"Man up."

"Be a lady."

"Men are the prime breadwinners."

"Women are only good for having kids and standing by their man."

Yeah, people actually say these things. For some reason, there is supposed to be a distinction of actions between males and females. Females are supposed to be kind, gentle, and emotional while men are supposed to be rugged, masculine, and hardworking. As progressive as we may think we have been as a society by "incorporating" everyone in everyday life, there is still a "rule" as to how a man and a woman are supposed to act. So I guess if you see a male in drag or a woman in power, it's unnatural. I guess there is some written rule in an imaginary book of life that says girls are supposed to act and dress feminine and boys are supposed to act and dress masculine. Well, I'm here to tell you that that's a load of crap

Growing up, we hear, "Take it like a man," or, "You throw like a girl," as if they are supposed to be terms of endearment or insults. Even in the media, we are given the idea that masculinity equals power and femininity equals weakness. Boys are supposed to play with trucks and army toys and girls are supposed to play with Barbies and baby dolls. If you show the slightest bit of emotion as a male you're told to toughen up, and as a female, if you're seen playing sports with the boys, you're told to, "Be a lady; men love a lady."

Again, a load of complete nonsense. We were raised on the morals that the males are the only ones who can hold positions of power while females are supposed to be at home taking care of the kids. Also, if a girl plays baseball she must be a lesbian, and if a boy wears a princess outfit he must be gay. As a gay man, along with many other same-sex couples, we are asked, "Who's the man and who's the woman in the relationship?"--as if a male and female relationship is the standard by which all couples are supposed to abide. Well, I'm here to answer those ignorant people and say it's two women or two men, so I think we all know who's the man and who's the woman. If it's two men they are both the man, and if it's women they are both the woman. I feel like those people skipped health class as a child.

We also put limits on each other based on gender, like "Only girls wear dresses," "Only boys play sports," "Only girls wear makeup," or "Only boys can be tough." We feel the need to assign actions based on sex. We feel the need chastise a woman if she speaks her mind by calling her the word for "female dog." We feel the need to tell a guy to "grow a pair" as a way to tell him to be tough as if having male genital organs is a sign of being strong-willed. We feel the need to blame the woman and focus more on what she did if she gets raped. We feel the need brush a guy off if he said he got raped because, "Boys don't get raped." The rape issue is the most disgusting one of all. A woman automatically becomes a "target" if she wears something revealing. It shouldn't matter if she was wearing a two-piece outfit with no middle and a short skirt. It shouldn't matter if she wanted it at first. If a woman does not give consent and the male forcefully continues, that's rape. The same goes for males too. We often get this persona that because the majority of rape cases are of men raping women that women are the only rape victims. Yes, it takes a male appendage to be erect for the act to happen, but if he does not give consent that is rape. That is the fact of the matter: No consent equals rape, regardless of gender.

Discrimination based on gender is something still very prominent in our society today. In the workplace, it is also existent as well. Women are told that the positions predominantly held by men are unacceptable for women. Women are constantly told they are not good enough, they are not fit to do anything. Women are judged every day on their appearance, weight, and what they wear. In the media a male can be praised for having multiple partners, but if that was the same case with a woman she would be considered a whore. If a male celebrity posts a naked picture on social media he is told how hot he is, but if a female celebrity did the same she would be criticized for presenting a wrong image to women and that she is just doing it for attention.

Also, female celebrities are more known for their sexual partners as opposed to the all the success and work they've done. There is definitely a negative way women are perceived. However, men do see the same discrimination as well. If a man goes up to a woman and tells her she's sexy, he's automatically a pervert, but if a woman did the same she's praised for being the initiator. Men go through the same body image issues as well. Woman get discriminated against if they don't look like Victoria Secret models, but men also get discriminated against if they don't look like Calvin Klein models. I'm not bashing women, but I am showing that there are similar struggles between men and women.

Men can be feminists too. I just wanted to put that out there. Feminism calls for equal opportunities for men and women. It doesn't wish for women to be superior to men; it calls for them to be seen in an equal light, financially, politically, and socially. As a male, I feel a man is insecure in his "manhood" if he doesn't want the same. Your masculinity isn't challenged if you support women. What if your mother wasn't able to receive the same opportunities as your father? What if your mother couldn't do something simply because she was a woman? That's food for thought. I am a proud feminist because I have seen too many deserving women being deprived of opportunities simply because of their gender.

Women can be leaders. Men can have emotions. Women can work in the same fields as men. Men can wear makeup and dresses along with women. Women shouldn't be shut down because they speak their mind. Men shouldn't be seen as weak if they're feminine. Masculinity and femininity see no gender. Those words are actually pointless. We are people. We are beautiful. The word "gender" shouldn't even bring us down. If you're a male and see yourself as a woman, if you're a female and see yourself as male, or if you don't identify with either, that's fine! We are who we want to be. We are free to live as we should, as long as it doesn't physically or mentally harm anyone.

If your idea of mental harm is not understanding or not seeing it as natural, then you are wrong. It is not our job to understand why a person lives their life a certain way; it's our job to respect them as we would want to be respected. So if a woman chooses to post a naked selfie, she should not be criticized for it or seen as a piece of meat. Same goes for men. We can admire what we see as beautiful. If you don't want to see it, then don't click on the link or look at the picture. However, chastising one and not doing the same for the other is completely ignorant. Gender equality is needed, and gender stereotyping needs to go away.