Gender Norms

Gender norms play a large role in our society. They are unsaid rules and regulations that we unconsciously learn to follow since we are little kids. From the first toys we play with, from the difference between dolls and action figures, we are made to believe that girls and boys are supposed to act in a certain way, and never in the same way. “Girly” and “manly” are stereotypes that we have created based on these gender norms that keep everyone in a box of societal expectations. Gender norms control how we live our lives. They plant thoughts like “men should be tough”, “girls shouldn’t act like this” inside us. These ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t’s  keep us from our true selves.