At twenty-one years old, and in the last year of my undergrad, I stood in line for the bathroom at a local coffee shop. My hair is off my shoulders; I’m wearing cuffed jeans, brown flats to match. There are two signs on two separate doors, both differently labeled. One sign paints a figure in a dress, while the other is straight legged, indicating male or female. I’m there waiting as both rooms are taken, when the straight legged door swing open, a male exiting. The other room is still unavailable, and had the signs not been labeled to each door differently, the logical response would be to enter. I wait. The door painted with the figure wearing a dress swings open. I enter.
Since thoroughly embedding myself in literature while pursuing an English Education degree, I have grown a particular interest in the confinements of society –specifically related to gender roles. Growing up, my tom boy self could never envision doing laundry and dishes for a whole family, as I watched my heroine mother do so day after day. My brother and I had separate chore charts. Ryan took out the trash, completed outside tasks such as mowing the lawn. I was assigned, in print, to vacuum the carpets, clean the bathrooms, and wash the dishes. Without even thinking, a dynamic was created, and still exists in most households worldwide today. Males work the hard labor, heaving lifting, and with machinery. Females clean with the perfect touch and cook with soul. And these roles cannot interchange –supposedly. Gender roles are interesting, as they are foundational elements that construct the unwritten social stereotypes we engage with daily, without thinking twice. Our current generation challenges these expectations fearlessly. The millennial age is publicly enraged by the sexual assault rates, specifically targeting women. The LGBTQ+ community has progressively flourished, and continues to raise societal standards through marches and activism. The percentage of marriages with stay-home-fathers and a full time employed mother continues to increase. The leaps of transformation the millennial age, and the generations before, have created is revolutionary. Gender roles and stereotypes are questioned, brought to attention, and refused. Legendary authors such as Hooks, who taught us feminism is for everyone, or gender is performative –Judith Butler. Ellen, remains the first female television star who came out of the closet on national television –an icon for most. It is a privilege to be surrounded by strong women, creating a sisterhood among all. This is a time for change, and also a time of resilience.
So, why did I wait for the second door?