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Kenzie Hall
Professor Nathan Cole
ENGL 2010-074
23 April 2016
Assignment 3 Revision Final Draft

Double Edged Standard Sword

In society today, its no secret that double standards exist and are thriving. A double
standard is defined as a rule or principle that is unfairly applied in different ways to different
people or groups. It exists when an action or moral is considered appropriate, even
praiseworthy, for one group but is considered wrong for another. The many gender specific
double standards are big topics of debate among people across the world. While it can be debated
that one gender is targeted more than the other, its evident that both genders are, in fact, faced
with the fact of them. Although double standards may never go away, holding both men and
women to the same standard of character is a way of slowly of making a more equal playing
field.
Double standards regarding women are more publicly discussed and has been the main
focus of attention due to the ongoing feminist movements. Just because they have been thrust in
the spotlight, doesnt mean they arent reining true still. There are three double standards
regarding women that stick out most. Probably the most known double standard that exists today
is sexual. Especially with women. When teenage boys go out with multiple girls, they are widely
praised for it. Often being called a stud or a hunk. This support not only comes from their male
friends, but some girls even find guys who date around more desirable. Yet if a girl does the

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same thing she gets an unwanted and negative reputation, shown in the picture below (Figure
one). Men seem to really like sexy women but not women who are sexual and express desire.
Not only that, troubling study found that women labelled promiscuous were rejected by their
male and female associates. (2.) Unfortunately social expectations and stereotypes play a large
role in our impressions of how people should act.

The second standard comes to a womans appearance. Theres often a very fine line, for
women, between dressing too provocative and too conservative. How short can a skirt be before
it becomes suggestive? How long before it becomes plain or unadventurous? The better question
is, why is it a womans job to tailor her appearance so that it wont give off the wrong idea.
Starting in elementary school, girls are expected to constrict their wardrobe so it wont be too
distracting for their male counterparts. We grow up with this mentality and are expected to
please. Its drilled into our minds so much that we, as women, stop buying things that make us
feel attractive just so it fits a standard that a male most likely created.
Third, the workplace. The known fact that women do not get paid as much as men has
been around for awhile now yet nothing has been done about it. In 2014, women working full
time in the United States typically were paid just 79 percent of what men were paid, a gap of

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21%. (3) Not only does the issue of pay enrage women today, but the way they are suppose to
present themselves in the workplace. Women are expected to be strong without coming off as
opinionated or aggressive. So many women take a more passive approach like volunteering
to take on more work, apologizing for things that werent even their fault, struggling to say no,
starting sentences with maybe Im wrong, but All are just a few of the ways we women
sabotage themselves at work. Theyre told to speak up and be more assertive, but then not to
speak too loudly or get too intense, because it will turn people off. Theyre also told to be more
decisive and stop soliciting everyones opinion all the time, but then told that no one likes bossy
women at work.Theres a general belief floating around that the double standard has arisen
because men are the ones who cant handle strong or assertive women. But we too often
forget actually other women who have a particularly difficult time dealing with assertive women
too. Double standards can be a double edged sword.

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Somewhere along the line, the term double standard became only applicable to women.
But there are plenty of double standards that men experience. One of the greatest paradoxes is
that we ask men to be caring, open, understanding and empathetic while demanding that they are
strong, tough and masculine with no so-called feminine emotions. We expect them to be
protective, aggressive and thick-skinned. The second we see a man break down and cry or show
any real emotion, the are not considered real men anymore. The cartoon below depicts this
perfectly (figure two). Its normal for a woman to ask for more time with her man. But if the
roles
are

reversed, he is seen as whipped. Then resulting in his friends questioning his manhood, even if
he just simply wants more time with the woman he is dating or wants to share his feelings.
Women can grab their mans love handles or tap on his stomach saying, someone has
put on a little weight in a cute, innocent voice that is supposed to make those words okay. If the
guy gets offended, the woman accuses him of being too sensitive or even girly and rebut it by
saying shes just teasing. Women have issues with body image, no question about that.
Women are constantly scrutinizing the tabloids for criticizing a woman's body or trying to show
what the ideal body type should be. Yet if we look around, this same idea of an ideal man is
everywhere; clothing advertisements, body wash commercials, cologne models, etc. They all
have the same body type: tall, dark, handsome, big biceps, perfect curvature with the chiseled

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abs. Most men absolutely are very aware and self conscious about their bodies. Living up to that
standard is not easy for them as well. But theyre not allowed to talk about it like women can.
Although the double standard may not dictate some men and womens choices, it still
creates judgment and expectations for both genders to follow. Spreading the ideas of feminism
and promoting the equality of the sexes, would eliminate many of the issues we face in society.
Holding men and women to the same standards will fulfill the idea of equality but not as much
equity. The roles that men and women play in a society is key with their differences, but it does
not diminish the fact that we are of equal value. Luke Visconti, a nationally recognized leader in
diversity management, said Human rights and freedom are the foundation principles of our
countrys disproportionate success. Despite being imperfectly applied, our Constitution has
resulted in the best meritocracy that the world has seen. Extending rights to everyone cannot help
but forge a stronger and more successful society. Equality for men and women is progressive
and long-awaited for Americans and should continue to be addressed publicly and with efforts to
raise awareness.

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Works Cited
Bahadur, Nina. "5 Things Women Are Judged More Harshly For Than Men." The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
Hill, Catherine. "The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap (Spring 2016)." AAUW:
Empowering Women Since 1881.Web. 6 Apr. 2016. (3)
Lane, Lindsay. Double Standards: Stop Looking The Other Way. Digital image. The Odyssey
Online, Web. (Figure 1)
Surnow, Rose. "Study: Friends Don't Like Friends Who Like Sex." Web. 6 June 2013 (2)
Zwicky, Arnold. "Double Standard." Arnold Zwickys Blog. 17 July 2015. Web. (Figure 2)