WGS Midterm by Caitlin Carlson

Gender Identity

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-07 18:23:46 UTC

Gender identity is how someone internally feels about their gender. This is different than our biological sex. Someone's gender identity can be different from their biological sex and may fall into a different category rather than man or woman. Sometimes we may need to unlearn old ideas to help us truly understand what gender is and what it can be.

Understanding gender identities & pronouns. The Trevor Project. (2025, February 5). https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/understanding-gender-identities-and-pronouns/

Gender Expression

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-07 18:35:18 UTC

Gender expression is the way we present our gender. This can include many aspects of our appearance and behavior. Gender expression is not the same as gender identity. Someone who identifies as male may express their gender through stereotypical "female" traits. It is important to remember that these traits and roles are societally constructed and therefore they are not set in stone.

Kendra Cherry, Mse. (2023, February 14). What does gender expression mean?. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-gender-expression-5187952

Gender and Ageism

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-07 18:47:51 UTC

Gendered ageism is often used to discriminate against women in the workplace. While men are considered more wise as they age, women are viewed as outdated and past their prime. On the other hand, young men are viewed as keen and fresh while young women are viewed as inexperienced and naive. These stereotypes make it difficult for women of any age to work their way up the corporate ladder, and certainly not as easily as their male counterparts can.

Diehl, A., Dzubinski, L. M., & Stephenson, A. L. (2023, June 16). Women in leadership face ageism at every age. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/06/women-in-leadership-face-ageism-at-every-age

Gender Roles

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-07 18:55:48 UTC

Gender Roles are the way an individual is expected to act based on their gender in society. Traditional gender roles were strict and unequal rules that still impact society today. Males are expected to be strong and aggressive while females are expected to be kind and nurturing. Although these beliefs are still present, we are seeing expectations change and become less strict in society.

AMAZE Org. (n.d.). Gender Roles and Stereotypes. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulh0DnFUGsk

Beauty Standards

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-07 19:13:54 UTC

Beauty standards are what society deems attractive and ideal and are different based on gender. These expectations are often unrealistic and can cause many individuals to struggle with body image. This video highlights the unrealistic and ever-changing expectations of the body. There has certainly been an increase in cosmetic procedures to keep up with these expectations. It is important to keep in mind, however, that beauty standards are constantly changing, as they are socially constructed.

Animation on the unrealistic beauty standards. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRiJm-Yym4g

Sexual Orientation

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-11 00:20:05 UTC

Sexual orientation is separate from gender and is about who an individual is attracted to. This includes different types of attraction such as romantic, aromantic, sexual, and asexual. An important aspect of sexual orientation is to remember that these are all just labels. Some people may feel that they don't really fit into any of these boxes, and that's okay. Some people who don't feel that they fit into a specific box, or even if they do, might use the word "queer". This word includes a variety of sexual and gender identities that are not heterosexual and cisgender.

What is sexual orientation? | sexual orientation VS gender. Planned Parenthood. (n.d.). https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/sexual-orientation/sexual-orientation

Social Scripts

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-11 00:28:55 UTC

Social scripts are the expectations for sexual behaviors and feelings that are created by society. These scripts impact our beliefs and attitudes towards sexual relationships. It is important to note that these scripts are not inherently wrong or right. Sometimes, however, they can be damaging and difficult to manage when individuals have different scripts or disagree with a largely accepted social script. Our social scripts impact not only our sexual experiences but our relationships as well.

Sexual scripts. Blueheart. (n.d.). https://www.blueheart.io/post/sexual-scripts

Heteronormativity & Cisnormativity

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-11 00:40:12 UTC

Heteronormativity is the belief that heterosexuality is the norm and has privilege over any other sexuality. Cisnormativity is similar, with cisgender being the norm and anything else being labeled as "different". These ideas are consistently reinforced through society and the media. These ideas can be harmful to those labeled as "different". They may often feel unrepresented and judged for not fitting into society's usual box. These assumptions often provide privilege to those who are heterosexual and cisgender and are disadvantageous to those who are not.

