Batayen, Christian Jade O.

Soc Sci 5 - Understanding Gender

“Gender Stereotypes and its Prevalence in Clothing Articles”

The gender dichotomy has persisted in society for quite some time. Some hypothesize that it
stemmed from the hunter-gatherer societies humans evolved from and thus began the segregation
due to genitalia.

Wherever the idea of strictly two gender identities come from, it undoubtedly persists in this
world as a constant reminder of an identity binary which some attempt to understand (and
perhaps deconstruct), and of course, the identities that fall in between. This particular paper is
written with the attempt to identify few of the various gender stereotypes that evidently give a
distinction between the feminine identity and the masculine identity.

“Congratulations missus! It’s a boy!”

Perhaps the most common example which can be cited is how infant-wear bestows a child its
gender identity long before a child can be aware of what such a thing is. The moment they are
born into this world, what genital they bear is what gender identity they are to carry. Infants born
bearing genitalia of phallic nature are more likely to end up with blue, while those with a vulvic
genitalia are more likely to wear pink. One could see the prevalence almost like it is a general
standard, a default, a basis of an identity, but the argument for the need (or the lack thereof) of
gender assignment at birth is for another topic to discuss. Simply saying, baby boys end up with
a lot of blue toys, and the same can be said for pink and girls.

According to the article ‘Sexism in Colors – Why is Pink for Girls and Blue for Boys?’ from the
UMKC Women’s Center, baby colors pink and blue started in the 19th century as colors that
highly complimented a child’s hair and eyes. Eventually it evolved to baby boys bearing the
color pink due to its harshness, and blue for baby girls for it was perceived as gentle. The shift
happened when people though that pink was a more emotional color, and was thus, attributed to
women. But it became an immortal concept when capitalists decided that investing in items
geared to gender would generate more revenue. And thus, the pink-blue binary began.

“Of course your bottom matters, honey.”

The gender expression furthers itself into adulthood of course. Colors can only do so much to
identify a person’s gender niche. Rather, society has clothing styles to express that need for
individuals. It is an obvious assignment that women wear skirts, while men wore pants. The
argument being that they were ‘designed for a gender’s needs’ and of course it’s what people
have been accustomed to.

But if one looks at other cultures that perhaps existed in the past, or in the evolving culture of
today’s world, there are multiple examples where the garments switch. In Scotland, men have
been depicted to wear a type of skirt called a kilt, which is a garment of high masculine
importance to that particular culture. In modern times, women have adapted to wearing pants as
well, being that pants can provide better ease of motion.

The stereotype still exists nonetheless, mostly for the skirt, and not as much for the pants. A
woman can wear jeans but a man cannot easily get away with wearing a skirt. Therefore, it is a
symbol of femininity, something a lot of men are afraid of acquiring.

“Alright folks! That’s a wrap!”

Society has its reasons for assigning labels and obligations. These ideas are built upon the need
for survival and growth. But several of these social constructs have somehow outlived
themselves, and now as a progressive species, the human race must ascertain if rigid gender roles
are still viable or if it has become a creakily haunted husk of what it was supposed to serve as.
While people are still advocating for the acceptance of gender fluidity, it is likely that gender
stereotypes will remain in human culture for quite some time.
References:

Britannica, T. E. of E. (n.d.). Hunter-gatherer. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/topic/hunter-gatherer

(n.d.). Sexism in Colors – Why is Pink for Girls and Blue for Boys? Retrieved from

https://info.umkc.edu/womenc/2018/06/25/8369/

Sita, K., Mary, & Sita, K. (2018, August 19). Sacral Meaning Of Skirts And Dresses For Women.

Retrieved from https://www.thesublimewoman.com/sacral-meaning-skirts/

(n.d.). Structure of gender stereotypes: Interrelationships among ... Retrieved from

https://content.apa.org/journals/psp/46/5/991