Expectations

 

 

In today’s culture, there exists a clear distinction between the sexes. Individuals are expected to take on specific roles and dress and act in accordance to their sex. Women are expected to stay in the home, clean and raise children. Men, on the other hand, are expected to be the bread winners and take on masculine responsibilities. These expectations, however, place limits on individuals and make it difficult for one to pursue dreams that lie outside of social expectations.

In Rosin’s essay “A Boy’s Life”, she tells the story of a boy named Brandon who enjoyed dressing up and doing activities that are typically associated with girls. Society look upon Brandon as damaged, simply because he liked doing things that were outside of what society has deemed as a boys activity. Society limited Brandon’s opportunity to pursue because of the limits it placed on the male sex. Similar stories exist for girls who want to play football, women who want a career in a male dominated field, or husbands who want to stay at home and take care of the children. Society has placed boundaries on genders which hinder ones ability to pursue dreams outside of the expected norms.

It is important to note that roles that society deems as masculine usually require strength that typically women do not posses. And roles that society deems as feminine typically require nurture. However society needs to step past this, and accept that women can take on male responsibilities, just as men can take on responsibilities of the opposite sex.

The Media's Representation of Class

         Class can be defined as a social group with similar opportunities. While class roles paly a large role in society today, the media has largely influenced our perception of the upper, middle, and lower classes. In Diana Kendall’s essay, Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption, Kendall explores the theme of class and how it has been affected by media representation.

            In Kendall’s essay, Kendal uses the example of the once popular television show The Simple Life. The show followed Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie as they struggled to do minimum wage jobs and faced the struggles of the every man. This Simple Life is a perfect example of how the media trivializes class relationships and gives a false perception of the class system. Hilton and Richie are presented as superior to the “substandard and low level” middle and lower class people that occupy the jobs that they are attempting in each episode. The media plays huge role in how we view individuals and their social standing. It can, however, unfortunately be incredibly misleading. Media has the power to destroy the social divisions that exist and cultivate a culture of understanding. The media ought to strive to reflect social classes in a positive light and accurately portray the struggles of the upper, lower, and middle classes. This would give society a true impression of class and enable us to better understand those in classes’ different classes.