Recently in Week 11 Blog Category

I have to be honest and say I waited to write Blog 11 because the prompt made me envision a lot of blogs about gender and a lack of addressing race and class, which bothered me.  Also, I didn't really know how to frame what I wanted to say about identities and leisure activities. 

 

So I was reading through all the blog 11's today... and what struck me was the lack inclusion of class and race in regards to leisure time activities.  There were only four or five blogs that addressed race and/or class, and the rest focused on gender.  All of the blogs about gender had great insights about leisure time and identity.  Instead of writing my own examples, I wanted to expand on the few blogs by classmates that addressed race and class.

 

kapp0081 wrote, "Something else to note is that gardening is pretty consistently associated with leisure and free time, but it's also something that has been deemed a necessity. As such there are jobs created for it, so gardening is something both leisure and function, something people who have free time do and something that people make their livelihoods in. This has interesting connotations in regards to leisure activities as profitable enterprises, but those that garden for profit aren't typically associated with higher classes."  I would like to add that race comes into play in regards to gardening as paying labor because most people who work as gardeners are people of color.  While gardening may be a leisure activity for people (read: white people with enough money and free time), it is a low paying job for many immigrants.  Racial and class hierarchies are played out and reinforced when it comes to gardening.

 

mcdon462 wrote, "All in all, I think that not having as much time or money to participate in leisure activities that you really like to do such as shopping, going to concerts, travelling, etc, really does have an affect on the way you form and define your own identity."  Not having enough time and/or money is so key regarding class identity.  Most leisure activities cost money, and some can cost a lot of money.  Also, people in lower classes tend to work more physically demanding jobs that I would argue are way more tiring.  I know when I worked two full time jobs to make ends meet sometimes I physically couldn't do anything because I was so exhausted.  Free time is such a privilege, and enjoying your free time is even more of a privilege.   

 

gillx139 wrote about African American women and how dancing is seen as a way to 'prove' legitimate group membership.  She wrote, "It's really interesting to see how we use the everyday things people do to label them or identify who they are based solely on these simple actions they carry out. In a way it's disturbing too because it shows how little we look to understand people, we assume we know them and everything there is to know about them based upon how they act."  I think that's dead on, especially regarding race in the U.S..  This country has such a twisted legacy of racism, and it still has an impact today.  This blog made me think about how racial identities are claimed and denied.  Historically, having lighter skin color allowed for more mobility and was a desirable trait.  With more racial/ethnic blending, skin color doesn't carry quite the same connotations as it once did, but other things act to allow or deny full membership into racial/ethnic categories - dance is a great example of this.

 

carli062 wrote about sports and class.  She brought up great points about the historical roots of some sports and there ties to class, and touched on cost as a possible barrier to playing sports.  Lastly, she touched on race and wrote, "There are still many sports that have a very little diversity. Fortunately there are many great athletes that have broken through these stereotypes, like Tiger Woods and Venus and Serena Williams."  I would add that while Woods and Williams have broken through some stereotypes, there is still a lot of work to be done.  For example Woods' race is often questioned, and there are claims that he's not really that 'black' because of his participation in a higher class (white) sport.  Woods may be excluded from the racial/ethnic category of black in a similar way that a black girl who can't dance might be excluded or questioned.  Furthermore, his participation in an essentially white man's sports breaks stereotypes to an extent, but could further them by making him an exception.

 

In conclusion, I will get off my soapbox now, I just really needed to bring up issues of race and class identities and leisure time because I think it's really important for a better understanding of intersectionality.

  Anna, I agree with what you have to say. I'm not saying that it is completely wrong for girls to have homey toys, it does teach them to prepare for the future. Your points about what we give boys ring true. My concern is that when looking at commercials to advertisements, we usually don't see a little girl playing with legos or monster trucks. Toys are strictly directed to gender roles, you're right about boys playing with kitchen toys and parents being uncomfortable with it. I would love to see an ad like that, a little boy playing with kitchen utensils, and dolls; while a little girl shoots toy guns and plays with G.I Joes to promote the products, but it is simply not promoted in media. 

You bring up an interesting point about the ways in which the people that we associate ourselves with play a role in shaping our identities. Whether we like it or not, who we hang out with affects the way others view us. In high school, especially, the group of people you ate lunch with defined who you were. Some schools are less "clicky" than others, but the high school I attended was extremely clicky. Very few people belonged to more than one group of friends. Everyone knew where their place was. You were either a prep, a band geek, a jock, a goth etc. You were only socially allowed to identify with one of those groups. Even the people who didn't want to identify with a single group were grouped together.

Outside of high school, we all belong to more than one group. We have family groups, church groups, recreational groups, work groups etc. Piggybacking off of what you said, depending on where we are and who we are with affects how we act and how we present ourselves. There are socially acceptable ways of behaving within certain places and around certain people. We may base our own behaviors off of what we see from others in an attempt to fit in. As we have all faced before, when two or more individuals/groups who would normally not be in the same room together show up to your party, for example, it can be difficult to know how to act because you more than likely behave differently around one group/person than you would around another.

