What Are The Most Significant Events That Shaped My Gender Identity

There is no single experience that has shaped my life or character, but there have been several seemingly insignificant events that have rolled together to make me who I am today. It’s the simple things like my mother telling me that blue was a color for boys and that my favorite needed to be something girly, like pink or purple. Or when I was five and my mother signed me up for cheerleading because my father said that martial arts was something only boys could do. It was being told by my kindergarten teacher that “boys will be boys” after one of my classmates cut off chunks of my hair.

I didn’t realize that this type of behavior was unfair at this age, that would only happen once I was in middle school, where I was sent to the office for dress code violation. I was told that the sight of my shoulders was too distracting for boys, which taught me a truth I still today, as a senior in high school, know to be true: schools value the way girls dress more than the education they’re receiving. …show more content…
I’ve been ridiculed for looking a certain way or for not partaking in feminine activities. I’ve been taught to be ashamed of my gender, but also to be ashamed if I defy the stereotype. I’ve been taught, “boys will be boys” and told that I should be flattered by cat calling. Taught that my body is to be sexualized and my mind is to be discarded. I’ve been told I could not be in the science or engineering field because that’s a job for men; that I needed to pick something more suitable for someone of my gender. I’ve been told that even if I do make it in the career of my choice that it’s likely I will not be given the same pay or respect that my male counterpart