The theories and concepts contained within the four articles for this assignment reverberate in memories of my own childhood development. In junior high school, most of my closest friends were boys. I often found girls to be competitive, while boys let me engage in activities without having to worry about who liked who the most or who was the most popular. However, because of this I was often subjected to teasing because of preferring to hang out with boys more than girls. As Powlishta (1995) maintains, “In a sense, the two sexes are raised in distinctive cultures,” (R137). While I tended to resist these categories or different cultures naturally while a young girl, I found that doing so often made me the subject of ridicule from others. Girls were often fond of teasing me, calling me names like “tomboy” because I enjoyed playing games with boys like kickball and tag. My own family members were often guilty of encouraging such distinctions. My mother used to tell me that girls should play with girls, and my father would say that others would talk about me if I did not act more like a girl should act. This relates to Gropper and Froschl (2000) who inform us that “Girls and boys are bombarded with messages about sex roles from birth,” (R132). While I could often discuss this issue with my mother in an open manner, my father refused to think I had any right to continue the behavior. This is in alignment with Kimura’s (1999) comment that “Mothers and daughters develop greater intimacy and reciprocity” (R124).
Role of Sex & Gender in Development of Film’s Subject
The role of sex and gender development in individuality and human behavior is clearly illustrated in the films Bend It Like Beckham and Billy Elliot. In Bend It Like Beckham, we see that cultural differences also impact sex and gender development in addition to the role of sex and gender. Jess is a Hindu girl who enjoys playing soccer, a fact ...