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Kendra Curtis
Dr. Parker
Eng 113
12/1/2016

Heteronormativity Within the Western Society

Stereotypical perspectives have always been a substantial part of every society. Theyve
ranged from a persons race to where a person chooses to live. One of the most profound and
lasting stereotypes within almost every community is known as heteronormativity; a process
made to tie social expectations and norms to very strict gender roles within a heterosexual
society. It surrounds around gender and what it is to be both male and female. This even goes as
far as colors; pink is meant for women and blue is meant for men, this stereotype doesnt allow
for men to favor pink or women to favor blue. Men and women are expected to act and be certain
ways due to this idea of heteronormativity. Women cant get dirty. Theyre meant to just stay
inside and clean and cook and do motherly duties. Generally, women are seen as having less
intelligence than men. The potential that they have is looked over due to this stereotype that says
a man could do the job better and be more successful with it. Often, youll hear the term youre
such a girl being used as an insult. Men are looked at as the money makers of a household.
Theyre the protectors and are meant to be in a position of power. Any sign of femininity within
a man is ridiculed endlessly and theyre less of a man because of it. This is the same for women,
if any part of who they are is more masculine than what is expected, they become less of the
women that they are. Heteronormativity also has a very strong viewpoint on sexuality and whats
expected of people when it comes to romance and attraction. It goes against the social norms

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within heteronormativity for a man to be in love or have sexual relations with another man, the
same goes for women. There is a very straight, strict line when it comes to the norms of sexuality
within this stereotype. While this system of heteronormativity has begun to be challenged by the
growth of the younger generations, multiple media sources and political stances have continued
to enforce these profound and lasting stereotypes.
Using a sociocultural approach in which I explain the different stereotypes between the
sexes, male and female, I assert the various examples of how these stereotypes have been
enforced within todays Western society. Throughout generations, there have been varying ideas
about what the female and male gender should be perceived as and how they should be and act
within their everyday lives. These ideas have turned into fundamental standards and stereotypes
that have been labeled as heteronormativity. To best show just how fundamental these
heteronormativity standards have been through the generations, I also give examples of what
these stereotypes are and how theyve been presented throughout the media and politics. As the
younger generations have grown up and created a powerful voice for themselves, the idea of
heteronormativity has been challenged which I show through a comparison between the
representation of sexuality and gender role normalities through media in the 1950s and 60s
versus more modern day media.
As we look more into the media and their portrayal of the stereotypical man and woman,
you are able to see just how extreme these expectations and norms are. A man cant have any
femininity about his character at all. Most men with femininity in movies or T.V. shows are made
fun of for it and are most times the butt of the jokes within the series or movie. Women arent
given the respect they deserve through their portrayal of what a women should be and act like.
They are shown as weak and only good for making babies, doing work around the house and

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being the damsel in distress. Through the show Leave it to Beaver which aired in 1957, the
stereotypical American family is shown with the stay-at-home mom whos expected to clean and
cook and look as good as she can and a father who is either at work or sitting at the dining room
table being waited on by the mother. These stereotypes are debunked and broken apart in more
modern day shows such as Glee with the portrayal and representation of many sexual
identifications and strong, free-willed women. Through the enforcement of these stereotypes in
media, the western world has made an unrealistic definition of what it is to be a man or a woman
and has caused many tensions between opposing communities to arise and grow.
Throughout the years, many media sources have become outlets for the enforcement of
heteronormativity. This enforcement can be seen a lot in movies that are meant for younger
children. Many times, youll see a princess or beautiful young lady get herself into trouble and
the only thing that can save her is the strong, courageous knight in shining armor. Many
adventure or action movies also follow this storyline. In the very famous James Bond series,
there is always a damsel in distress who needs the help of a man in order to be happy and safe. In
the end, the guy gets the girl and the girls completely compliant to what the guy wants and
needs. Many love and romantic movies end with a guy and girl falling in love, you very rarely
see any type of homosexual love within movies. There are also the famous family values and
norms within the system of heteronormativity that are seen throughout various T.V. shows and
movies. These norms are based around the stay-at-home mom whose husband is always at work
and is the main disciplinarian of the family. This is especially seen throughout older shows from
the 1950s and 60s, such as the well known show, Leave it to Beaver. In this series, theres the
stereotypical, happy American family where the mother takes care of making dinner and making
sure the house is always clean and perfect and the father is the money maker of the household

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and the disciplinarian of two clean-cut, very typical American boys who are very much into
sports and are very rarely inside doing any kind of housework. These strict roles that the genders
play within media have begun to change steadily and there is more representation of different
sexual identification within recent T.V. shows such as Glee.
The enforcement of heteronormativity throughout the media is beginning to be
challenged through a bigger representation of sexual orientation and identification in new and
more modern T.V. shows and movies. One of the biggest representations of almost all of the
different sexual identification is seen in the popular show called Glee, which first aired in 2009.
The show started off with one of their main characters, Kurt Hummel, trying to fit into the
stereotypical male role but having great difficulty while he struggles with his own sexuality.
When he finally comes out as gay, the series shows his sexuality as something to be proud of.
They emphasize his character and you really start to love who Kurt turns into as he begins to
love himself more and more. The show then introduces more characters with different sexual
identifications such as bi-sexual, transgender, and even pansexual. While there is an internal
struggle with all of them when they are trying to figure their own selves out, the series shows
nothing but love and support towards every character and any struggle they go through or sexual
orientation they end up identifying with. They also show more representation of strong women,
such as another main character Rachel Berry, who are ambitious and do nothing but work really
hard for their dreams and goals in life. While the show was great with representation and rose
awareness for the LGBTQ community, there were a lot of viewers who criticized and tried for a
cancellation of the show.
Glee was a hit among the younger generations but a lot of hate and disapproval came to
the show from people among the older generations who enjoyed and became comfortable with

