Jolie Wang Photo Essay by Jolie Wang

1.

jwang825_ — 2023-11-28 06:44:47 UTC

Typically, the male is thought of as the breadwinner of the family, and the female tends to the children and is in charge of cooking. However, my dad is the one that has been cooking and taking care of me and my brother, and my mom worked overtime at her office job. This isn't to say that my mom wasn't present in my life growing up—she still takes care of us. My dad is just more involved with taking care of us than the traditional male of a household would. Judith Lorber writes in her book that gender roles have changed. For instance, many fathers are seen pushing their children in strollers and carrying them in baby carriers on their chest.

2.

jwang825_ — 2023-11-28 07:07:47 UTC

Makeup is considered to be something worn by females, but my friend decided to try new things. Nowadays, there are men that wear makeup too. Back in the day, makeup was only something that females wore, but I have guy friends that also wear makeup. I believe that our society is becoming more and more accepting of the idea of men wearing makeup.

3.

jwang825_ — 2023-11-28 07:31:00 UTC

The way I interpreted this photo is that women are thought to be more emotional beings. This woman is crying and thinking, "I... I'm sorry!" It seems like she is apologizing for crying and showing her tears. I feel that this photo is embodying the stereotype that females are emotional. This photo reminded me of what Marilyn Frye wrote. She mentioned in her essay that when women say they are oppressed, men say that they are also oppressed in the sense that they are looked down upon when they show their emotions and cry. Furthermore, when women deny that any person/group is oppressed, we are seen as insensitive. In other words, it seems as if women are always in the wrong; this is connected to the woman's apology in the photo above.

4.

jwang825_ — 2023-11-28 07:36:54 UTC

I attended Blackpink's concert last year and I watched them perform their song, "Tally." The song is about not caring about what other people think about them. There is a lyric that says, "Everybody tells me to play nice." Korea is a very conservative country, and the gender roles are stronger there than it is in the US. So, women are expected to act elegant and kind. In their song, the Blackpink members sing about breaking the gender roles that they've been confined in. Their message is that they shouldn't have to act nice and dress in conservative clothing because they can do what they want with their bodies.

5.

jwang825_ — 2023-11-28 07:48:59 UTC

My brother plays golf which is mainly a sport that men play; 77% of golfers are men. In the article, "Boyhood, Organized Sports, and the Construction of Masculinities" by Michael A. Messner, he writes that boys usually seek validation from their fathers through playing sports. Men also seeked to play more masculine sports so that, in turn, they could appear more masculine. My brother plays golf and baseball, both of which are sports that my dad enjoys watching and playing. He was the one that got my brother into these sports. My brother also enjoys lifting weights and when I asked him why, he said that he wants to appear more muscular and, "more like a man."