Then we attempt to construct that gendered identity through our interactions with others, which is our gender expression.
I notice now that gender expression is becoming much more varied between just strictly masculine presenting or feminine presenting. Now it is also becoming more acceptable to do so. It is prevalent especially online and in T.V. media, where you can see someone who identifies as male put on feminine presenting makeup while also keeping their beard.
Our social identities are the components of self that are derived from involvement in social groups with which we are interpersonally committed.
Social identities are important as they tie us to our peer groups and help people identify things we like and groups we associate with. I found another example of social identities and as a plus it is pink (my favorite color).
This begins a lifelong process of thinking about who we are now, who we were before, and who we will become (Tatum, B. D., 2000).
This was really enlightening to hear. I had known that everybody thought about who they were and what they were doing with their life or what they wanted to do (duh, everyone thinks), but it never really sunk in for me. Especially when I would get into that cycle of "you're not doing enough, you need to be trying harder," and I never truly though about how everyone struggles with this journey. So I really appreciate this addition as I struggle with this specific structure a lot in my personal life.
Regarding self-efficacy, men tend to have higher perceptions of self-efficacy than women (Hargie, 2011). In terms of actual and ideal selves, men and women in a variety of countries both described their ideal self as more masculine (Best & Thomas, 2004).
I find it interesting that men have higher perceptions of self-efficacy than women. Is it because boys are raised to be more confident and outgoing, while girls are taught to be more demure and soft spoken? Is this because masculine traits are seen as more positive?
An example of this is that I am a very loud and outgoing person, but some people find it harsh or annoying. This seems like it could be because of our 'standards' for women versus men.
This picture helped me understand self perception theory and goes along with the higher self efficacy.
While we may like to think that our self-perception starts with a blank canvas, our perceptions are limited by our experiences and various social and cultural contexts.
This is something I find really important. There have been many times where I'm trying to explain to someone that you cannot just change or start out perceiving yourself in a positive way. Our experiences and cultures will always effect how we see ourselves. For example; if your family is always telling you "you are dumb and worthless," you will believe it and it will effect how you see yourself. It takes a lot of work to change how we perceive ourselves, especially since these factors are ingrained into us from birth.
Further, an analysis of how weight is discussed on prime-time sitcoms found that heavier female characters were often the targets of negative comments and jokes that audience members responded to with laughter. Conversely, positive comments about women’s bodies were related to their thinness. In short, the heavier the character, the more negative the comments, and the thinner the character, the more positive the comments.
Honestly this one just made me sad. As someone who has lived in a bigger body for most of their life, it always hurt to be the butt end of the joke. Media portrayals of fat people made boys in all the classes think it was okay to do some not very nice things, however, I do think we are starting to move in a more positive direction with how we show people in bigger bodies because of advocates.