Lesson 2. Biology, Sex, and Gender

 Sex and gender?

  In American society, people automatically assume male and female to be associated with sex. However, there's also hermaphrodite and intersexed. Both have sex characteristics of female and male. When one thinks "gender, "they think women and men, but there's also transgendered, and transsexed. Transgendered people often feel different and not able to fit into a gender so they often may live without one, and transsexed people live the opposite of what gender they were initially designated. During my store visits, I have been able to associate gender specific marketing to distinguish who the advertisers are trying to attract.

1. Stores utilize colors to associate with "sex". Blue and pink are both universal colors to identify the  "sex" of the child.

2. The color green is thought to be a neutral color for small children's' clothing. This color for unknown reasons can be worn  by male, female, hermaphrodite, and intersexed. For a lot of people who receive gifts, but want to withhold the sex of the baby from friends and family request "green."

3. Gender behaviors are what society considers being the norm. In this Virtual Design, Pro set, one can see that it is directed at girls. The behavior indicates girls want to be dress designers when they grow up.  From birth, society molds the behaviors of femininity for girls to wear dresses and skirts. It promotes femininity through how a girl should act and strive to become. It doesn't show boys aspiring to be a fashion designer.

4. Gender behaviors can be illustrated In this Virtual Design, Pro set, which suggests masculinity, and indicates boys should strive to be engineers. This is a form of masculinity because it symbolizes innovation. Boys are taught to think they will govern and control the universe. They are made to think control and power are within their grasp. Even though both sets are design sets for both male and female, they provide separate expectations that society sees as the norm.

5. Through Constructionist approach, gender is thought to be created through society and those we surround ourselves with. Society uses symbols to identify males and females. This sign identifies girls with dresses. Dresses symbolize  passiveness, pretty, delicate. This is how society trains girls to think and grow up believing.

6. This sign, on the other hand, through constructionist approach uses a tee shirt to symbolize boys. Boys are taught from birth that they will be leaders of their society. They are groomed to think dominance, power, and protector. Society is influential and a huge part of how we establish what is the norm as it pertains to gender. 

7. Sexed bodies today are seen just like in other eras and times. Women are portrayed inferior to men. In this picture of marketing taken from a store window, a man is shown in front of the woman indicating dominance and superior to her. The woman can be seen as being submissive and displays passive behavior as she swoons over her man.