I agree with the idea that leisure activities are shaped by the ideologies of race, class and gender.This exists because our identities are based upon what society thinks about how we look and act. So much of identity is based on assumptions and stereotypes placed on individuals without even knowing them, a lot of times without even speaking to them. For example I'm what most people will consider a girly girl. I love to shop, spend money, get my hair done, try clothes on, paint my nails, pretty much anything girly you can think of I like to do. All these things are associated with the ideal "female "its normal for me to be this way.  It's interesting to see how when people act in ways that are considered the norm there accepted by society.  Another example that comes to mind is in the African American community and the hobby of dance.  It very important for black women to be associated with the idea that they "can dance", if you can't dance, or don't have rhythm you're not "black" enough. It's really interesting to see how we use the everyday things people do to label them or identify who they are based solely on these simple actions they carry out. In a way it's disturbing too because it shows how little we look to understand people, we assume we know them and everything there is to know about them based upon how they act.

            This is a really good point about kids' leisure time. They are not just innocently playing, they are practicing for the future. I think changing what we give our kids to play with could be a huge step toward changing gender roles, and I think it's all to do with what we give the boys. Yes, girls get homey toys, they practice cooking, cleaning, and mothering. I don't see anything wrong with that as long as they get to practice building and creating, too. But I had legos toy cars and trucks, and it's generally seen as ok for a girl to like 'boys'' toys. Where people get uncomfortable is giving boys pink toys. Parents don't want their sons playing with dolls or Easy Bake Ovens because they're afraid it will make them effeminate (or even gay!). I don't have a problem giving children toy kitchens and vacuum cleaners, because they'll have to do some cooking and vacuuming in their lives, why not practice? But let's give them to boys and girls, so that when they grow up they'll all feel responsible for those homey tasks.

Leisure activities are so important to us in constructing identities for ourselves as well as others. One of the first questions we ask people when we meet them is "what do you like to do in your spare time?" I personally hate that question because I feel like I should have a really interesting answer, like "oh, you know, I rock climb and sky dive, and when I'm not doing that, I'm saving the children of the world." In actuality, I sit at home and watch television or browse the internet for fun. But if I told you that I like to lay around at home, you would probably judge me as being lazy and/or boring.

In regards to housework, I can say that I do not enjoy cleaning. However, I do enjoy a clean home. The problem is that I live with two men who could care less about the cleanliness of our apartment. If I want our living space to be clean, I must clean it myself. I could ask them to help, but it just seems easier to do it myself. It's really a lose-lose situation for me. I have two options: either I beg/bribe the boys to help me (which is a lot of work), or I take care of everything myself (also a lot of work). They seem to think that I do, in fact, enjoy housework, but I think they're confusing my enjoyment of a clean home with enjoyment of the cleaning process. And as much as they claim to not care about cleanliness, I think they would care if they never had clean clothes to wear or dishes to use. There are two common excuses as to why they shouldn't clean and I should: because I'm "better at it" or I "like to do it."

When it comes to leisure time, it is no problem for my boyfriend to come home from work and "relax" because he had such a long day, but when I come home, after what I would argue to be just as long of a day, I don't get to relax until dinner is made, the dishes are done, the laundry is folded, the cat is fed etc. Even my roommate comes home and asks the question, "what are we having for dinner?" As if it is my job to provide for our little family.

I can definitely see how shopping plays a role in constructing and maintaining identity, especially for women. I'm a strategic communications student, and many of my classes have had a large focus on defining target audiences and publics. One of the most interesting things we discuss is that a significant majority of consumers are women, and men tend do "shop" while men "buy". While this doesn't really come as a surprise when you consider stores like Target or Walmart, it is kind of a shock to learn that about 65% of automobile customers are women, a trade that for whatever reason targets almost exclusively men. I found this trade article about auto dealers marketing to female customers here: http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/july2009/mech.htm (My favorite part is when they advise against the use of "big words" when dealing with women).

 

What we buy defines who we are. We are very much part of a consumer and material-driven society, and the things we buy for our homes and our bodies supposedly tell a lot about our class, gender, and sometimes race. Different groups and cultures have different norms for the ways in which they express themselves materially, and where they go to get those material goods.

 

For many women, though, shopping is also a psychologically rewarding experience. According to research on how the different sexes show differently (found here: http://tinyurl.com/y9tr5w5), "Women tend to be more invested in the shopping experience on many dimensions." From a young age, women are taught that shopping is therapeutic, and a new pair of shoes or shade of lipstick will lead to a better "you". This psychological dimension manifests itself in different ways though, where it doesn't necessarilt make the shopper happy; compulsive shopping is a consequence of women feeling that shopping can define them and make them happier.

