Week 9: Stigma

The readings and videos for this week really brought light to the stigma imposed on genders, and for some it was the intersectionality of gender and race. In There's Something Absolutely Wrong With What We Do To Boys Before They Grow Into Men, the boys talked about how toxic it was to not show emotion. The concept of “being a man” is concluded as keeping a straight face and never showing any signs of weakness. In schools, teachers assume that the reason boys act up is because they want to be trouble makers, but based on what the guys were talking about, it seems to be that a lot of the times they bottle everything up with no outlet and lash out when they start to become overwhelmed. Becoming isolated due to their lack of communication could start as early as elementary school and their troublesome behavior could really be signs of depression that carry over throughout the years. Teachers, staff, and even parents turn a blind eye to these early signs, and it only worsens the longer it is ignored.

Cyntoia’s story really got to me, especially since she herself was able to talk about the case and her feelings on it. She protected herself based on self-defense, and the court still decided to try her as an adult at sixteen, and rule her as guilty sentencing her to life in prison. Cyntoia experienced a tough life growing up, and it only became more difficult once she started reaching her teenage years. When she pulled out the list she made of people she had sex with throughout her life, it surprised me at how many people there were on the list that she did not want to have sex with versus those that she did. A total of thirty-six people was on the list, four of them she liked, and twenty-eight of them were unwanted. When the crew asked her why she cut her hair, she said “I don’t wanna be pretty anymore. It only causes trouble”, it broke me (Birman, 2011). The fact that a sixteen-year-old wants to change her appearance based on her experiences with men hurts because she’s not doing anything wrong to have that happen to her. The part that got to me was her response when asked about her view of men; she concluded that all they wanted was acceptance and admiration. Her dad only wanted money so he left, Kutthroat wanted to use her to earn money for a truck, and Johnny wanted to make love with desire (Birman, 2011). The case never seemed to look at the actions of the men that harmed her because such actions seems to be pretty common amongst the men.

            The Pro Infirmis video made me tear up a little honestly. The faces of admiration the people had once their mannequins were complete was too pure and wholesome! I believe that there needs to be more a more diverse representation for all to feel included.

            Hearing the stories of the girls on A Girl Like Me was sad at some points. Many of them felt like they had to prove themselves by changing their physical state based on what they had been told throughout their lives. The different expectations set on these girls is terrible; the more these issues become ignored the more they become a taboo (Davis, 2005).

            The Myth of the Gay Agenda TED Talk was comical, but Ganderson made his point loud and clear. People have this certain outlook on the LGBTQ+ community that sets toxic stigmas onto us that can put our lives in danger; this “lifestyle” that society talks about is no different than someone else’s, and many people fail to realize that.