Redefining Gender Roles
In today's society girls are raised on dolls and dress-up while boys learn to fight and play sports. People who play out the opposite gender roles are occasionally encountered but it is generally hard for them to be accepted. As time has progressed people have been able to accept others differences more so then they were accepted 10 years ago. But those who portray opposite gender roles still have a long hard road in front of them until they are ever fully accepted. At this time people are able to accept public figures that cross gender roles if they are doing it just for a movie or if that is who they are. Famous people such as K.D. Lang, David Bowie, Hillary Swank and RuPaul are just a few who have experienced hardships in trying to succeed and still be themselves. Another such actress is Ellen DeGeneres; who also faced these hard times. She took it into her own hands to announce to the world on national television that she is a lesbian. She is still involved with movies and television shows while she proves that it is okay to be gay. At first Ellen risked a lot to come out of the closet, but today she is still gaining. Ellen has helped make acceptance of the gay community easier and is still h
Since Ellen's coming out episode, a handful of other television stations have added gays and/or lesbians to their series. This may be just to have each social status represented or to make the show more interesting, but it also says that big corporations know gays are out there and they are people too. These sitcoms that have gay and/or lesbian actors prove that coming out is going to happen more and that the gender roles really do need some drastic changes. A woman is no longer expected to sit at home all day long cooking and cleaning. Therefore, if she goes to college and gets a job she is not looked down upon. Today, if a man wants to sit home and take care of his children while his wife works, that is accepted. If a man and another man want to raise children together, no one will stop them. Marriage for the two of them may not yet be legal, but this society is on the way there. Ellen made an important stand and because of the issues she stood for America is starting to look at how they judge people and to back off at least a little bit. elping to change the ideal gender roles. She has had a giant role in opening up doors for other gays and lesbians, and today more and more television series cast gay actors. Ellen is still making a difference today. Although her show got canceled she is still a big influence on the comedy scene and is still involved with Hollywood life. She has hosted awards shows and she still does her comedy routine, which got her into show business in the first place. Surprisingly Ellen has not been shunned from the Hollywood business, which surprised many. It is good to have someone like her so high up in that social status. It says to people who are in the same position as her that it is okay to be gay and there is nothing wrong with how a person chooses to live their life. Ellen proves that a person can be everything that they want to be and reach all their goals and dreams, even if they do not fit the stereotypical gender roles. People no longer have to worry about keeping their secret in and stressing out because of it. As she mentioned in "Roll Over, Ward Cleaver" another article in Time, there was a huge relief in letting herself out of the closet, "For me," she says, "this has been the most freeing experience because people can't hurt me anymore. I don't have to worry about somebody saying something about me, or a reporter trying to find out information. Literally, as soon as I made this decision, I lost weight. My skin has cleared
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Approximate Word count = 1691
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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