 

An overwhelming majority of compulsive shoppers are women, just as a majority of alcoholics are men. I think that there are a lot of women who want to badly to construct and maintain a perfect identity through how the look, and therefore what they purchase, that the spending beings to control them instead of the other way around.

Maintaining gender identities to me are directly related to one's leisurely activities.  We all know the way it's "supposed" to be: girls go shopping and boys play sports.  These ideas of what men and women do with their spare time are directly related to how society views them.  Look at the examples of girls who want to play football for instance. They are considered gender breakthroughs because they want to focus on a field that is traditionally dominated by men.  Why is it such a big deal if women want to play a sport that involves hard-hitting contact between players? Female athletes often get stereotyped as "tough girls" that care more about sports than makeup and dresses, yet this generalization is in often cases not even true. This stereotype gets applied to women who work on cars, watch sports on TV, and who have any other interest other than the traditional womanly interests.

Men who dabble in traditional "girl stuff" such as shopping, cooking, gossip, etc., are often labeled as too "sensitive" and sadly are assumed to be gay.  I have an ex boyfriend whose favorite pastime was knitting. Needless to say both him and I got teased endlessly about this abnormality in our relationship. Society has even coined a term for men who enjoy shopping and who take a heightened interest in their outward appearance, hence, the "metrosexual". Fathers get concerned if their sons don't like sports and become obsessed with making their sons more "manly."

The interesting similarity between men and women who participate in past-times that fall outside of the traditional interests of their gender, is that in most cases, their sexuality is questioned. Needless to say this is an assumption that is ridiculous and founded on the firm beliefs in traditional stereotypes and gender roles.  Past time preferences have no bearing on determining someone's sexuality, nor should it matter anyway. 

Since coming to the U, I have had two fairly separate (but equal) friend groups. I have my friends from the university, and then I have my friends from my job. I work as a server in an Irish Pub downtown, and the lifestyles of these two separate groups vary in interesting ways. My closest friends at the university generally have weekends off, so shopping, cooking 'family' meals, and going out to Dinkytown bars seem to encompass leisure activities. However, my coworkers at the Local generally spend their free time at bars downtown or in uptown, not necessarily to get drunk, but to spend quality time and conversation with their friends.

 

When thinking about my leisure activities and how they play an important role in construction and maintaining identity I find it quite different from high school, then now being a student in college. In High School I was on the Girls Hockey Team. At my high school the girl's hockey team had a great reputation always winning our conference and making numerous trips to the State Hockey Tournament at the Excel Energy Center.  Not only was I involved in this sport it was something I did in my past time. We would play pick up games at our door rinks, go to open skate, or even play street hockey. I believe that this leisure activity shaped and maintained my identity. Many people at my school and even individuals in our community knew my teammates and I as the hockey players. We were expected to succeed every year because that was our reputation and stereotype people saw us as. Younger girls looked up to us and it was important to set good examples. My identity was shaped not only as a student athlete but one who stayed out of trouble and kept up on grades. 

         Now in college I do not have time for any leisure activities. I would love to be involved in intramurals or try to stay involved with hockey one way or another but I feel with the pressure of school and work I do not have any spare time. This makes me stressed out and sometimes unhappy because forget to take time and do the things I once enjoyed but rather I am tied down with loads of homework.

         I think that that over all the ideologies of identity is shaped by activities that one takes part in. Identity is not just formed by your gender, race, or class status alone but your involvement and more importantly your leisure activities. 

I definitely see the relationships between leisure activities and in constructing and maintaining identities. I feel strongly about this because for some reason, the hobbies that I enjoy and incorporate into my daily life are typical, stereotypical characteristics pertaining to the "Female" identity. I love to paint my nails, cook and clean in the kitchen, maintain various other "household duties" that my seemingly apathetic roommates don't care to do. Basically, I'd make a GREAT Female Spouse in the Nuclear Family Unit. But I'm not. I am very feminine, but I also enjoy things that are associated with masculinity. For example, in the future I want to be the breadwinner in my family, not just "second" to my husband's salary or income. I hang around lots of guys because I seem to get along with them very well. Of course I enjoy my girl friends, but a lot of the things that I'm interested in right now is shared with my guy friends. Who knows if that's a good or bad thing!

 The point I'm trying to make is that even though I enjoy these things, I have never really viewed them as "feminine" or "masculine." As a person, aren't you supposed to clean up after yourself and not expect any one else to do it? Just because I like to wear purple and pink nail polish does that mean I don't know anything about baseball?

 Unfortunately, albeit changing perspectives and views about gender roles in society, the stereotypes of the "Female" identity continue to oppress women. Although times have changed, for example, it is WAY more common than not for a woman to be the stay at home parent while her husband works. It seems like once a woman enters marriage, or some sort of committed relationship, there is an assumption that the husband is the ultimate protector and provider. Once they start having children, this relationship between man and wife strengthens, because now he is providing, protecting AND fathering, and she is expected to mother and watch over the children. (This one of society's assumed female identities: Stay at Home Mom).

