Do you believe that sexism is a learned behavior? Just like racism, sexism is most definitely a learned behavior. People aren’t born as narrow-minded or illiberal beings. They’re taught to hate by the individuals and the environment that they are exposed to.
How can we empower ourselves to avoid contributing to sexism in our communities? I think that would call for a major cultural cleanse, something that a lot of people would not be willing to give up. Although the most direct solution would be to simply shut down any kind of media that clearly promotes or contributes to sexism, that kind of revolution just seems so far-fetched in today’s world…We need to empower ourselves through education and take a second look on the critical and devastating affects of today’s media.
According to “How To Talk To Young Girls” and “Miss Representation,” how are women responsible for holding other women to impossible standards? Both the article and the documentary explain how women are held responsible for holding other women to impossible standards through their physical appearance; promoting these unhealthy and unrealistic standards. In "How To Talk To Young Girls" the writer notes “As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What’s missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments.
Do you think women are as much to blame as men for the sexism in our media and our lives? I do believe that men hold a higher percentage when it comes to the representation of sexism in the media and ultimately our lives, as they’re typically associated with the very same businesses that objectify women in the first place. Although, as much as it hurts to admit, some women would be held just as responsible as men when it comes to sexism.
