Why is it Gendered?

I know you’ve probably seen and/or read articles where female sports fans go on their rants about the ‘struggles’ of being a sports fan. Yes, all of them are true; BUT let me turn the table to the men so you know what it feels like when something you’re knowledgeable on is challenged by the opposite sex/gender.

For my well-dressed men out there: I bet you think you’re very knowledgeable on designers, styles, fashion eras, etc. Let’s say you’re shopping with your girlfriend, and she is getting a little black dress with ruching. You say, “Oh, I really like the ruching on that dress.” Your girlfriend responds, “Why do you know what that is? Where does the term come from? What designer made this popular?” You feel bombarded and belittled; you have no time to respond, because she keeps cutting you off.

Not into fashion? Well then, let’s continue…

For my music men: I bet you think you’re very knowledgeable on the changing chart toppers or the new underground music that’s starting to hit the scene. Let’s say a woman you’re talking to is also a big music fanatic. She starts bombarding you with questions about the biography of the band or artist, how many albums they’ve made, where they’re originally from, etc.

EVEN BETTER: Let’s say you’re a big One Direction/Justin Bieber/Taylor Swift/”girly music” band fan. You tell a woman this and she asks, “Oh, is this just a phase?” You feel insulted, because, apparently, it’s weird for men to like what’s considered girly music.

Still doesn’t apply to you? Well, hold on buddy; let me make this clear to you:

Hobbies and interests are not gendered. It’s completely acceptable for women to love football, baseball, basketball, soccer, any sport, just how it’s completely acceptable for men to like Justin Bieber or know about the fashion industry. Men, you say you want to change the perspective of women or that you’re a feminist, yet you push the old school traditional values held by our grandparents on women.

I’m not trying to bash men; that’s the last thing I’m trying to do. I’m trying to open your eyes to your actions and how it would feel if the way you treat women was done to you. The fact that women in the 21^st century are still being ridiculed or questioned for liking sports is despicable, just how men in the 21^st century are still being ridiculed or questioned for liking things that are considered to be feminine.

Let people be who they are. The only way that these old school traditional values can be erased is through action by BOTH men and women. If men want to wear pink (only REAL men wear pink) or want to be into very poppy music, because they like to do so, let them. If women want to follow sports and know the statistics of their team because they like to do so, let them. The first step to getting rid of these gender roles is through action, so let’s get started.

What's the Deal with Award Season?

The MTV Video Music Awards, or VMAs, were this past week. Almost everyone's eyes was on their television, waiting to see who would win what award or if there would be a repeat of Miley Cyrus. Well, there was nothing as jaw-dropping as Miley Cyrus' performance last year, but Beyonce pulled on the heart strings with her whole album performance and being awarded by her husband and child.

I was one of the few people who was not watching the VMAs (in case you want to know, I was watching Bears highlights on YouTube). I read about the happenings on Twitter and watched the trends the following morning.

Thinking about the VMAs in retrospect, I kept wondering why these award seasons are ridiculously popular. I understand four awards: Grammys, Emmys, Oscars, and Tonys. Every other award, e.g. the TCA, PCA, VMAs, etc, seems absolutely pointless. Why does a singer/band need an award, because they put together a great video? There are THOUSANDS of people who can create videos at the same caliber or even better, and they are not being recognized.

The TCA & PCAs? Really? Let's give you an award because people like you? Then give everyone in the world a TCA or PCA, because at least one person likes another person. It's absolutely pointless.

Again, while I was considering the purpose of these awards, I remembered a fellow classmate from my high school. He stated, "The award season is basically watching rich and wealthy people receive awards from other rich and wealthy people for singing or portraying someone that they're not." That could not be more true. Think about it for a second.

The Oscars, Emmys, and Tonys are awards given out for acting in Hollywood and on Broadway. What is acting in reality? Acting is a way to play a person that you aren't, a fantasy, an escape from reality. There are people being REWARDED for playing something they're not. Isn't the point of life to be rewarded for being who you are? It's hypocritical.

The Grammys are awards given out to singers. Well, there are MILLIONS of people that are talented singers across the world, yet they didn't receive a grammy. Why? Because they don't have a contract with the music industry. That's really the only reason they didn't receive one. That's absolutely ridiculous.

People then say, "Well, the fashion is what I care about." You could actually wait until the next day, pick up a tabloid, and see what these celebrities wore to the event. You could also subscribe to fashion magazine and see what they will probably wear months before they decide.

"Well, I like the performances." That's what YouTube is for; you can see past live performances that these singers/bands have done. You can also go and see them in concert yourself.

After reading all this, do you really see a reason to waste three or four hours of your time to watch rich people receive an award?