gender

Even though we're nowhere near to reaching complete gender equality, both genders definitely have their perks in different contexts. And you can't help but wonder what it might be like to experience certain things as the opposite gender. Would everything be different? Probably not. But there are clearly certain things that are easier for or more fun for one gender over the other, and therefore we envy.

Gender roles are seriously getting so old, and every time we think some serious progress had been made, a thread like this shows up and we are confronted with the fact that we still have a loooong way to go. Yes, we've come a long way from 'boys wear blue and girls wear pink,' or 'boys don't cry.' But these social norms didn't just disappear into thin air. Even if they're not pushed onto us as overtly as, say, the 50's, doesn't mean the ideas don't linger into our minds every time we make a decision about what to wear, or how to sit. 

Basically, things are better, but we haven't entirely broken strict expectations for gender expression. But one day we will, as Miley Cyrus once said, "It's the climb."

A lot of the time people like to assume they know exactly what men want and care about. It is not uncommon to hear a group of women saying, 'Oh, men only want this.' Obviously, though, there are plenty of things that women don't actually understand about men, just as it goes vice versa. There is no simpler gender, all humans are complex and capable of having deeper wishes and dreams. And that 'one thing' that people often say men only care about... well women care about it a whole lot too. And that's the tea.

On Reddit, men are sharing the things they actually want, but don't often get to say out loud, and it's surprisingly wholesome.

Sometimes I wish I could just live in men's basketball shorts forever and always. They're just so flowy and chill that I'd love to wear 'em to work every day. A Redditor started a thread about what fashion staples the opposite gender dons that they'd love to wear for a day (or a year), and some of the responses are things I've never thought about before. Who knew guys were so into the variety that women's fashion offers? Def not me, and now I'm counting my blessings. Scroll down for some insight into classic fashion staples according to gender. 

In my humble opinion, one of the worst trends that social media has perpetuated in the last few years is the gender reveal party. Never has there been a worse excuse to celebrate something that doesn't need celebrating. Parents, trust me, aside from you and possibly your parents, no one else is as invested in the sex of your baby. Let me say that again for the people at the back: NO ONE CARES! People have taken the trend way too far, spending insane amounts of money revealing the gender of their baby, and the madness needs to stop. One father, who also clearly feels the same, wrote to Reddit's Am I The Asshole after sabotaging his wife's $4K elaborate gender reveal plan for their unborn (spoiler alert) son. He posted the gender on Facebook instead, which left his wife understandably gutted. People commented with mixed reviews, some calling him an asshole for sabotaging his wife's announcement in the way he did, but others congratulated him for putting a stop to spending so much money on the gender reveal. What do you think? Asshole or not?

The marketing industry is one industry, selling women sh*t they definitely don't need since the beginning of time. Who's ready to go on an online shopping spree, where we ogle all things "for women" that don't really make sense? Then again, who are we to say what doesn't make sense for women? I'm sure some of you out there might actually be down for the products listed below. Perhaps they are the height of fashion, but I'm personally going in literally the opposite direction of these products. Except for maybe the booty wipes. They sound extremely innovative. Anyhoo, scroll down for my personal take on the most ridiculous products targeted towards women.  

Society might have come a long way in terms of gender equality, but we still have a long way to go regarding gender stereotypes. Taking a toy or object that is no more useful for girls or boys, but making it pink or blue and marketing it toward one gender, can have many negative impacts on how children see the world and shape their identities. It risks reinforcing archaic or harmful generalizations about the behaviors and characteristics attributed to women and men, which, in 2021, shouldn't fly. These pictures of pointlessly gendered objects prove how much companies are profiting off these ridiculous pink and blue marketing strategies. And when you're done scrolling, here are some more objects which were victims of gender stereotyping. 

Who knew people could get creative when it comes to gendering bathroom signs? Alas, not every creative project goes well - while some thrive, others totally bomb. Twitter users the worst yet funniest gendered bathroom signs, and they did not disappoint. Below are the best shots of gendered bathroom signs gone wrong. Some are stereotypical, some are sexist, but all are hilarious. Check 'em out, and let us know which one is your fave! 

The world might have come a long way in terms of gender equality, but it is by no means there yet. Gender imbalances and stereotypes show up in our everyday lives in such subtle ways that we often don't notice them.  We have gendered toys thrown in our faces from a young age; pink everything for girls and blue everything for boys. Unfortunately, when society enforces such labels and puts boxes around genders, it only reinforces outdated and toxic ideas about femininity and masculinity. These objects are a case in point; they are gendered for no reason other than to sell them at an inflated price. Because god forbid, a boy used a pink tea bag.

Admit it, you have a ton of questions you've always wanted to ask a member of the opposite sex, but haven't been able to. Perhaps you never have the balls (see what I did there?) to ask, or it wasn't an appropriate question, or you just don't know anyone to ask. Whatever the reason, you are not alone. Turns out, loads of people have these questions and a Reddit thread has kindly collated them all, so you can peruse through and see the answers to some of the most commonly thought of questions for the opposite sex. 

The world is made up of all different types of people, which is what makes it so diverse and wonderful. Everyone deserves to be happy, and for some people, that means undergoing a gender transformation so that they feel the best version of themselves they can be. Thanks to modern medicine, hormone replacement therapy has allowed millions of people to change to the opposite gender with incredible results, allowing them to feel at home in their own skin. These pictures show just how much happier people can be once they've made the change, and how impressive the end results are!

Face swapping is a phenomenon that has been making its way around the internet, giving some pretty hilarious results. Whether it's on ourselves, Disney characters, or our favorite celebrities, changing someone's gender or face is always going to create entertaining content. Someone created a Twitter thread of what happened when she used the Faceswap app to change the gender of celebrities and the results are a mixture of hilarious and disturbing. Enjoy! 

Seriously? Why do women need their own pink glue sticks? How is that going to help anyone anywhere?

Here is a Twitter thread, by user @themouseyouknow, on completely and ridiculous products that have for some reason been given genders. 

There's even a Twitter account, @genderproducts, dedicated to "collecting discoveries of unnecessarily gendered products from Twitter and around the world."

It's no secret that a majority of folks are completely over the whole 'gender reveal' extravaganza, even the woman who "invented" it actually regrets it! 

However, we can all mostly agree that tweets ABOUT 'gender reveal parties' are something we are completely not over. 

Keep 'em coming.  

To be completely honest, we never even thought of Gingerbread man cookies as even having a gender, regardless of having "man" in their title. They were just cookies, in our eyes, delicious cookies that belonged in our bellies. 

The year is 2019 and cookies are getting the non-gender treatment. 

A cafe in New Zealand, The Tannery, went viral after the owner renamed his selection of gingerbread men cookies to "gender-neutral gingerbread person" cookies. The owner, Andre Cettina, was inspired to make the change to the classic cookie when a customer asked, "why the human-shaped snacks were called 'gingerbread men' and not 'gingerbread people'."

Story via Daily Mirror