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Friday, July 02, 2010

Tag Time! Gender Stereotypes!

This is a tag from Shilpa:
If you are a woman,
Have you ever wanted something that is considered ‘manly’ ? Like a basketball, a cell phone, a dog, a camera or a new laptop? A new car or motor bike? Ever wanted to be a pilot? A doctor or not a nurse? And the manliest want of them all – The remote! ;)
As a kid did you enjoy playing with a bat and a ball?
There was a time when books were considered ‘manly’, women authors had to pretend to be men – would you say books are still rather manly – women should want to embroider and crochet?
If you are a man,
Have you ever wanted something that only women are supposed to want – like bags, shoes, clothes, creams, perfumes, babies, flowers? A peaceful home and a happy family? Have you ever been afraid of the dark or of insects?
As a kid did you ever want to play ‘teacher-teacher’, cooking or did you like playing with a doll? Have you ever enjoyed cooking? Bought something in pink? Loved chocolates?
After reading IHM's tag I was torn. The first feeling I got was, bah! I don't get this at all and later I hoped that she had tagged me so I could have written some of my own instances. So when Shilpa tagged me I was super excited. I also noticed that another friend of mine also had my same initial reaction when I told her that she was also going to get tagged. Interesting.


Growing up in India, that too in a small township in Trichy and later in Chennai, I have broken many gender stereotypes. I have also suffered from many of it, which will probably be for another post if I ever decide to write it. I was always a social butterfly and I was far more into enjoying life than most others around me who were almost always quick to judge. Anyways, all that later for a rant post, let me get to the tag first.


  1. I have ridden a motorbike around Chennai quite a few times. With helmets on of course. I never wanted to be seen as a ‘girl’ riding the bike. It was my brother’s Kawasaki.
  2. I have roller-skated when I was just a little girl (early 80’s) being the only girl in the rink in our township. I was the only tennis player in our court when I was growing up. Boys used to push me aside and be mean to me until one day I just used my muscle to show that I could beat them in the game of tennis. I got respect after that.
  3. I have almost always been the only girl in bathing suit in our pool in the township. Heck, I have been the only girl in the pool itself. I have photos to prove it.
  4. I spoke with boys in Chennai, as a little girl growing up. It was a taboo those days. Boys used to visit my house, classmates, and friends, and I have had people talk ill of me behind me. Biatches!
  5. I don’t like Valentines Day.
  6. I don’t go all crazy over stuffed toys.
  7. I cannot do the baby speak. I am sorry babs you never got baby talk from me.
  8. I cannot say cho-chweet and I get annoyed when people say that to me or something mine.
  9. I love watching tennis, Formula 1 racing, and basketball and many men have given me grief assuming that I follow this only to check out the good looking guys in it! Really?!! I am sure I can kick your ass in tennis and F1 trivia for sure!
  10. I like to swear and abuse. Cuss words 
Before I finished this, I realized that I could actually list out more than 15 resons and then I toned it down to be the most common ones that made me feel annoyed or like a stranger. I grew up with boys at home and most of the time I could never understand what the big deal was!

I am tagging the following friends for following reasons, please pick it up and add the above badge to your blog as well!

Megha: Because I always want to know your opinion.
Shannah: So that I can see your point of view.
Arshiya: I would like to get a journalistic view on this.
Poorva: You are from a different generation.
Sum: I love your bird stories
Kavita: I love your cakes!


And anyone else who is ready to take up this tag! Thank you Shilpa for tagging I really enjoyed doing this one.

Love
ART

16 comments:

shilpa said...

"I spoke with boys in Chennai" - I must admit I laughed when I read this.
Love your list. Even I have no patience with baby speak etc!

Indian Home Maker said...

Anu, I wanted to leave the tag open for everyone - but I was afraid then nobody would write it! Now if they see their name there then there is some pressure to pick the tag ;)

And later I went and tagged many more people who I thought showed interest :)

Some bloggers picked the tag just because they liked it - that is always allowed - it makes the tagger feel very nice :) Psst... you can also email a blogger and ask her to tag you!

Driving a Kawasaki was awesome and adds you to Gender Sindom straight away :)

Talking to boys - gosh why is such a big deal made of it? But it does make you a sinner because only boys are allowed to talk to boys!

And when you look back you realise that it didn't matter how many girls were there in the pool with you - I am sure others were dying to join, but weren't allowed. Your roller skating makes us sisters in sin - I loved roller skating too :)

Tennis? A love of sports is so wonderful - it will keep you fit for life!! And again sports for girls are a Sin Against Gender Stereotypes.

Do join the Sinners on facebook :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Anu,
I loved your post on people thrashing indians migrating to US. Here is another article where the author does nothing, but thrash indian born kids. Please read and comment.
http://themadmomma.wordpress.com/

I think, she has nothing better to do, except bad mouth NRIs. Case of sour grapes eh?

Rohini

Anu Russell said...

Dear Anony,
Blogger played with your comment and I lost it :( Anyways, here it is.


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Tag Time! Gender Stereotypes!":

Hi Anu,
I loved your post on people thrashing indians migrating to US. Here is another article where the author does nothing, but thrash indian born kids. Please read and comment.
http://themadmomma.wordpress.com/

I think, she has nothing better to do, except bad mouth NRIs. Case of sour grapes eh?

Rohini

Anu Russell said...

Shilpa,

It was really a big deal back home. I remember once my classmate had come home to visit me and we were hanging outside my house, he was on his motorbike and me at the gate and talking. Two ladies taking a walk around started giving us nasty looks and talking bad...my class guy suddenly caught hold of my hand and jerked me closer...and i was like "what the..."

He then told me, they are anyways talking, I am just trying to get a kick out of this...they shut their mouth after that and kept walking in silence...it was worth it!

Anu Russell said...

IHM,

Thanks, next time I will ask :)

I am not sure if you are from the south or grew up there. If you did, then you would know what I am saying, right? It was a big deal, like what I told Shilpa above, I had so many such incidents in my life.

There was this community new year party that i missed because i was partying with friends when one lady asked my mother where I was. Mom promptly told her i was out with friends to which the lady replied, "well you have three boys and no girls." Mom was super pissed and told her, "at least i have raised a brave girl, I cannot say the same for some of you here."

ARGH!!!

Ya, I loved it then and I love it nice and being in teh pool is liberating!

I have always been made fun of because I was the only girl in the court, the skating arena, or anywhere else...I have rarely let it bother me and I agree with you...it has always been fun!

Thank you for the kind comments!

Megha Bansal said...

Love your list and thanks for tagging.

I always wanted to ride a Bike, but I no one would let me. The perils of not having a brother, I guess?
Man, I was the only one to talk to boys too, it was apparently a big taboo! How stupid nai?
O I completely forgot about the going to movies and coming home of guys. Stupid girls I tell u! I hate my college days for these reasons! A class mate once said we liked to go to movies with boys, so we could watch the boys and not the movie! I don't think I have ever anything more stupid since :D
You watch and play waaayyyy more than I do! And yes I think I can only quote tennis and cricket stats, I can bet you can do more :D
Fun tag Anu and IHM.

Anu Russell said...

Meghs!! Thanks for taking up the tag! of course you already got my comments on it!!!

We are all just so cool! because we are!!!

Anonymous said...

Is it BHEL township ?

Anu Russell said...

kNITNKANMANI,

Yes! the same old Kailasapuram in Trichy!

ARe you from there too?

Anonymous said...

my entire extended family is from there ,my uncle dr.christdoss ,another uncle , now my granpa cousisn are all from there
i have come there for vacations my cousisn studied in rsk .Me born n brought up in blore but native of mannargudi

Anonymous said...

my entire extended family is from there ,my uncle dr.christdoss ,another uncle , now my granpa cousisn are all from there
i have come there for vacations my cousisn studied in rsk .Me born n brought up in blore but native of mannargudi

Anonymous said...

my entire extended family is from there ,my uncle dr.christdoss ,another uncle , now my granpa cousisn are all from there
i have come there for vacations my cousisn studied in rsk .Me born n brought up in blore but native of mannargudi

Kavita said...

Thanks for tagging Anu,


My school days and college days were miserable, thanks to immature girls and boys.. the moment they saw you talking to someone from the opposite sex, they would link you up and then its such a bother to be friends. When it continued into engineering.. I had the fortune of being linked to a similar minded guy! He said.. "bolne waale to bolte hi rahenge.. does that mean we should stop talking to each other! "

Now when we visit people or they come home, there is this disturbing trend where the women leave the men alone and move into the kitchen//bedroom to discuss "kids and hubbies" I hate it!

I don't mind killing a cockroach and I am not going to squeal at the sight of one.. (ok if its a spider /lizard that comes out of the blue ..I will)

Nanda_Uforians said...

may b there is something u shuld avoid to "avoid" the tag... stop commenting "cute..sweet" every time some one uploads a KID picture in facebook ! :) ... I see only gals doing this !

Anu Russell said...

Wow! Nanda! You actually commented! touched!

What else do you say? At least i dont say Cho Chweet!