I would like to think that our generation is starting to defy these identities placed on us by society. Does that mean that I fall into these "Female" stereotypes? Maybe. But that is never the case for everyone, and no one should assume all working women and men or mothers and fathers have the same story. Everyone is individual and defies the stereotypes placed on them by society every day.

Although I am planning on continuing my education and working, I'm excited to start a family someday. Except this time, mommy will wear the pants.  

For this post I immediately thought of my friend, Hannah. Hannah underwent somewhat of an identity crisis in our first two years of college, and her leisure activities reflected that. In the middle of our first year, Hannah became Taylor and we addressed her as he. He immediately cut of his hair. It was in dreadlocks before that, a hairstyle just as acceptable for a man as a woman, but short hair was more definitely masculine. Taylor's leisure activities didn't change much, except that we watched a lot of transgendered television. The things we did for fun were pretty gender neutral to begin with, like listening to music, going out to eat, and watching movies. It was when Taylor went back to Hannah that I saw a change. When she decided that she could live with being a woman, Hannah went feminine. She got her ears pierced for the first time. And she wanted to go shopping all the time. Suddenly shopping became a leisure activity for us. She bought skirts, accessories, makeup and perfumes. She got me addicted to Sephora. Dressing up and wearing makeup became part of her identity. She grew out her hair. The point is that while trying to define her identity, she shifted her leisure activities, and her consumer activities in particular.

I agree with you about "gender stereotypes will always exist" because I do see that similarity with my family and my boyfriend. I always cook for my family because I am the daughter and that is what a daughter does around the house is to cook and clean. I grew up knowing that this was my duty, but at the same time my dad also helps cook when I am busy or have homework. It is true that yes women are born to be in this gender role, but who says that men can't help. I mean my boyfriend also helps me cook because he knows that I have been cooking ever since I was 14 and need someone to help. It only happens at time that he would cook for me, but it makes me feel better. Other people tell me that it is not right for him to cook because it is my duty or my role and it doesn't have to always be that way. Even though men are starting to help cook, there is still a stereotype that women are the ones to do it. Men will still assume that women are suppose to cook 80-90% of the time. There is nothing wrong with this, but I'm just thinking what if men do want to cook and see it as their leisure activities, would society see it as fit for the gender norm? 

Growing up I never imagined that my activities, including playing with Barbie's, and playing dress up, shopping, and putting on makeup form an identity for myself, but most importantly maintain a reinforced gender stereotype.  This thought doesn't pop into your head on a daily basis.  The other day I decided I was going to cook for my boyfriend and I, but as I am making the meal (which was fried chicken and mashed potatoes!) it dawned on me that this activity has been a gender stereotype forever.  For me it feels like cooking is a leisure activity, because I am only providing for myself.  I have no dependents like children to feed.  For example my mother and grandmother were seeing cooking as work because they are providing for their dependents.  I love to cook, but I also realize that some men have this ideology that cooking and cleaning is a woman's duty.  I never asked my boyfriend that question when I cooked for him, to tell you the truth I never wanted to know the answer.  I truly believe these stereotypes will be maintained because as long as there are gender identities, gender stereotypes will always exist.

I think that having leisure time and activities play a vital role in creating and maintaining one's identity and also keeping people healthy.  I know for me leisure activities take me away from the stress of the day and remove me from what may otherwise be a hectic day.  Recently i've taken up quilting with my mother and find it is something that I can really get lost in for hours at a time, I also find it to be a great way for me to be able to spend more time with my mother.  I think that getting to be able to do a leisure activity such as this with my mother really serves to keep our relationship strong and gives us both pride in being able to create something beautiful as our end product.  Quilting is stereotypically a woman's leisure activity and I would say it probably reinforces some form of gender identity within my mother and me that we're not aware of.  However, another leisure activity of mine is cooking and I've learned all my cooking skill from my father who was always the cook in our family.  He absolutely loves to cook and for men in his generation doing all the families cooking and in particular doing it as a hobby was definitely not a gender stereotype.  I know for my dad coming home after work and being able to cook was a great way for him to relax and find some peace in his day.  I'm glad I have picked up on a leisure activity from each of my parents and have found something different in each of these, and i think both of them play an important role in not only my identity, but my parents' as well.

I think that leisure activities, or lack of time to participate in the leisure activities that you like to do plays a very large role in constructing and maintaining.  I work full time and go to school full time as well as maintain a part time job so I can afford school in the fist place, so when I do have free time, the activities I fill that time with are extremely important because I don't want to feel as though it was time wasted.  Most of the activities I do are fairly gender neutral, with the exception of special occasions where getting done up is appropriate.

