Many of us claim that we are our own person and some of us concede that, yeah, sometimes we find ourselves influenced by gender norms about how to act or how to think. So, let's think of this without judging these norms as good or bad. Instead, develop an argument that finds at least one positive or functional purpose behind following a gender norm and find at least one positive / functional purpose behind identifying and changing a behavior of yours based on a gender norm.
You might think of other gender norms, but here are some discussed in class.
Think of the Rachel (from Friends) and Alphonso (the Man-Child from Brawny Academy) as representatives of two type of gender norms. Rachel represents the female norm that encourages a preoccupation with figuring out what works/ doesn't work in relationships and then entering relationships with a partner who is less interested in commitment which creates crisis and eventually a concession that maybe the next relationship will work out. Alphonso repesents the male norm in which the world revolves around you, your interests, your ideas, your part of the conversation (i.e. your amount of influence) and is marked by reluctance to take responsibility of how a relationship works. In sum, a male self-centered norm and a female others-centered norm.