Stigma

Stigma affects even the most confident and capable people. Whether a criminal, disabled, homeless, a minority, etc. stigma can impact self-image. Through socialization we are taught to place people into categories and when someone does not belong in a category we understand we get threatened. This results in social labels such as stigma.

            The most shocking example of stigma this week was the story of Cyntonia Brown. The first thing that shocked me about Cyntonia’s case was that blatant acceptance that she committed the crime. This was not another narrative focused on the unjust criminal system, but one aimed at transparency, a look at what in this girl’s life led her to committing a murder. We see that stigma effects Brown’s life from the beginning. The stigma of being a minority, a prostitute, a drug user, and eventually a criminal all changed the way that people saw her. Stigma also alters expectations, when people assumed she began to behave as one.

            Less shocking, but more applicable to my daily life is the stigma placed on any man not emanating one-hundred percent masculinity. Often times we see gender as a binary opposed to a spectrum. In other words we only accept male or female and anyone in between is excluded. We talk about this a lot in regard to the LGBTQ plus community, but what about feminine heterosexual males? This is not an idea that we are comfortable with because we have been socialized to think of masculine and feminine as polar opposites.

The Mask You Live In and 11 ‘Girly’ Things Men Wish They Could Do without Judgement highlights the stigma associated with anything feminine for men. The video gave examples such as young men being told not to cry, not to show emotion, being told to man up and knowing there had to be consequences (usually physical) for anyone who disrespected them.  Then in the article, we see a list of items that should be able to be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of sex, but are so stigmatized that most heterosexual men do not feel they are an option. This list includes ordering sweet or fruity cocktails, going to the spa, wearing make-up, dancing, and even enjoying time with their own children. These should not be labeled as male or female, as I mentioned earlier gender is more like a spectrum and regardless of where you fall on it you should have the right to dance, express yourself emotionally, and play with your kids.

Professor Sepp ended her introduction by saying that those who place stigma on others are the ones who have the power to eliminate it. This creates a seemingly unsolvable situation, how can we get those applying stigma to suddenly stop seeing it. Also as Professor Sepp pointed out, we do not have to take this huge problem on all at once. Instead we can choose to be an ally. An ally may not get rid of stigma completely, but they can eliminate it from their lives and then share that perspective with others.  

BBC (Producer). (2016, July 11). The 16 Year Old Killer- Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story- Best Documentary [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36glZaJ4O44

The Representation Project (Director). (2013, December 23). The Mask You Live In [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.upworthy.com/theres-something-absolutely-wrong-with-what-we-do-to-boys-before-they-grow-into-men

Vagianos, A. (2013, December 26). 11 'Girly' Things Men Wish They Could Do Without Judgment