Gender Experience and Analysis Paper
Gender experience and analysis: There are two parts to this personal reflection paper.
Describe an event / experience, time in your life, something you witnessed, that pertains to gender.
Choose only 1 or 2 concepts / theories / analytical insights from required readings. Explain the ideas you are using and then analytically interpret or reflect on the experience you wrote about and bring new meaning to it. Gender Experience and Analysis Paper
This essay should be 4 pages in length not including your title page and reference page. You should spend approximately 40-50% of the essay on the first section and 50-60% on the second section. You may write in first or third person. The marks for this essay will be distributed in the following manner: 10 marks for part one, 15 marks for part two and 5 marks for grammar / writing style and APA referencing.
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The scenario at hand is situation that occurred to my female friend who is a few years older than me. When she was in college, my friend attended a party that was being held a few weeks after she had joined university.Gender Experience and Analysis Paper At the party, my friend was involved in a conversation with another young man who had also joined university. Their friendship escalated quickly, possibly aided by alcohol consumption, and the two hit it off. At the end of the party, my friend left with her gentleman companion to his dorm room and they proceeded to have sexual relations. The sexual situation was entirely consensual, with both of them being attracted to each other sexually. At the moment, my friend was not aware that the gentleman that she had just had sexual relations with had taken some photos of her while she was undressed and asleep .The morning after, my friend bid her new ?friend? goodbye and retired back to her room. Somehow, in a bid to brag about his sexual conquest, my friend?s sexual partner shared some of her naked photos with a number of his friends, and as it is bound to happen once one?s naked photos get shared electronically, the photos ended up being shared throughout the university?s student body.Gender Experience and Analysis Paper
My friend, once she got the news about the fact that her naked photos had been leaked campus wide was understandably devastated. This is not an unusual reaction, as many people in the same situation would feel some shame at having their intimate photos, which were taken without her consent, being shared to all of her peers. However, what shocked her most were the different reactions that she and her sexual partners received. While her ?gentleman? friend was in some of those shared shots, naked as well, the way the student body reacted was different for both of the partners. On her end, she was labelled as a ?slut? and most of the reaction that she received both in person and on social media was negative. She was characterised as loose and promiscuous woman and was widely ridiculed; by both male and female counterparts.
On the other hand, her sexual partner, who was also visibly naked in some of the shared photos, was heralded for his sexual exploits. Despite both of them being in the same situation, the reaction to their situation was entirely different. The gentleman in the photo, in his defence, did not intend to make the photos public. But after the leak, he did not hesitate in revelling in his new ?lothario? persona that his peers had decided to place upon him. No abuse and revilement was directed towards him, instead he was considered to be some sort of ?hero? for having sex with a ?pretty? girl and sharing it online. I believe this is the situation, that I have personally experienced, that starkly highlighted the way society perceives the two genders. Despite both of the participants in the sexual ct being exposed in naked photos, my friend (who was female) was ridiculed, shamed and embarrassed by her school mates while her male partner was lauded for his sexual exploits.
This essay will discuss, using gender theoretical models, to analyze the situation that my friend experience. It is obvious that societal gender stereotypes were in ply during her sexual experience and subsequent public revelation of their intimate sexual photos.
Theoretical insight
There has been a lot of academic literature that has been focused towards the gender differences as they are perceived in society (Oakley, 205; Booth and Nolen, 2012) .Gender Experience and Analysis Paper Different genders; and sexual identities are perceived differently when involved in similar situations. As concerns this case, the theory of masculinity is particularly pertinent in terms of understanding the decision making involving my friend?s sexual partner having the need to revel his sexual experience with his friends. Men and women seem to approach sexual situations differently, and the theory of masculinity perfectly captures the decision of my friend?s gentleman friend in terms of secretly taking intimate photos and sharing them with his friends. Feminist theory is the suitable theoretical framework that attempts to offer insight into the difference in public reaction experienced by my friend and her sexual partner. Feminist theory is concerned with the societal inequality between the two genders.
The theory of masculinity (O?Neill, 2015) is concerned with how the different genders have differing dynamics in a relationship, sexual or otherwise. The theory of masculinity, and the different theoretical concepts that derive from it, re concerned with the ml eccentric hegemonic society that humans experience. As per the theory of masculinity, human males have an inherent need to be dominant and express this dominance both with their female counterparts as well as their male peers. S per the theory, men want to be perceived s being the ?stronger? and dominant gender and due to this, societal institutions are designed, whether deliberately or inadvertently, to favour males.
In terms of sexuality, the theory of masculinity states that men are more likely to consider a sexual experience in terms of being ?conquests? than women re.Gender Experience and Analysis Paper Biologically, the higher testosterone levels exhibited by the male gender is attributed with the different gender perspectives concerning sexual experiences. Part from the biological expression, or possibly due to it, society has placed certain standard for the different genders. Men are expected to exhibit virility and other ?manly? attributes when involved in a sexual relationship. While virginity is considered to be a virtue for women, male virgins are ridiculed and mocked. This situation results in n environment that pressures men, especially young males to prove that they are sexually active.
The theory of masculinity offers a lot of insight into why my friend?s sexual partner felt the need to take secret photos of them while naked and sharing them with his friends. By saying that the masculinity theory explains the gentleman?s decision, I am not supporting the actions that he took, which are considered to be criminal in most judicial jurisdictions. The need for a man to prove that he is sexually active is one that has been catalogued in numerous academic journals concerning psychology and social studies.
Femininity theory is the best theoretical framework that addresses the difference between the public reaction to both sexual partners. Society views the sexual activities of the two principal genders very differently. An overtly sexually active male is considered to be ?virile? and is generally viewed positively in the society?s eyes; conversely an overtly sexually active female is considered to be a ?slut? and is negatively viewed buy society (Pedwell and Whitehead, 2012). Feminist theory covers a wider domain that does not just involve sexual perception. When a male individual is ambitious, it is considered to be a positive trait while a female exhibiting the same amount of ambitiousness is considered to be haughty.Gender Experience and Analysis Paper
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While my friend, and her partner, both appeared nude in the leaked photos, she is the only one that got negative blowback from the situation. There is a clichéd saying that states ?it?s a man?s world?; feminist theory perfectly explains this phenomenon. Traditionally, men have occupied positions of power; and while a lot of strides have been made in terms of gender equality, there is still a male centric societal view that governs how the different genders re perceived socially (Arxer, 2011). Feminist theory has made a lot of progress in terms of highlighting the gender inequalities that put women at a disadvantage.
References
Arxer, S. L. (2011). Hybrid masculine power: Reconceptualizing the relationship between homosociality and hegemonic masculinity. Humanity & Society, 35(4), 390-422.
Booth, A. L., & Nolen, P. (2012). Gender differences in risk behaviour: Does nurture matter?. The Economic Journal, 122(558), F56-F78.
O?Neill, R. (2015). Whither critical masculinity studies? Notes on inclusive masculinity theory, postfeminism, and sexual politics. Men and Masculinities, 18(1), 100-120.
Oakley, A. (2015). Sex, gender and society. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd..
Pedwell, C., & Whitehead, A. (2012). Affecting feminism: Questions of feeling in feminist theory. Feminist Theory, 13(2), 115-129.Gender Experience and Analysis Paper
