Cultural Influences on Gender Identity

Male and female are more of a person's description as opposed to their sexual designation. The words "man" and "woman" carry many more meanings to them than the parts God gave you. Men are tough, violent, and perform more physical jobs while women are sensitive, frail, and they work with cosmetics. Or so the stereotypes say. Everyone feels the need to attain one of these labels, regardless if their actual gender matches the label. The media instituted these labels. Movies, music, television and other forms of visual entertainment associated the qualities displayed by "men" and "women" with actual men and women, and because everyone blindly accepts the media's word, these stereotypes stuck for the worse. The notion that everyday people worship these ideals is disturbing. I dont know why women feel the need to look like Angelina Jolie on a magazine's cover page when they really have no chance in hell of doing so. The media set the stereotypes, but America's people implanted the idea that they have to look like "men" and "women". It cannot be done, and many people have hurt themselves trying to achieve these impossible standards. Steroids, plastic surgery, botox and many other appearance altering procedures have become the coveted thing to do these days. And it's very concerning. When people confine themselves to a certain idea, they fail to see the value of other ideas and ways of life. If a woman is devoting her entire being to looking like a super model, she will fail to see that she, herself, is pretty, has value, and has a place in society.