Heteronormative/Oppression

This is a picture of two of my friends I grew up playing basketball with. The one friend sitting on the couch is watching Gossip girl and his teammate, went out of his way ill be it in a semi-joking way, to create a poll on Instagram asking if a male who is heteronormative is "gay" for watching a tv show that is considered to be for girls or  "girly"  in our society. This post also relates to gender being socially constructed and how there is hierarchy related to gender and the belief that being masculine is better in our society compared to being feminine. This comment, unfortunately, shows signs of oppression of those who don't fit into societies preconceived gender norms. This also deals with another issue, due to the fact that this phrase is being used in a negative connotation. This guy is being bullied over social media due to the fact that he is stepping outside what he is expected to watch as a straight male in our society. This is also problematic when looking at the lgbtq community and those who specifically identify as "gay" by using a human beings sexual orientation in a negative connotation. This exemplifies the privilege of heteronormativity in our society and the oppression of those who don't align with this institutionalized way of thinking.




Rothenberg, P. S. (1998). Race, class, and gender in the United States: An integrated study. New

     York: St. Martin's Press. Part 1, Ch 1, 2, 5, 6. Part 2, Ch 2, 4. Part 4, Ch 2.


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