 

One leisure activity that I personally enjoy is spending time with my friends and family.  Though people rarely see hanging out with friends as not being a leisure activity, people often see spending time with family as a burden rather than as a leisure activity.  The way I see it is that I am my friends, my family, and my experiences, so regardless of what activities we actually do, it is the people you do them with that help form your identity, not just the leisure activity itself.  I also go to see the midnight showings of movies every week.  Me, my boyfriend, and a small group of our friends have been doing our midnight movie ritual for almost 3 years and it at this point in the game, has so much more to do with the group of people we go with, rather than the actual movies themselves. 

 

All in all, I think that not having as much time or money to participate in leisure activities that you really like to do such as shopping, going to concerts, travelling, etc, really does have an affect on the way you form and define your own identity. 

Using Butler's ideology of performativity with gender, as Peiss does, the activities of shopping, dressing, wearing make-up, cleaning, and cooking, are all gendered in our society. They also create identities for us, as seen in the article by Lee with how African-Americans were treated in some White neighborhoods, regardless of class, or how young people were treated based upon their age. Cleaning may not necessarily be considered a leisure activity, but I know from time to time I prefer cleaning to homework, and it feels good seeing the noticeable difference of a clean room or house. When I think of leisure activities that I enjoy, I typically think of reading and watching movies, which typically are not gendered, but also are activities that I rarely have time for. In fact, as soon as winter break or summer break starts, I spend the first few days reading as many books as possible, which is very relaxing and a nice break from reality. Not having enough leisure time is stressful, but with school, rugby, my responsibilities as an officer, among other school activities I participate in and other responsibilities that I have, I have little time for leisure.

 

Some of the activities I listed are every day activities that you cannot get around, such as getting dressed every day (or staying in pajamas) and ones appearance is always a performance that creates an identity. The identities created by various activities and by leisure activities may not be the stereotypical identities of a person's race, class, gender, sexuality, etc., but they are identities nonetheless. Certain leisure activities are gendered in our society, such as watching football and playing video games (often seen as masculine) and going out dancing or watching romantic comedies (often marked as feminine). Thankfully, most people break these binaries in our society and complicate the notions of gender as an identity, along with many other identities.

When thinking about leisure activities and how they can lend and contribute to the formation of identities in specific to gender, I actually thought of gardening. Gardening is something that I find particularly interesting in regards to gender. In certain aspects, gardening is something that men and women do. While not specifically a masculine or feminine activity, it's acceptable to a degree to be a man or a woman and garden. I'm assuming here, but I expect it has something to do with home upkeep and that extending to the garden, as both a masculine and feminine responsibility.

Gardening as an acceptable thing for men (in America at any rate) to do, without casting aspersions on their masculinity, gets called something else. Gardening for men is called 'yard work" or something similar. It involves mowing the lawn, trimming hedges, planting trees, etc. These things are practical (to a certain extent) and therefore completely socially acceptable in regards to normative gender roles. While some men definitely do it for fun and leisure, it's not strictly associated with a leisure activity in regards to men.

Gardening, when placed in relation to women, becomes more about the beautification of the yard. Because the aesthetics of the garden aren't deemed strictly practical, 'women's' gardening is classified as a leisure activity. This plays into the normative gender roles of the men being the practical, the rock, and the women being the superfluous, the support. This is not to say that gardening that gets called yard work isn't also a leisure activity, it is, but as it deals with home upkeep (the literal upkeep of shelter) it gets classified as masculine. I find this interesting because it's not as if men don't garden to beautify their yard, but when they do it it is deemed necessary. The socially acceptable forms of caring for your yard are gendered in its tasks, they have male and female roles.

Another interesting thing about gardening is that if women take on 'male' gardening tasks, or men take on 'female' gardening tasks, their is little social backlash. If women mow the lawn or men plant flowers, it's not considered a big deal. This would suggest that the gendered roles in yard work aren't heavily enforced, if men and women can transverse them without significant recriminations. This begs the question of why these gender roles within gardening even exist, if the necessity of these roles are critical in gender construction. I think it's more subtle than that, it's the sly suggestion that appealing to both genders will increase revenue in gardening supplies and related tools. Why that means that gardening should be gender segregated I'm not sure, but maybe some of the interplay between the two aspects are the cause of the acceptability in transgressing those select roles. Regardless, gardening remains something that does have socially appointed, gendered identity associations to it, though not as strictly adhered to as some other things, for whatever reason.

Something else to note is that gardening is pretty consistently associated with leisure and free time, but it's also something that has been deemed a necessity. As such there are jobs created for it, so gardening is something both leisure and function, something people who have free time do and something that people make their livelihoods in. This has interesting connotations in regards to leisure activities as profitable enterprises, but those that garden for profit aren't typically associated with higher classes. 

