You win some, you lose some

I was particularly struck by a comment made last class. I believe it was Celia who pointed out that masculinity has to be gained. Men have to prove their masculinity by acting like a man. But in contrast, women are expected to be womanly, and it is assumed that they are feminine until they act against those notions. Therefore femininity is something that women have to hold on to, but they can lose it if they act too manly. This explains a lot about traditional gender roles. Men have to constantly prove their manhood and live in the extremes of rage, power, etc. Women, on the other hand, have to be careful not to do anything too drastic, to be more careful and quiet lest they assume a man's role. It seems that in order to effectively re-define gender roles, we also have to redefine the ways in which we execute femininity and masculinity.