Gender Role Conditioning - Essay Example

The double standard essentially holds that what is good for the goose is not good for the gander. In the context of rape myths and prevention, the double standard applies when a person believes they do not owe to somebody else the same consideration they themselves expect to receive. That sentiment can become dangerous when a man or woman believes that they can take what they want from another person, including sex, regardless of what they would allow someone else to do to them.Media PortrayalsMedia portrayals can have both positive and negative repercussions and can be hugely influential on people of all ages and stations in life.

In particular, young people can be easily swayed and molded by what they witness in the media, be it magazines, internet, or other outlets. For example, young women are constantly accosted by pictures of skinny, pretty supermodels and may be led to believe that they need to look and act the same way in order to be accepted. When the media takes it a step further and portrays sex as a commodity that is up for grabs and sold to the highest bidder, that can be a dangerous slippery slope that results in women subjecting themselves to unwanted treatment, including sexual advances, simply because they feel they need to in order to fit in.

Lack of InformationLack of information can quickly translate into ignorance, and ignorance is arguably the most dangerous phenomenon in society. People who are not accurately and adequately informed about their rights and the responsibilities of others can quickly find themselves in a lot of trouble. Ignorance can breed flawed gender role conditioning, double standards, and harmful media portrayals. It can surely cause a person to submit to advances or treatment that he/she is not comfortable with or does not want, simply because that person is misinformed or uninformed about his/her power to simply say no.