First of all: what is sexism? Sexism is all kind of discrimination based on Gender or sex; it has been linked to stereotypes and gender roles. While many people use this term to refer to discrimination against women, it can also affect men.
But why do we need to discuss sexism?
In today's world, we have been desconstructing some gender roles, but some of them are still inside us and running through our society.
Every time we hear "Boys don't cry", "You need to man up", "He fights like a girl", "Boys don't wear pink", "You're so smart for a girl" "That's a boy toy, not a girl toy" and so many other phrases, we are facing sexism.
We are so familiar to those expressions, that we don't see how non-sense and biased they are and how intrinsic this is to us.
When a boy grows up listening that he mustn't cry, or he mustn't play with specific toys, or he musn't do something just because he is a boy, he is limited into a box called Gender Role. It also happens with girls, when we tell them they are not able to do something because thay are girls, or when we tell them to sit "like a lady", or to learn how to cook for her to become "good wife", we are dictating requirements fir her to be accepted as a "reespectful woman".
It's not impossible to see sexism from within a gender, it does not only comes from another gender. People from same gender often criticize themselves with allegations which are based in sexism, for example when women criticize each other for showing "too much" body or for being too masculine and fighting against traditional ideas about gender roles and female behavior. This kind of prejudice also manifests in language, as proved by the wide variety of slangs (which cannot be written here), for people (usual women) who defy the norm.
We NEED to discuss sexism, because it unacceptable to try to shape someone based on how society wants they to be. It can be against women who fulfill traditional male roles like military command, or against men in traditional female roles like nursing.
If we continue teaching and telling our kids that somethings are only and exclusive for girls or for boys and doubting their ability, capacity and performance based on their gender, we are collaborating to this preconception keep growing.
We need more representativeness to end this concept and show people that it is OK for a man to be a baby-sitter, or for a woman to be na Air Force pilot, to show girls that they can play with cars and dinosaurs and boys can play with baby dolls.
The most powerful way to fight and end sexism is showing people that their offensive and baseless concepts are wrong and outdated and teaching youngsters to be whoever they want to be, and to do whatever they want to do, regardless of their gender or what society says is right.
But why do we need to discuss sexism?
In today's world, we have been desconstructing some gender roles, but some of them are still inside us and running through our society.
Every time we hear "Boys don't cry", "You need to man up", "He fights like a girl", "Boys don't wear pink", "You're so smart for a girl" "That's a boy toy, not a girl toy" and so many other phrases, we are facing sexism.
We are so familiar to those expressions, that we don't see how non-sense and biased they are and how intrinsic this is to us.
When a boy grows up listening that he mustn't cry, or he mustn't play with specific toys, or he musn't do something just because he is a boy, he is limited into a box called Gender Role. It also happens with girls, when we tell them they are not able to do something because thay are girls, or when we tell them to sit "like a lady", or to learn how to cook for her to become "good wife", we are dictating requirements fir her to be accepted as a "reespectful woman".
It's not impossible to see sexism from within a gender, it does not only comes from another gender. People from same gender often criticize themselves with allegations which are based in sexism, for example when women criticize each other for showing "too much" body or for being too masculine and fighting against traditional ideas about gender roles and female behavior. This kind of prejudice also manifests in language, as proved by the wide variety of slangs (which cannot be written here), for people (usual women) who defy the norm.
We NEED to discuss sexism, because it unacceptable to try to shape someone based on how society wants they to be. It can be against women who fulfill traditional male roles like military command, or against men in traditional female roles like nursing.
If we continue teaching and telling our kids that somethings are only and exclusive for girls or for boys and doubting their ability, capacity and performance based on their gender, we are collaborating to this preconception keep growing.
We need more representativeness to end this concept and show people that it is OK for a man to be a baby-sitter, or for a woman to be na Air Force pilot, to show girls that they can play with cars and dinosaurs and boys can play with baby dolls.
The most powerful way to fight and end sexism is showing people that their offensive and baseless concepts are wrong and outdated and teaching youngsters to be whoever they want to be, and to do whatever they want to do, regardless of their gender or what society says is right.
Article by: Matheus
Drafted by: Humberto
Redatora responsável: Nicole Pires
