Jen

“I was getting my makeup done one day when the man doing my makeup began to talk to me about his fiancé. I automatically assumed that he was gay, but trying to remain politically correct, I asked him if he did makeup for his fiancé. Before I knew it, a big, muscular, man walked into the salon. ‘Hey!’ the main said who was doing my makeup. ‘This lady wants to know if I do your makeup as well.’” Now was that the correct thing to do in the situation? When put in that situation, it was difficult for my mother to phrase her question. She had already assumed that the man was gay, but felt as if it would be wrong to share that assumption with him. In trying to phrase the question so that it would work for a male or a female seemed to backfire on her as the man doing her makeup introduced his fiancé.

Even to this day, barbers have usually been heterosexual men. It was and still is “normal” and expected for men to cut men’s hair. But, when it comes to people working in high-end salons and beauty parlors, the hair stylists are mainly female.

Is it crazy how many gender stereotypes we place on people? With all due respect, these stereotypes have to come from somewhere, right? So considering that about seventy percent of hairdressers are female, it’s normal to assume that a woman is being described when someone uses the word “hairdresser.” And considering the fact that approximately ninety percent of male hairdressers are homosexual, is it wrong of us to assume that a male hairdresser is gay when we see him? And furthermore, does it really matter what sexual orientation our hairdresser is when in reality, we are with them for an hour at a time doing small talk? And why should we really care anyway? It’s not like it affects how good they are at styling hair or putting on makeup.

According to my uncle, there are “certain things that you want to avoid talking about to the clients when you are doing their hair or putting on their makeup. We try to avoid talking about politics, religion, or anything else that could strike a nerve with someone.” So there really isn’t much left to talk about. We’ve all witnessed how people start talking to strangers about their social lives, so it isn’t really weird that something would come up about someone’s boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, or fiancé. And yes, it is true that most male hairdressers are gay, but how did we convert a female dominant profession into something that is only for men who are gay? That’s where the serious problem lays, as men become more fearful of taking on women dominant or “girly” professions because those jobs are “strictly for homosexuals.”

Despite the fact that my uncle was openly gay, he still felt as if he had to work harder in school to be a hairdresser than the women had. He felt that there were more expectations for him and that since there less men in that career path, he had to prove himself more. But, as it turns out, he learned that being a male hairdresser actually had its advantages. “People tend to like male hairdressers because they are less catty and easier to talk to than the female workers.” So if clients and bosses tend to like male hairdressers more than female, there has to be some reason that the job still hasn’t become male dominant.

“If I told my friends that I wanted to be a hairdresser, they would probably call me gay and make fun of me. They’d tell me that it’s a girl job and that I should man up, even though they already know that I’m into girls.” When males pursue career paths that are more female dominant, they face discrimination from their peers and feel like they are being pushed into stereotyped judgments.

But, it seems as though with the push of more and more equal rights for women, girls face less discrimination and judgment when they try to pursue a male dominant career. “I told my friends that I want to be a scientist when I grow up. My friends encouraged me and told me that I could to anything I set my mind to.” So why is it that when a female wants to choose a career choice that is male dominant, they aren’t faced with the same discrimination as being called gay?

Maybe it’s because as women have fought for more and more rights, they have decreased the rights of men. I am aware that constitutionally, men and women have equal rights. But socially, it isn’t always the same. Since the early 1900s, women have fought to gain voting rights and the right to work in the same jobs that men work in. Due to this push for more rights, women have been expected and encourage taking on jobs that were considered “for men” because it showed their strength. On the other hand, when men began taking on jobs that were considered “for women,” they were viewed upon as weaker because they weren’t doing to tough, male jobs. And of course, with our modern stereotypes and misuse of vocabulary, the words “weak” and “male” automatically have to add up to “gay.”

And although we make these predetermined judgments, we must come to the realization that the sexual orientation of our hairdressers doesn’t really matter. If they are good at what they do, then who really cares?

Nice start--try 2nd paragraph with a few changes as your opening ? MrC

I really like the real evidence and how you have a different opinion on the matter altogether, but maybe you could find a point in time where a woman was openly discriminated for following a dream.-Brian S

I like the anecdotes. I think since you have a man wanting to do a "women's" job, you should consider giving an anecdote about a women wanting to do a "man's" job. ~ Maddie D.

I like how you took the less popular opinion of whether stereotypes are fine when they are generally correct. This may be somewhat of a taboo, but you still built an essay partially on that opinion. I would add onto the end, making a more broader statement that attempts to finalize your first paragraph. -Matt Solnick

I like how you stated different reasoning, then supported it with a quote from your interviews. I also think you should add some opposite perspectives. - Jackie B.

I like how you added some examples of women doing men's jobs. The opening was a little hard to follow and hard to understand but I understood later on. Maybe try changing it to make it easier to follow? - Jackie B.