What Reflected My Gender Socialization

There are factors that strongly affect the children’s view about gender and sex. It can be
the upbringing; it can be the environment or society. These factors show a great influence to
children's expectation of what should a male do and what should a female do and these
expectations limit their understanding of reality about gender and sex.
The only event in my childhood that I will never forget that reflected on my gender
socialization was being called as “tomboy” or “tibo” just because of the way I dressed myself. I
was born second and I have an older brother and this affect the way I dress because his clothes
are also my clothes, but it doesn’t mean anything to me as I don’t see it as boy’s clothes but
simply clothes. But the society don’t see it that way. Every time I go out of the house, the
grown-ups always call me as tomboy or tibo and later on it was picked up by their child. That
event made me realized the difference of boys and girls, the expectations the society molded of
what is wrong and right in the two sexes. That event made me believed that people can only be
classified as boys/men and girls/women and anything other than the two is unacceptable.
As I grow older, it naturally dawned on me that the expectations and label that the
society made is somewhat wrong. I grow up with that belief but I also realize that I am open
with acceptance. I accept and respect the differences of each individual. I believe that human
beings are bound to be different from one another and we shouldn’t let the expectations of
society tells us of what we should be and whom we should be. As long as we are not hurting
others and ourselves, we are free to be who we really are.