Elepano 1!

Gerard Elepano

Professor Allie Turner

English 114B

16 May 2018

Project Text Essay

Sex and gender have always been a large question for everyone. We are said to be born a

type of sex, and follow our path of that gender norm that gives us rules to follow. Although, the

big debate questions this social norm of how society has to follow certain rules that are given to

people when they are born. Two authors illustrate how we as humans will lead and follow certain

pathways. Emily W. Kane in her article, “No Way My Boys Are Going to Be Like That”, she

explains the influences that parents do to have children follow certain guidelines of a certain

gender. On the other hand, Aaron Devor in his article, “Becoming Members of Society: the

Social Meanings of Gender”, he explains the norms or “rules” that we as a community set for

everyone. Just as these authors claim, these gender influences have followed me as well with my

ethnicity and also how I am an only child.

This semester at California State University, Northridge, I was able to have the

opportunity to take a sociology course. In this class, we emphasize norms or rules and underlying

habits we as humans socially follow. This ties into the gender roles that we have today. In Emily

W Kane’s article, she was really able to capture the idea of these social norms and how even

without realizing we throw in our ways of being a certain gender. In accordance with the text,

Kane says, “[I]f his son’s interest were in Barbie rather than Ken. A similar balancing act in the

accomplishment of masculinity is evident […]” (Kane 94). What this section entails is how we as
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a society will try to persuade our children to be a certain gender and how with seen with Barbies,

we are able to create these gender thought processes into our children. This can all relate to in the

main theme of my argument mostly by really illustrating the problematic conformity that we are

bringing upon our children and having them understand that society has only two genders even

though, we have multiple way people can express themselves.

Many other societal problems can all influence from those that are always in close

proximity to an individual. In Devors’s article, he emphasizes on the fact that children will learn

cultures social definition and will know what behaviors we should follow (Devor 36). We

understand that will follow know how to act but from whom do we lean our gender identities.

This again is answered our society will show and gives out claims.This all ties together on how

we as a society created a form of norms which thus conformed throughout the nation on how

people should be and is seen as looked down upon by others. Overall, society should

acknowledge the social norms but be able to have the open mind on how people can be born a

certain sex, but does not have to follow the rules of gender on how society sees fit.

Throughout my life the seen of gender has been very definite and how one should act.

Although, many parts of my life has been able to freely acknowledge and accept another gender,

my big influence is my ethnicity. Being a Filipino, my country has widely accepted the gay

community mostly from the promotion of a Filipino superstar “Vice Ganda”. Although, seeing as

people were gay, my parents really enforced the entitlement of being straight. Being born and

raised with only “boy” things and with strict rules, my mind and thought processes are molded

and shaped as a straight, Filipino boy. I believe that the rules of being a certain gender were

incredibly enforced mostly because I was also an only child. With my parents knowing the
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weight, they would always try and scare me and persuade me that I must be straight so I can

carry on their legacy and have children. Seeing this from a sociological person, this is no

different from Kane and Devor. usage of creating gender norms. How this can relate shows how

many of todays society will all try to relate back to the past onto the only two forms of gender

and society. Relating to the two texts stated in this essay, they all help and support the reasoning

to my parents way of trying to persuade me.

Overall, society has held everyone to follow the “mental rules”. Whether we must

acknowledge gender though my experience, Aaron Devor, or Emily W. Kane; gender should be

able to be chosen purely by the individual and not by society.