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shows like Leave it to Beaver as they were growing up. There is a definite difference between
what is perceived while watching Leave it to Beaver versus watching Glee. The story and
messages are completely different and every stereotype that Leave it to Beaver built is broken
down throughout Glee. A lot of controversy came to the show as people wanted the system of
heteronormativity to continue its enforcement.
Relying on what is mainly perceived from the media, people form an unrealistic
definition on what it is to be feminine and masculine. With such a close-minded set of norms and
expectations, it becomes almost unrealistic for the idea of same-sex love or men wanting to be
women and vice versa to be true. An unwanted frustration among everyone then arises when
more and more people come out as bi-sexual, gay, or transgender. It challenges the norms and
expectations set within the heteronormativity system in more ways than just breaking apart the
set gender roles. Many transgender people want to live the life that they identify with. This
includes even the simple things like using the bathroom thats used by the gender they identify
with. One of the first incidents of a transgender person using a bathroom that was used by the
gender they identify with was in a high school in Virginia. A student who had recently begun the
transition from a female to a male was punished and criticized for using the mens bathroom.
There was, and continues to be, a lot of backlash to this situation. Many people who follow the
heteronormativity system have started to boycott stores, such as Target and Starbucks, for
allowing transgender people to use the bathrooms they feel most comfortable in due to who and
what they want to identify with. Not only has there just been a backlash towards transgender and
bathrooms, theres been controversy and a step towards a more permanent change among where
people can or cant eat due to their sexual orientation.

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By signing a bill based around discrimination, former Indiana governor Mike Pence
enforced the system of heteronormativity even further. In 2015, restaurants throughout Indiana
would turn customers away based on what their sexual orientation was. If it was known that a
customer was gay, bisexual or transgender, they werent allowed in. This upset many people who
then tried to sue the restaurants who discriminated. To protect the business that were being sued,
former governor and upcoming Vice President of the United States Mike Pence, created and
signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This made it so that if a person tried to sue a
business due to their discrimination based around sexual orientation, the corporation would be
allowed to use their religious beliefs to justify why they chose to discriminate against those who
identified themselves as anything other than heterosexual. Pence also has other beliefs when it
comes to sexual orientation and identification. He believes in what is known as conversion
therapy which has simply been summed up with the phrase pray the gay away. This therapy
relies on the belief that being homosexual is a choice rather than a biological preset, which helps
the people who follow the system of heteronormativity believe that their views are above and
better than those who are against them. This has caused even more tensions between the LGBTQ
and heteronormativity communities due to the fact that a very strict anti-gay view will be in the
highest seat of power within the United States. All of the accomplishments that the LGBTQ
community has done, such as making same-sex marriage legal, to advance their equality within
society.
Overall, there has always been a set role that the system of heteronormativity has set and
enforced through social norms and expectations. The controversy that follows this system has
continued to grow and has caused many tensions to form between the LGBTQ communities and
the communities loyal to what it is to be and act as a normal man or woman in society.

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Throughout many media sources, the stereotypical damsel in distress and being saved by her
knight in shining armor has occurred over and over again reinforcing the stereotypical strength to
men and the stereotypical woman who always needs to be saved by the man and who cant really
be happy without the love of a man. This romance stereotype is also seen a lot throughout
romantic comedies or just romantic movies. As the LGBTQ community has started to fight for
equality, theyve started pride parades, celebrating who and what they are, they celebrate being
happy with the person who they are and being comfortable in their own skin. But with these
parades, protests have followed. At a lot of same-sex marriages, people stand outside the church
emphasizing their anti-gay views. This enforcement has also started to show itself more through
politics, especially with this new presidential elect and their very well known anti-gay views.
This causes even more rise within tensions between the two communities. The enforcement of
heteronormativity is a very continuous and profound stereotype that has strongly been shown
throughout many media sources and political views. As the enforcement begins to grow, so does
the protests and challenges that the people against it have brought. Until there is no longer this
close-minded view on how people should be and act based on social norms and expectations,
there wont be a balance in an individual or societal happiness.

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Works Cited
Espinosa, D. Gender Roles in the Media and Debunking Societys Stereotypes. Diss. Winona
State University, 2010. Web. Dec. 1, 2016.
Nelson, K. "What Is Heteronormativity." Everyday Feminism. Magazine, 14 Sept. 2015. Web. 02 Dec.
2016.
Terkel, A. "Indiana Governor Signs Anti-Gay 'Religious Freedom' Bill." The Huffington Post. 16 Mar.
2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.