Gender Roles: Milkie and Anderson

Many of the aspects explored in Melissa Milkie's article, "The Impact of Pervasive Beauty Images on Black and White Girls' Self-Concepts," are all too well known realities in the lives of every female regardless of age. Being a part of the "white" girl social category (despite my Puerto Rican and Middle Eastern background), I can say that I have and still do deal with body issues. It is not only because there are women on the cover of every magazine and women who are paraded around in media who represent an "unrealistic" portrayal of what a woman is supposed to look like, but there are "normal" women in our society who strive to look like that as a result of the pressure. I, just like any other social being, want to fit in. What I completely disregarded, mostly due to my bias thinking that every women must feel like this, is that minorities do not vie with this image and create their own image in which to live by. Unlike "white" girls' perceptions of a women's body, "a wider range of physical appearances and body shapes that the black girls seemed to accept as good-looking in themselves and others was related to a more inclusive beauty ideal (Milkie 127)."

        In Eric Anderson's article, "Varieties of Masculinity in Male Cheerleading," he explores to degree of masculinity within the field of men who participate in cheerleading. I never knew how serious some men take the sport and it is refreshing to know that masculinity has morphed from "homophobic and antifeminine-acting attitudes" to men who now say "Why should people care if I'm straight?" and rejecting the idea to "devalue femininity" (Anderson 284-5, 289). Its transformations in these social roles that move our country forward and propel us towards a more open-minded society.

        After reading these articles, I learned that gender roles and preconceptions are different among different societies and are constantly changing. Not only are roles being blurred between men and women, but there are different standard that are being applied, a symbolic shift, if you will, to how we now view what a man or women should do, look like and act.

Adler, Patricia A., and Peter Adler. ""The Impact of Pervasive Beauty Images on Black and White Girls' Self-Concepts" By Melissa A. Milkie." Sociological Odyssey: Contemporary Readings in Sociology. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2001. 120-28. Print.

Adler, Patricia A., and Peter Adler. ""Varieties of Masculinity in Male Cheerleading" By Eric Anderson." Sociological Odyssey: Contemporary Readings in Sociology. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2001. 283-91. Print.

A Reflection of Chapter 1 - How Do Sociologist Study Society?" By Joel M. Charon

The ideas in Chapter 1 of “Ten Questions: A Sociological Perspective,” can adhere to anyone’s life. The idea of empirical proof, or “understanding through observation,” is derived from every experience (Charon 9). While one may not directly state a hypothesis, gather data, and draw concrete conclusions, this is the very basis of learning from one’s experiences. I know that in my life, I never make the same mistake twice. This is based on the reasoning that the “mistake” in question had already been tested, options weighed and conclusion drawn. Without directly making a correlation between the science of sociology and my life, I have been living this idea of the science of society and in particular my own individual views of society.

Honestly, as uninformed as it may sound, I never really though of sociology as being a real science. I thought it was based off of principles and ideas that were established by the great thinkers of long ago and while that also holds true, there are always new assumptions that can be tested to see if they hold true as an idea that can be applied to studying society.

"The Promise of Sociology" By C. Wright Mills

"The Promise of Sociology" brought together two ideas that catapulted the relationship between the two to a new level: the individual and society. Mills suggests a powerful idea: man is defined by historical change as history is defined by the individuals who change it. To understand each together enables one to establish a clear meaning for each entity; this is the link between history and individual biographies. Mills reinforces this idea of awareness and how many people do not look beyond their individual troubles to see the real issues that prevent them from living to their fullest potential: "Seldom aware of the intricate connection between the patterns of their own lives and the course of world history, ordinary men do not usually know what this connection means for the kinds of men they are becoming and for the kinds of history-making in which they might take part (Mills 11)." To realize this is to acquire a "sociological imagination." Mills says that this perspective allows individuals to "become conscious of their social positions" by being aware of societal issues in addition to personal troubles. Mills defines troubles as individual values that are threatened to the immediate environment of a limited social life, while issues are matters that transcend the singular mindset and effect the organization of society (14). By incorporating a sociological imagination, it is possible to achieve greater things in the world, not only effecting oneself, the individual, but by imprinting change into society's history.

It is something to consider: an idea that is greater than oneself. It is almost a selfless notion to adopt such a way of thinking and in return, such achievement can be obtained. These idea of troubles and issue through the sociological imagination teach us to be better human beings, not just to ourselves and those immediate people around us, but to the world. If everyone had this sociological imagination, the world could become a better place for everyone. While the world as a collective unit may not be striving towards betterment all the time, the sociological imagination embedded in a few has the ability to touch the hearts of many more by keeping the intrinsic relationship between the individual and society alive, allowing the individual to transcend beyond their troubles to change the fabric of society.

"3 Sociological Perspectives" By Paul Colomy

 

As the title of the article suggests, it was interesting to read about society through the lens of different perspectives. Each perspective is categorized as either a macro ideal or a micro ideal; focusing on society as a large entity or individual people (Colomy 31). Symbolic interactionism focuses in on people's interpretation of certain meanings they assign to objects. From this micro perspective, one can gauge the way people perceive society through the meanings they derive from their definition of a situation (Colomy 31). Functionalism is a macro perspective that defines society through the application of certain functions and its success to adhere to society's needs. The last of three, the conflict perspective, takes a macro look at society as being made up of opposing interests that cannot come to an easy resolution, rejecting the idea that societies are problem/solution entities as depicted through a functionistic perspective (Colomy 36).

I thought the article was interesting as I have only adopted parts of these perspectives in my everyday life. Symbolic interactionism particularly resonates with me as I relate to most people and my surroundings by the meaning that I place on the things that I value, even as basic as the words that I choose. My ideas and concepts form how I function as a member of a whole society. The two macro perspectives were something that I never considered much as a whole, in particular, concerning the idea of society being a problem solving machine or the opposing view that society is based upon values clashing. After reading the article, I may be more inclined to view the world in relation to these macro ideas to get a better idea of the bigger picture that I had been missing since I only primarily focused on seeing society through the eyes of the individual.

"Class in America: The American Dream"

"Class in America" did not give me any insight I did not feel in my bones; the article just put words to a bigger picture I’ve always known. I agree with the article where it states "Faith in mobility has been consciously woven into the national self-image (10)." I am the first generation of my family to be born and raised in American. Being Puerto Rican, Egyptian, Syrian I not only heard the story of the struggle, but I watched my parents strive to provide a better life than they had for themselves growing up. I wasn’t exactly born with the best hand of cards (completely unrelated to wealth and class), but I, too, find myself searching for brighter and better. I view life as an uphill mountain with no apex. I can completely relate to those who are for upward mobility in social rankings, according to the article, and can’t quite understand why those who appear to be ignorant cannot agree with this idea. Social class is not reserved for the already affluent; it is for everyone to explore. As “faith in mobility” flows through my veins, as well as the veins of many others, I cannot just believe there isn’t a better life for myself and my peers. It is this underlying faith that drives everyone to better for themselves and, as a result, for society as a whole. Articles like these make me curious about the individual struggle and I will soon find myself in a library looking through countless biographies of those successful people that started off with a less than ideal situation. It’s inspiring, it give me hope, and keeps the faith alive.