“This is reinforcing gender roles. . . . But, aw, what if someone said that to me?”— Jason Ritter, amazon.com
“If any contract between men required the non-white one to adopt the legal identity of his Caucasian companion, would we pop the champagne?”— Barbara Kingsolver, theguardian.com
“But this conundrum remains: I want the protection and love of a man while maintaining my own alpha qualities. And I will never again hide or play down my success to appease anyone, especially not my partner.”— Shannon Lell, washingtonpost.com
“Yet men are still expected to be protectors and providers. I’ll admit that I benefit from this dynamic. I love that men want to defend the ones they love with strength and fierce determination. I go weak in the knees when a man I’m seeing comes to rescue me from a broken pipe or possessed electronic…”— Shannon Lell, washingtonpost.com
“Redefine what it means to “be a man.” After all, some of the impulses deemed “masculine” — like exerting power over others — are also behind the exploitation of women’s bodies and the earth’s resources. If gender roles are toxic for people and the planet, it’s time to rethink them.”— Justine Calma, grist.org
“You know, I think I could have played with dolls if there were dolls in the house. It seems like fun to me. It doesn't seem like a gender thing. I think I would like to play with dolls. What's so terrible?”— Larry David, George Costanza, Jason Alexander, imdb.com
“Money is intrinsic to our sexual politics,” said Scott. “And it seems that no matter how enlightened we’ve become, the desire for men to get the check is an irresistible force deeply ingrained in our culture. It’s like the last vestige of a dated notion of chivalry, being carried out ad hoc by men a…”— Karley Sciortino, vogue.com
“Look, I’m a feminist or whatever, but I still like it when a guy picks up the check on a date. I understand that in our post-gender, social-justice millennial era, the idea of subscribing to traditional gender roles in a relationship makes you an honorary fascist, and yet, I can’t help getting wet w…”— Karley Sciortino, vogue.com
“Essentially, being the payer and the paid-for on a date replicates actual dom-sub sexual dynamics. But being a sub isn’t about not being in control—it’s about being in control of not being in control. There’s still power in relinquishing power.”— Karley Sciortino, vogue.com
“Our culture is so overwhelmed by the concept of females as sexual beings that whenever it comes to light, it is immediately seen as the only facet of a woman. It's perfectly fine for us to see women as sexual objects, but once she becomes a sexual subject, she can't be anything else. She can't be la…”— Isabella Milch, theodysseyonline.com
“The modesty doctrine isn’t about clothes, it’s about bodies. It’s a method for punishing women who do not conform to an idealized, asexual, inoffensive body type...When I was rebuked for my clothing as a teenager, it was often identical to the clothing all the other girls were wearing. The only diff…”— Suzanne Calulu, patheos.com
“i am relieved. when i see the feminine presence in a man's eyes. it means he is a peace i do not have to bring to him.”— Nayyirah Waheed, amazon.com
“All I ever wanted was a mother who paid attention to me. She didn't want girls. She thought we were trouble. She didn't help with homework or teach me to sew or cook. She didn't go to the school plays I was in or go to my high school graduation. When I started menstruating at 13, I thought I was dyi…”— Bettie Page, latimesblogs.latimes.com
“When I brush my daughter’s hair and elaborately braid it round the side of her scalp, I am doing the thing that is expected of me. When my husband brushes out tangles before bedtime, he needs his efforts noticed and congratulated—saying aloud in front of both me and her that it took him a whole 15 m…”— Gemma Hartley, harpersbazaar.com
“The kids get it. But the grown-ups do not. While celebrating the diversity of sexual and gender identities, we also need to celebrate tomboys and other girls who fall outside the narrow confines of gender roles. Don’t tell them that they’re not girls. My daughter is happy with her body and comfortab…”— Lisa Selin Davis, mobile.nytimes.com
“But women have lust, too. Why should they be relegated to the position of custodian of emotions, watcher of infants, feeder of soul, body and pride of man?”— Sylvia Plath, amazon.com
“There are rigid gender roles in the relationship. He expects you to serve, obey and remain at home.”— Wendy Kay, yourtango.com