In today’s world it’s fairly common to have things called into question based on their relevance or suitability. I believe it’s a good thing that more and more discussions are had regarding subjects that may not have been widely talked about in the past.
The concept of gender roles is one that is constantly evolving, and these days we’re better than ever before – if still some way from perfect – at making it a level playing field for all in terms of equality where it relates to opportunities and the manner in which we treat one another.
That said, it wasn’t all that long ago that gender roles were far more fixed. There was certain things a woman simply wouldn’t be permitted to do, just as there were certain things a man wouldn’t have dreamed of doing for fear of scorn.
As I said, it feels like we, as a society, are working hard to tackle that with each passing year, but there’s still a lot to be done. At the very least, people are aware these days, and if you needed any proof of that, you need only look as far as a seemingly harmless picture that went viral recently… and drew an abundance of comments in the process.
Be honest now, how many of you believed that all doctors were men and all nurses women when you were little? I’m not ashamed to admit that whenever I pictured a doctor in my head as a child, he was always male. If I went to see the nurse, meanwhile, I’d anticipate being greeted by a female.
Once upon a time in history that really was the case, barring a few exceptions. The medical industry has, of course, adapted with the times, and these days you more or less have an equal chance of being treated by a male or a female when you see a doctor or nurse.
As such, when one account on X posted a picture of two small children dressed up as a doctor and a nurse respectively, it proved to be quite the controversial topic. In the image, a little boy is wearing a green uniform with the message “Doctor In Training” on his back, while he holds hands with a little girl wearing a pink uniform adorned with the text “Nurse In Training”.
Just a little harmless fun, right? Well, while the owner of the account that posted the image probably thought so, it turned out that quite a lot of people had quite. a lot to say.
In fact, most of the comments beneath the image hit out at the fact that the image was a harmful example of stereotyping, not only with regards to the text the children were wearing on their backs, but also because of the colors of each one’s uniform.
As stated, the roles of doctors and nurses these days are filled by people of both sexes, and so promoting the idea that women are more likely to become nurses and men more likely to become doctors can be interpreted as inappropriate to some people.
If you ask me, the image in question is just a bit of fun, and people shouldn’t always read too much into things before exploding online. Still, people have a right to express their opinions, and since there was such a strong backlash regarding the above image, I guess it’s not right of me to belittle their reactions.
What do you think about the image in question? Is it inappropriate in any way, shape or form? Let us know in the comments box.
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