It is very true that leisure activities play a significant role in shaping and maintaining identity. People choose their way of "leisure" because they have different view and opinion toward it. Also, the leisure activities that a person prefers can gradually become part of his/her life that influent who the person is. Leisure can be something really materialistic or something that is so spiritual. What I mean is that even a short relaxing time is a leisure activity to a busy working person. And some people see it in a materialistic way that they think leisure is something that is luxury and not easy to get to enjoy.

 

My mom is a busy woman, she works and also needs to take care of the family too. I know she is so tired, but she still enjoys cooking for us after busy work. She is a great cook, she sees cooking as her leisure activity that can bring the family happiness. Although cooking is not an expensive way to show what a leisure activity is, but this give her a spiritual fulfillment and happiness. I think part of the reason that she enjoying cooking for us is because she think this is her responsibility to take care of the family. This unconditional love that mom gives us is incomparable and this maintain who they are and their identity in the society.

 

Personally, I love travelling and I do consider it as a leisure activity of mine. This is the reason why I choose to study aboard and go everywhere in the states during vacations. There is so much fun when we go somewhere we don't know and look at different culture. Although sometimes it is expensive to travel around, I treasure every experience to look at new things and discover new spot with friends. Now, I enjoy going to new place alone and meet new people and learn new things.

 

Also, sometimes we may stereotype that guys' leisure activities would be play sports, and going to gym, and girls' leisure activities would be shopping and dressing up. It is so true that these different leisure activities shape gander difference as two gender are going two extreme way. However, some girls go to gym too, they are consider to be healthy and leading a good life and guys do go shopping with their girl friend to show their tenderness.

What initially came to my mind when thinking about leisure activities and how they play a role in maintaining gender stereotypes, racial hierarchies, and class distinctions, was sports. Many sports are known to be sports that originated in wealthy areas and were played by wealthy people. An example of this is Tennis. Tennis originated in Europe and was played by Monks for entertainment purposes. The game soon became popular in France and was quickly adopted by the royal family. Some other sports that have historically been played by wealthy people include polo, golf, lacrosse, and hockey. The historical backgrounds of these sports still have an impact on who plays these sports today. You don't often don't see much racial diversity displayed in these sports, the athletes that participate in these sports are typically of Scandinavian decent.

Another issue that impacts who participates in certain sports is the cost. I know hockey is one of the most expensive sports to play, which limits participation in this sport to wealthy upper class people who can afford to play. This is also true of golf; golf can be expensive due to the price of equipment along with the cost of playing on nice courses.

An example of gender stereotypes in sports is prevalent in lacrosse, and is something I'm familiar with since I play. There are a lot of differences between men and women lacrosse. For one, men wear a lot more equipment, such as helmets and shoulder pads and are able to have different size sticks, where as women equipment consists of mouth guards and goggles and a standard stick. The rules are also different, men are allowed to check one another, and women are not. A lot of people consider women's lacrosse to be boring because it's not a contact sport like men's lacrosse. This is something that is really aggravating for me.

So in my opinion sports is a good example that encompasses all three aspects of race, class, and gender. There are still many sports that have a very little diversity. Fortunately there are many great athletes that have broken through these stereotypes, like Tiger Woods and Venus and Serena Williams.

Speaking of the Minnesota RollerGirls and roller derby I want to share a link to the North Star Roller Girls 2009-2010 season schedule.  It's www.northstarrollergirls.com.  I have become acquainted with 2 girls here on campus who gave me this website information.  I went to the first show, which was my first roller derby event.  What a fun night!  These girls are so much fun to watch and they have taken a leisure activity, which I might add is not a "soft" activity and challenged my thoughts on gender performativity.  They can really get hurt doing this!  Personally, I could not, would not do this.  Too scared of the pain I might encounter. 
Anyway, thought I would share that....check it out. It's worth it!

About the topic of leisure activities and the role they play in identity formation and maintence of identity, my most favorite activity is sewing.  I have been sewing since I was 15 years old, which adds up to just over 20 years now.  Sewing for me is my way of being creative, de-stressing(family members might argue this at times)and keeping in touch with myself. I do prefer to sew alone as it is also my personal time in which I do alot of inner reflecting of my past, present and future thoughts/goals. 

It is a very personal and sentimental activity for me as my grandmother who is going to be 82 this year is the one who was generous enough to teach me this activity that she also loved to do with me.  I have been able to teach both my older daughers to sew, which has been an invaluable lifeskill for each of them to have and a huge financial money saver for myself.  It provides me a way of being able to share myself with others and give to others as I make many gifts myself and have donated my time and many items to fundraising benefits which has raised money for people/persons in need(usually medical).   Shopping at thrift stores is also something I like to do. It's always fun to see what is out there and I do alot of thrift-store browsing too(when I don't spend any $$$). 

Other than sewing, I scrapbook once a month with my sisters, cousin and some friends.  This is "my time with the girl's" as I call it.  We all are putting out photographs in our scrapbooks which, is also a creative activity and sharing our lives with each other. 

