1960s Gender Formation

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The 1960s clearly illustrated gender formation for women. At this time, the master narrative contained ideologies which described what an ideal woman was. One part of the ideology for women was how women were suppose to look. Beauty standards set up by men were to be conformed to, otherwise a woman who did not conform would be seen as undesirable. Thus, a restriction is placed on something simple as appearance. Next, the behavior were women was also restricted. The actions and personality for women again related to conformity. Overall, the ideologies that specify how women must be reduce women to objects for men, lowering their status and limiting their lives, that listen to men. Furthermore, these ideologies were perpetuated through the 1960s …show more content…

No More Miss America, by Robin Morgan, gives insight to the ideology behind the protest of the Miss America Pageant. Morgan does so by first introducing the event and then enumerating ten points that explained the ideologies behind the protest. The first point was criticizing “the degrading mindless-bob-girlie symbol.” This point compares the women the participants of the beauty contest to animals that are judged. This point stands out as it helps to illustrate how the ideologies that contributed to gender formation during the 1960s are objectifying. The reason why the comparison demonstrates objectification is because ideally people should not be judged like animals. There are other values rather than physical appearance in people which are discarded when the standards from the ideologies that helped to shape gender are promoted. As a result, equality for people is compromised with gender formation. Likewise, the ninth point in No More Miss America poses a critique on equality as the abilities for men and women that are “allowed” by society are contrasted. This point explains how men are freer than women due to the lack of restrictive ideologies that are a part of gender formation. This point also explains more specifically how the ideologies that contributes to the female gender formation are

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