Identity Project Focus | Masculinity and Femininity

The theme of masculinity and femininity has always been a silent theme in my life and I am sure for many others too. Many of us are told that a man is expected to be masculine and a woman expected to be feminine. However these traits actually do not relate to someones gender, this is just something that has been taught and now is expected of from society.

I continued with some research and came across a website called 'Voices of Youth' that had a blog discussing the traits of being either masculine or feminine, here is a diagram they used to explain this;

There is first a discussion about what each is defined as. Someone who is masculine is described as being Powerful, Confident, Active, Courageous, as well as Dominant, Aggressive, Controlling and Competitive. To be feminine is to be Creative, Kind, Emotional, Intuitive, as well as Over-sensitive, Weaker and Needy. Here they are just described as traits rather than a description of a specific gender, which I like because it allows anyone to relate to traits on either side. As there are many people who would see themselves as being Receptive as well as Outward, Confident whilst still having a Sensitive side.

"Traditionally feminine traits are considered bad or unwanted"

This separation between traits can explain a lot of why some parts of society are seen as 'masculine' or 'male dominated'. Many people in a serious work place/environment will choose much more masculine traits such as being dominant and assertive, in order to be seen and heard. However as these are 'male traits' if a woman was to use these traits in such environment, she would be seen as bossy or overly assertive. Rather than their male counterpart who would be seen as powerful and taking control of the situation effectively. This can be the same for men who choose to be emotional, they are seen as weak. Where as being emotional for a woman is something to 'be expected'.

"It is time that society realizes that masculinity and femininity are not traits we associate with depending on gender, but instead depending on the character. To be balanced and better people, I believe we need to have both masculine traits and feminine traits."

On a more personal level, the overall reason I chose this topic is because of how I relate to it. I found as this is an Identity project it was important that my topic be something I could represent some of my own identity. Growing up relating to both masculine and feminine traits is something I am fully aware of and you do feel judged for it. Why can't a woman be creative AND confident, sensitive YET assertive. Why can't a man be logical AND emotional, strong YET understanding. This can also we looked at deeper than just personal traits but also physical traits. Why is long hair seen as feminine and short masculine? Why can a women wear makeup but a man wearing it is seen as "out of the ordinary". Again, society is constantly progressing and moving on from these stereotypes, but there is still a lot of work to be done in order to break down these expectations of traits.