Heteronormativity & Cisnormativity. LGBTQ+ Primary Hub. (n.d.). https://www.lgbtqprimaryhub.com/heteronormativity-cisnormativity#:~:text=Heteronormativity%2D%20A%20discourse%20based%20on,other%20form%20of%20gender%20identity.

Marriage Equality

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-11 00:46:25 UTC

Marriage Equality has been a long-time struggle in the states. In 1996, after much discourse, the Defense of Marriage Act was signed which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. In the upcoming years, same-sex marriage slowly became legal in some states. Federal marriage equality was finally granted on June 26th, 2015. Although same-sex marriage is legal today, many continue to fight against it.

The journey to marriage equality in the United States. HRC. (n.d.). https://www.hrc.org/our-work/stories/the-journey-to-marriage-equality-in-the-united-states

Sexuality and Race

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-11 00:58:44 UTC

Research shows many disparities between LQBTQ+ people of color and white people. LGBTQ+ individuals who were people of color were consistently worse off in most areas of health, social, and economic well-being than White LGBTQ+ individuals.

Another interesting thing to note is that those who identified as women reported higher food insecurity, and unemployment, and lived in low-income households. It is important that we understand that there are many identities and roles that individuals are impacted by.

thisisloyal.com, L. |. (2022, February 25). Racial differences among LGBT adults in the US. Williams Institute. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/racial-differences-lgbt/

Body Image and the Media

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-11 01:06:01 UTC

Social media has grown so rapidly that we are still catching up on its impacts. We now have instant access to societal bodily expectations and preferences and they are hard to avoid. This can create an unhealthy view of ourselves if we do not fit into the ideal. It is important for us to remember that these ideals are social constructs and are always changing.

Krzymowski, J. (2025, January 2). The link between social media and body image issues among youth in the United States. Ballard Brief. https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/the-link-between-social-media-and-body-image-issues-among-youth-in-the-united-states

Heteronormativity in the Media

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-11 01:11:55 UTC

A large aspect of heteronormativity is media representation. Most people we see in the media, whether that be characters in a movie or a book, are cisgender and heterosexual. This means that a lot of individuals have not seen people who look or identify like them in the media. This can cause individuals, especially young people to try to fit into the norm and feel confused. Representation is a large piece of acceptance and empowerment.

Johnson, Q. (2023, February 1). Media representation and heteronormativity. Gender and Sexuality. https://sites.psu.edu/civiclifegenderandsexuality/2023/02/01/media-representation-and-heteronormativity/

Gender Stereotypes in Film

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-11 01:18:20 UTC

Film characters throughout the years often reflect the gender stereotypes of the time. This study found that female characters displayed less agency than males and an object of the male's desire. Male characters were less likely to portray emotions of affection than females. These stereotypes are harmful because they consistently relay strict rules for what males and females "should" be. They also can reinforce sexist beliefs and values and promote gender bias.

Lights, camera...stereotypes? film characters’ actions reflect gender bias - USC viterbi: School of Engineering. USC Viterbi | School of Engineering. https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2022/12/lights-camerastereotypes-film-characters-actions-reflect-gender-bias/

Sexualization in the Media

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-11 01:24:58 UTC

Women are disproportionately sexualized and objectified in the media. These representations promote beliefs that women's value comes from their sexual appeal. It also often leads to objectification which leads women to be seen for simply their body. Women are more likely to be shown in revealing clothes, being dominated, or being portrayed as objects or animals than men. These representations reinforce negative stereotypes about women and their role in society.

Sexualisation & Objectification of women in media. shEqual. (2023, May 25). https://shequal.com.au/sexualisation-objectification/

Gendered Language in the Media

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-11 01:35:57 UTC

Society is becoming more and more diverse, but gendered language in the media and journalism is still common. This language can be exclusionary to a large number of people who are not cisgender individuals. There are over 1 million transgender and nonbinary individuals in the U.S. Gendered language not only promotes social stigma but can make it difficult to separate gender from sex.

DeMasi, L., & Schneider, G. (2025, February 27). The exclusionary messaging of gendered language in journalism. The Objective. https://objectivejournalism.org/2022/03/exclusionary-messaging-of-gendered-language-in-journalism/

caitlingcarlson — 2025-03-11 02:16:40 UTC