I am a person who does not care much for a life that is what I define as "crazy busy".   Being that I am now back in school, working part-time and a mom of 4, that's is what my life has more often than not, become.  While I am very happy to be back in school, I cannot wait to be done.  I really love to sleep in as long as my younger two children will allow me to on the weekends, which is until about 8:30am at the latest. I take advantage of Saturday morning cartoons as a way to be able to do almost nothing for an hour or so and get some snuggle time in with my younger ones.  We do lots of craft projects at home too. I have always been a reader, dancer(love music, loud music)and just being around people in general as I am always fascinated by other peoples lives and their own stories. I love movies, especially with captions and with lots of popcorn. 

If I start to feel like I've just got too much going on, I get really bitchy and actually feel like I've lost myself in all the chaos. This is when I close myself up in my sewing room to reclaim myself.  I am not a fan of cooking.  Baking is alright. Better if chocolate or caramel is involved.   I cook because my family needs to eat, but I do not do the majority of the cooking.  Thier father does and actually is a much better cook than I am, which is fine with me.  I refuse to diet and use chasing my kids around as my source of daily exercise.  Being that I was raised by a single father, I learned years ago how to change oil, brakes and some other basic car maintence needs. I will do this myself in warm weather but will gladly pay when it gets cold, like now. 

In thinking about my leisure activities I would say that mine are pretty gender neutral and yet they tie closely with the other women in my life.  The best part is that they're inexpensive. Running or biking I've done since high school.  It's a way for me to decompress and handle stress.  I also love how good I feel (usually) after I've gone for a run.  It's the pleasure of being outside in most cases and taking in the weather, what ever it's doing.  Because of my running I've developed closer connections with my girlfriends.  For a while now a variety of us, and our group have changed over the years, have sought out different fun runs, half and full marathons to train for and run with each other.  It's been a source of strength and solidarity.  We've each gone through a lot in our personal lives and yet getting together to run, to have that bond with each other and to share the ups and downs has been wonderful.  I couldn't do without it.  Gardening on the other hand is a solitary activity yet it is a great way to get to know your neighbors.  I have a greater appreciation for what it means to say, "heard it through the grape vine". I had a grape vine growing on the fence between my neighbor Claire and I. For years we would take the time on several occasions to stop our gardening or what ever it was that we were doing and chat across the fence over the grape vine.  I developed a greater friendship with other women in my neighborhood because of our gardening.  Sharing stories, techniques, and exchanging plants.  Not that gardening is traditionally a women's hobby, it just so happened that the only gardeners I knew in my immediate vicinity were women.

On the other hand I was just thinking about how I wanted to treat myself after the end of the semester and the idea of a spa day sounds more and more appealing.  My idea of the perfect spa day would be to get my haircut, followed by a massage and a hot bubbly soak in the tub.  The next day or maybe the day before I would get a pedicure.  I don't do these things, especially the massage often enough and I suppose these are very gendered leisure activities that I don't do very often because quite honestly of the expense involved.  I suppose there could be an argument made that stereotypical female activities cost more (like cosmetics) then men's pastimes (except male sporting events).  Women, who generally speaking have less disposable income then men, tend to spend more on these luxury items like pedicures, haircuts and massages.

There's a disparity in who female vs. male activities are valued. Women's sporting events for example are cheaper because (generally speaking) are less advertised and less attended.  On the other hand women's clothes which are made cheaper and don't hold up as well as men's cost more in the long run.  So much of how women are perceived out in public affect how we perceive our identities and ourselves.  One of the big questions that keeps coming up in my mind is how much of what I do is truly for my own pleasure and how much is for the likes of others.  As I get older I would like to think that I do what makes me happy, like that pedicure!

After leaving class on Tuesday I started thinking about gender performativity and the ways that leisure activities not only reinforce but also how they allow us to break down gender performance. I think the women who participate in the roller derbies, such as the Minnesota RollerGirls, provide a good example of using leisure and performance to abate gendered norms and expectations. The RollerGirls, an all-women's roller derby league in the Twin Cities, consists of four teams. These teams compete against each other and with other all-female teams across the country. Roller Derby is an aggressive and violent sport, which is in direct opposition to the kinds of behaviors society deems as "feminine." Many of the women involved in this sport are attracted to it for that very reason, and most of these women live otherwise quiet, and sometimes even professional lives. Another performative tactic used by the women in roller derby is to take on derby names, many of which reflect the violent nature of the sport, such as "Barbie Brawl", "Candi Pain", and "Phyllis Driller". Although men do participate in roller derbies, it is most often played by women and the most popular roller derby leagues are the women's leagues. Aside from being a popular women's sport,  roller derby is one of the few sports (perhaps the only?) that is completely operated by women; every member of the Board of Directors of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) are women, and most of the leagues across the country were started by women.

