
1. Being feminine means...
2. Being unfeminine means...
3. Being masculine means...
4. Being unmasculine means...
I find this to be a fascinating topic, and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
With all the discussion about what should be considered feminine in another thread, I would like to ask everyone just what DOES it mean to be masculine or feminine in today's culture, anyway?
The past few months, I have been watching several propaganda videos from life in the United States and UK in the 1950's. Back then, gender roles seemed clearly defined, evenif only for the camera: Dad polished off his briefcase every morning and left for work, Mom stayed at home and manned (pun intended) the home.
But in today's world where broken homes seem to be the norm and more and more people of both genders have to take on various roles in order to meet the hectic demands of life, do we still have any distinct lines as to what is considered masculine or feminine?
For instance, I know one of the chores I hated taking over after my ex-husband left was mowing the lawn. NOTHING about that entire task--being covered in dirt and yard clippings, changing the oil, sharpening the blade with a file--felt feminine to me in any way, shape, or form. But of course, it was a job that needed to be done, and so it's not like there was a choice.
And so, this topic has me thinking about such things as:
* Is washing dishes (and doing other various domestic chores) masculine or feminine?
* Is working on cars, or shooting a gun masculine or feminine?
* Is caring about your appearance and putting a lot of effort into self-care masculine or feminine?
* Is being good with technology and computers masculine or feminine?
* Is choosing to wear a scent, like perfume or cologne, masculine or feminine?
* Is being a single parent masculine or feminine, since any single parent feels the burden of trying to fill BOTH roles?
And so the list goes on. If everything these days seems to be one big blur, how DO we define what's masculine or feminine in our modern world?
Feel free to share any thoughts you may have on this topic, but as a conversation starter, how would you finish the following statements:
1. Being feminine means...
2. Being unfeminine means...
3. Being masculine means...
4. Being unmasculine means...
I find this to be a fascinating topic, and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
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