Research today suggests that the differences between men and
women isn't found in the solar system or even in our brains, but in the way we
view the world around us. The problem with theories that place men in one
corner and women in the other is that they assume all men (or women) are alike.
These thoughts limit our thinking about gender and what it
means to be a man. Like a jackhammer, they pound into our psyches beliefs about
how men are "supposed" to behave. Usually it's defined as simply the
opposite of how women are perceived.
Without labels we don't know who we are. We're uncomfortable
with the idea that men show feminine emotion or women behave in masculine ways.
It's better accepted when gender-bending behavior is over the top or characterized
in drag, but more than a few eyebrows are raised when men behave in ways that
don't typical fit male behavior. Without expectations of classic gender roles,
who are we and how do we define ourselves?
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