"That's Not Very Ladylike..."

        Gender roles are obviously stupid and harmful. They teach women to be submissive and men to be dominant; pressure boys to be emotionally vacant & tough and girls to be insecure & pushovers. They restrict us all-however a particular aspect which has interested and affected me is that concerning how to be 'ladylike'.
        Acting 'ladylike' is a social construct in which women are told to behave in a certain way. This includes various codes of conduct such as:

• Cross your legs and sit up straight
• Always look fine and feminine in appearance
• Never swear or laugh/talk too loudly or share strong opinions
• Do not repeat crude comedy or discuss taboo topics

        If you are a woman who does not conform to this ideology, then you are shamed and teased by side comments such as "That's not very ladylike..."- as if your reproductive system somehow dictates how you are meant to act in public. This behavioural concept is so absurd and is only designed to teach young girls to remember to shut up and stay out of the way. It paints them as simply ornaments who are seen and not heard and degrades them to make them feel as if they must fit in an 'ideal' mould.

        The links below discuss the topic and you can discover more opinions by exploring the recent online conversation "#PizzaRollsNotGenderRoles". However this can be dealt with efficiently as shown in Buzzfeed's '12 Signs Being Ladylike Is Not Your Forté' video which states that simply because you do not act like a 'lady', does not mean that you are any less of a woman. Call people out when they spew these kinds of microaggressions and societal attitudes to help them realise that what they are saying is ridiculous and that we need to redefine our views on gender.

Fozz.

Recommended Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu3osSlliLM&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg0s3CDkbvQ