Defining

“I am a writer who happens to love women. I am not a lesbian who happens to write.”

-Winterson

In the society of yesterday and the present time, gender and identity has been a big part on how a person is viewed. For example if something about you is different from the status quo of society it becomes the defining property of that person. Such as if a women is ambitious about her work and about excelling in the work place she is considered a bitch but when a man shows the same aspects he is just considered as being driven and focused. Why is it that when both a man and a woman who have the same aspects in personalities one is thought more highly than the other? Society has placed thoughts and ideas into our minds since we were children about how we are supposed to act or function in our society and if we stray from those “guidelines” we will mostly be looked down upon. Women are supposed to be mild manner, obedient, and are mainly looked at as a follower. Men on the other hand are portrayed more as more dominate, rebellious, and mainly a leader figure. These images on how specific genders are supposed to act and the roles that each of them have been set in, have been shown to society for a very long time. Therefore it has been heavily submerged into our culture.

We often add labels to others and ourselves based on what our accomplishments are and how that reflects on us. For example, when Hilary Clinton was running for President no one really in the media really listened to her speaks, not even to critique them. All they cared about was how she dressed and how her hair was styled. The media sure did pay attention when Obama or McCain had things to say. They listened to their political views on current events were and what they planned to do if they became President. Why is it that way? Is it because Hilary was a woman and therefore her views were not as important as Obama’s or McCain’s? This could be contributed to the gender labels or expectations that are so deeply imbedded into our culture.

Culture today puts the gender of a person as the defining feature of identity; instead of the person themselves as the defining feature of their identity. Sartre would say that “existence precedes existence,” and that is the way our culture must view itself.