masculinity

I went to a baby shower yesterday, and an aquaintance of mine, who works with my mother and the woman having a baby, came in with his son. Connor was being shy, wrapped tightly around his father's neck. Someone asked what happened to his blonde curly locks, and his father said, "Well, I said that when he was a year and a half he had to get a boy haircut."

"Why?" my mom asked. I was wondering this, too. Why is it vital that this little boy should have short hair?

"Because...he's a boy!" (laughs)

Maybe I'm just really thinking hard about my Sociology class, but I don't know if this is putting the right idea in that little boy's head.

This is something I wrote last year, when really really angry. It was a long time ago, and looking back I think my thoughts were ridiculous. I am now so proud to be a woman - wouldn't change it for the world. But this strange 'Grrr I hate being a women' phase was very necessary.

I said, making general assumptions about a particular gender and its specific behaviours is wrong.

I said, we are not even in the right position to comment on something we will never truly understand. Another gender’s reality cannot be grabbed by someone of the opposite sex because the person will never ever experience how it feels to be a man, or a woman.