By Maryam Sadr | Staff Writer
Our ancestors adopted the lifestyle of living inside communities and societies to be able to survive in the wilderness. This option, however, came along with its necessary adjustments and requirements. While individuals can have some degree of influence on their societies, it is the society that shapes the socially acceptable vs. unacceptable actions of its residents. As societies grow bigger over an extended period, so do their unspoken norms and rules. This is easily observable through the gender norms placed on females as opposed to those placed on males by society.
Sexuality and seeking pleasure are instincts that play a key role in human life; however, while tackling them, one can notice the issue of double standards. Norms in our societies define and describe those basic instincts quite differently for a female vs. a male. There is no shock that men with a higher number of sexual partners are praised, looked at as highly, described as successful, and defined as masculine, while women with similar behaviors are judged harshly and approached negatively.
Unfortunately, this idea that men with higher body counts are admired and referred to as “studs” while women with similar lifestyles are referred to as “sluts” is deeply embodied and rooted in our society’s structure, both in direct (spoken/visual) and indirect (unspoken) ways. In addition, it comes with the cost of having hugely negative impacts on both males and females. While females are directly judged, pointed at, and looked down upon in society, males face the pressure of having to be attracted, admired, and desired by women. This in return causes elevated levels of unsatisfaction, pressure, and stress for both males and females.
The media, indeed, has an enormous contribution to the matter. We realize how females are always shamed for having a high body count while men are praised for it through films/movies or podcasts and videos. For instance, controversial misogynist figures like Andrew Tate who defines masculinity for many young boys worldwide, along with many other famous accounts on the internet, have been playing a vital role in spreading these norms.
Normalizing and praising high body counts for men, whilst, at the same time, name-calling women for the same action in the 21st century clearly indicates how much women are still being sexualized and discriminated against. However, it is noteworthy to point out the psychological and societal pressure that most men face due to this condition. Changing such a strong norm in societies is challenging, especially when it is being displayed and supported continuously through media. It is up to each individual to notice that they too are taking part in the stereotypical double standards system of thought and work in a collection to put an end to these misogynistic norms. Sadly, we are yet too far from reaching such a point.