A time when someone you know or yourself was made aware of his/her gender - Essay Example

The case entailed his reception of major ridicule over his love for watching soap operas, which are universally viewed as women’s programming. My friends were in favor of developing an outdoor outlook towards life – similar to the one we lead – in our friend. Context development The reasons as to why “soap operas are considered a programming for women include that it has, throughout its history,” been viewed as a feminine gender (Livingstone 52). Like Livingstone noted, since its onset, soap opera producers regard women as their dominant audience.

The view can be traced to the traditional usage of the genre, which promoted the female audience more than the male counterparts; the programs were at the start sponsored by the manufacturers of soap. Further, the targeting of “the programming was aimed at addressing the female audience,” who are more likely to stay at home all day long, and also who are the main targets of soap products (Geraghty 167). The programming appears to exclude men from its coverage, noting that the programs are developed around the roles of a woman, mainly the domestic scene; the feelings of strong females, the emotions and the sympathy that comes with the themes.

For that reason, it is viewed that the nature of men, literally excludes them from watching the dominantly, feminine themed messages. Further, due to the company kept by men, during their childhood as well as their adulthood, many will be socialized not to prefer watching such programs, mainly because it appears too sentimental, to a level that the male audience may not be contained. The experience of my friend John At our campus, my friend John had developed the habit of following a common soap opera, by name of Neighbors, which was broadcasted during the day.

The knowledge of his love for soap operas came to us, one day, when our two common friends and I noticed that John had left our group discussion for a reason he had not disclosed to us. After the group discussion ended, we went straight to his room, where we found him watching the program, and without showing any sense of shame or concern; he told us that he had gone to his room to watch the soap opera (Livingstone 52). His announcement was met by much ridicule from the two common friends, who were insisting that it would be more man-like to watch football, some scientific programs or tune in to action movie programming.

No matter, “how unnecessary it is for a …man like a…prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them” (Machiavelli 190). Personally, I had the same views that soap operas were female programming, but it had not occurred to me that it would warrant the response he received (Geraghty 167). I also love outdoor activities, and I associate them to the nature of a man, but it had not crossed my mind that watching soap operas could be a sign of weakness.

At the end of the heated encounter and debate, John was told by the two common friends that he had to stop watching the programming, because it would soon heighten his sentimental outlook towards life; it would make him more lady-like. The reasons offered by the friends, as to why he was wrong by watching the programs included that soap operas played the main role of integrating women to their emotion-guided and sentimental outlook towards life and relationships. Secondly, the friends noted that the man-like strengths required