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As a person on our planet, we are all subjected to stereotypes in one way or another. Whether it be due to our race, sexuality, or gender, it's hard to escape. This image represents a quote that stuck out to me from "Transgender History" by Susan Stryker, which states "Gender is the social organization of different kinds of bodies into different categories of people". As a woman, I often feel forced to be stereotypically feminine presenting, wearing makeup and doing my hair and always looking my perfect best, when in reality, femininity isn't so easy to fit into a distinct category. I believe there are many different ways to exist as a woman, and each person has their own unique way of expressing it.

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I used to define myself entirely by what my peers thought of me, especially my male peers. More specifically, I allowed what the boys who I was romantically interested in thought of me dictate who I was. I found that I would get teased for my stuffed animals, for my "girly" and "cutesy" way of going about things, the boys instead favoring the girls who had matured too soon. The 13 year olds acting and dressing like they were 22 (which is okay, but it makes me wonder if they dressed and acted that way because they wanted to, or if they were in the same situation I was in). So, I gave it up, and also began to act in a way that was way older than me. It felt... wrong. Now I am trying to repair the damage I caused to myself, allowing myself to be stereotypically "girly" and indulging myself in my own interests. Most importantly, I am surrounding myself with people who don't put me down for what I like.

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Something that I am passionate about is my future aspiration of becoming a teacher. However, I am beginning to question if this passion is completely mine, or if it was influenced by the expectations placed onto women and how they should act. Judith Lorber and Lisa Jean Moore mention in their book "Gendered Bodies: Feminist Perspectives" how women are more often seen as the nurturing and compliant sex, as compared to the mans nature of being strong and assertive. Another trait forced upon females is being the homemaker and sole caretaker of the children, which bleeds into the idea that teaching is the "perfect job" for women since it is already in our blood to be nurturing towards children. I feel as if this has subconsciously geared me towards this career path, as sometimes I feel as if helping people and supporting their growth is my only strength.

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Being a woman also means having to deal with the constant societal pressure to meet their expectations for how you should look. You can never be thin enough, never have big enough boobs or curves, the beauty standard is constantly moving out of everyones reach to the point where only photoshop is deemed as beautiful. Growing up as a girl has been detrimental to my self-esteem, and being on the internet where a million different opinions, critics, and inspirations are thrown at you at once has not helped whatsoever. The difference between how young boys and girls are treated is astonishing to me, and it's severely unfair to everyone involved.

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Allan G. Johnson states in his composition "Patriarchy, the System: An It, Not a He, a Them, or an Us" that no matter if we are fighting against the patriarchy or complying within it, we are always participating in it. I had always heard the word thrown around, but after learning about it a lot began to make sense. The heart of patriarchy is the oppression of women, and in order to keep them in line you have to make sure that they don't gain the power to break free. This image is based off of an experience I had in high school, where I was silenced after I was sexually harassed for months on end by a boy at my school. The screenshots had leaked, and now people were beginning to hound him down. I was called into the office and was basically told that we don't want to make him feel harassed either, and they had talked to him and "he seemed embarrassed" so that meant he felt remorse for his actions. I was not the only girl he had done this too, and I was not the most extreme case either. The only difference is that OTHER people began speaking out about what had happened, and they placed the job of silencing it onto me, the victim. This was an example to me on how the patriarchal system keeps its power, and it's inspired me to fight against it.