Communication & Gender class - Post #1

     Well, this is my very first blog and I'm actually excited to come out of my shell to post some thoughts I have regarding the themes of this class. After allowing some of the main ideas to simmer in my mind for awhile, I started to think back on my childhood in the late 60's and 70's, and how the themes of femininity was masculinity were presented to me in my house.

     From my earliest memory, I wanted to look pretty. My mom never left the house without having her makeup on and styling her hair. I liked to watch her in the bathroom performing her morning routine. As for my Dad, he was in the car business and he never left the house without wearing a suit and tie. For my third birthday, I have a vague memory of wanting my hair curled before the party because  I always watched my mom roll her beautiful red hair in curlers at night before bed. One of my favorite gifts from that day was a basket filled with  "little girl" nail polish and some small little plastic compacts of blush, powder and lipstick. There is actually a picture from that day in one of my mom's many photo albums. I was sitting on the floor wearing only the slip that was under my party dress and I was playing with the contents of that basket. I know that I was in my glory by the huge smile that was on my face in the picture.

     During my adolescence, I loved my Barbies. I had the Barbie Camper, the Barbie Car, and a couple of the portable Barbie wardrobe holders, complete with the miniature pink hangers. I could never have enough clothes and high heel shoes for my dolls. (To this day, I still love clothes and high heeled boots and shoes... but for myself!)  Eventually, I had to have the Ken doll to play with, too. Barbie and Ken would go on trips in the camper, or take rides in their car to various destinations that I made up. 

My brother is 3 years younger than me and I remember him playing with his hot wheels, Lincoln Logs, and Tonka dump trucks. Our roles as girl and boy came natural to us and we never questioned anything different. I realize that for many people the role of gender is not so basic, or as "cut and dry" as my own, so I am looking forward to learning about how the identities of others were presented during their childhoods, and how they came to view their gender role(s).