Choose Your Own Masculinity

How much of a choice do we allow ourselves to make when it comes to how we express our gender?

Photo credit: iStockPhoto

By Justin Lioi

It’s pretty simple for us all to come up with a list of stereotypically masculine traits. I’ve asked groups of people for the first things that come to mind and nothing on that list will shock you.

• No crying
• Fixing problems
• Fighting
• Little emotional expression (except anger)
• Not interested in being nurturing
• Preferring math and science to English class

These stereotypes are the water we swim in and the air we breathe: “gender norms” are not easy to miss. And for each of us, some of them make more sense than others. But how much of a choice do we allow ourselves to make when it comes to how we express our gender?

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The Insidiousness of the Gender Police

When discussing gender, it’s easy to get confused by all the different terms. Sexuality, sex, romantic attraction, gender — these all mean something different.

I’m focusing today on gender identity and gender expression. Two questions: