Gender

Growing up my parents let me play with almost any age appropriate toy that I wanted. I had an abundant amount of Barbies and American Girl dolls while my brothers had every G.I. Joe that was ever made but we all played together, putting my Barbies in the G.I. Joe tank and so on. Our parents never looked down upon me playing with “boy toys” or my brothers playing with my “girl toys” and me. We also played hairdresser with fake scissors, house with fake food and school. My parents would never get mad or yell at my brothers when they would be the baker or be the hairdresser because we were happy.

My parents let me participate in any and every sport I wished. I was in gymnastics and cheerleading for a few months then told my parents I didn’t want to do it anymore because it was not something my brothers would do with me. Growing up I played soccer, basketball, softball and volleyball and continued with volleyball until I was 17. I preferred a sport with a ball because my brothers’ main sport was football while also playing basketball, running track and baseball. I wanted to be equal to them, which meant not being a girly girl and being able to be rough with them.

We also would wrestle when we were little from me being about 5 to 8, I was never told by my parents that I couldn’t do so because I was a girl. I believe my parents did not put gender roles on us because they did not have them on each other. My mom is a very independent hardworking woman who works in the business world of sporting goods, which is predominantly male based, my father does the same. They view one another as equals so that is how my three brothers and I were raised.

I was not extremely exposed to these set in stone gender roles until my arrival for college in Mississippi in August 2008. I was told multiple things just in passing or would hear what some people would say. Some being, “whisky is for guys”, “beauty is pain if you are a lady”, “women belong in the kitchen”, etc.

Not that some of these views are not had in Houston, Texas but men and women do not typically comment or say those types of things. In my experience in living there and going back for breaks my friends and the people I associate myself with do not look down upon women. Many people have a very high and positive viewpoint of successful women and agree that women should be equal to men. It is not that way all throughout the state but in the metropolitan of Houston and the surrounding suburbs (unless you live on a farm or are very old country Texas) women are viewed more equally than I have ever seen in Mississippi.