Stereotyped by gender

Girls are expected to do girly things like play dress up as fairies. If they stray from the norm and dapple in boyish things, they will be instinctively labeled as a ‘tomboy’. This term has a negative connotation of impropriety and it makes us wonder why is it wrong for women to embrace their ‘masculine’ sides as well.

The basketball hoop and army outfit are metonymic codes for masculinity and it represents the possibility for girls to have boyish instincts. On the other hand, the book and lacy shoes are representations of feminity and it suggests the idea of the girl embracing her feminine side which is deemed as ‘right’ and ‘normal’ for a girl. Sensory perception of constructivism is employed by piecing together the information to form the idea of having different desires.

This emphasises the point on gender-specific desires and how girls are made to suppress their ‘boyish’ side to portray a more socially accepted feminine version of themselves. The stark colour contrast of blue and pink creates tension in the image to highlight the struggle in desire a young girl might face when forming her own identity as a girl and figure out what is socially acceptable.