I think that leisure activities play quite an important role and constructing and maintaining identity, primarily because they tend to have a great impact on creating the paths of one's future. 

 

For example, there are two female bartenders at my place of work.  Both girls hope to become stylists via the Aveda Training Center. One girl is currently in the program, and one will begin in December. 

 

The girl who is currently enrolled constantly complains about her days in the program.  She complains about having to get ready early in the morning and about her assignments which include testing and trying beauty products and tools. 

 

The other girl cannot wait to start and is counting the days down until December when she finally can.  In spite of the restrictions of our workplace uniform, she always manages to look fashionable through her hairstyle, makeup, and accessories.  She and I discussed how the other girl could possibly choose this profession if she was constantly complaining about what should be "fun parts" of the job.  As the "fashionable" girl said, "If you want to be a stylist, appearance should be your passion."

 

I just find it interesting because the latter girl generally enjoys fashion/appearance/etc. as a leisure activity, she will probably have a much better career as a stylist because the activities involved are something she generally enjoys.  The first girl on the other hand only sees the activities as work, and thus, loathes them, and only thinks of them as a way to pay the bills in the future.  While I have not personally seen her talent, I can't help but think of how this will affect her future clients, as style and appearance are a huge aspect of identity for many women.  If this aspect of appearance is so important, should it be left to people who aren't as passionate about it as others? 

 

I guess it is just interesting to consider the effects that an individual's leisure activities and hobbies can potentially have on others.

Leisure activities do play an important role in constructing and maintaining identity. For example, ever since I started college, I don't have the time to be involved in my church youth group. Work has also made me to be absent from church services and involvement as well. If I was able to balance school, work, and church altogether, then I would have time to get involve in my church. Whenever I do have the time over the weekend, I attend church and get involve. It shows me as a person who take school as an important aspect of my life, yet still keep my religion tradition at the same time. Another thing would be to stay at home while going to school at the same time. Since I commute, I also have to balance house chores and responsibility such as cooking, cleaning, and looking after younger siblings, and much more. However, doing chores at home causes me to not have time to get my homework done and having enough time to study. I can balance all of the responsibility of being a student and staying at home at the same time, but I need enough time to focus on things that I like to do. Being able to stay at home taking responsibility and being a student at the same time let people know that I am a person who is able to do two or three things at the same time and managing my time.

I enjoy surfing the net, which can be addicting to do if I have assignment due the next day. I do balance the productive and unproductive activities when I'm on the net by doing my work for 30 minutes and then have a break to surf around for 10 minutes.  I also like to cook whenever I have time but not as often. I also enjoy making music with my siblings and sing as well. My sibling and I make music and sing help benefit the church choir by getting involved and sharing our talents specifically with the younger youth who are still learning how to play an instrument and improving their singing skills.  Although I do not have time to do all the activities I want to do, the amount of time I spent on doing the same and new activities helps me develop something new about myself and helping others as well.

For myself personally I have few favorite leisure activities.  I enjoy going out to eat, going to the movies, hanging out with friends, reading a good book, and traveling.  The fact that I enjoy these certain things says a lot about who I am as a person.  They dictate the type of things that I have knowledge of and the type of people that I hang out with.  Obviously I am not going to be very compatible with someone who never likes to leave his or her hometown because that would make me stir crazy.  I notice when I do not have enough time to do things that I enjoy I get very depressed and angry.  I believe that people need to take life seriously but also pause and have moments where they can just do the things that they enjoy most in life.  I think a reason why some people enjoy things like cooking and other people don't has a lot to do with how they were brought up with that specific activity.  For me personally, I don't enjoy cooking, however, I enjoy baking.  I think the reason for this is because my mother bakes all the time, but she is not a big cooker.  As a little girl I would always help her in the kitchen with cookies, cakes, and pies.  I looked forward to Christmas so much because we would make massive amounts of baked goods, and my mother always let me help and that made me feel very important.  Like I stated earlier, I love going to movies.  As a child, my family went to a movie in the neighboring town almost every single weekend.  It was something I always looked forward too, and we always had a wonderful time.  This has now carried over into my adult life, and I know one day when I have my own family I will do the same.  I believe it is the way that someone is raised with certain activities that dictates how much they will enjoy it in the future.  

I definitely think that leisure time plays a role in maintaining identity, especially when it comes to gender and sexuality.   For example, I really enjoy going to the theater and used to work in one as an usher.  Generally, the heterosexual men I would see at the theater would either be there with a girlfriend or wife, and most often they would look bored and angry for being there.  During shows I would sit in the theater and watch the audience to make sure there were no cell phones, food, etc., and I would see the men respond to the show with the same reactions as the women.  During intermission and after the show, men would still look bored even though it was clear they were having a good time.  I think that because the theater is associated with typically feminine things like costumes and dancing, some men feel uncomfortable expressing that they enjoy their time there because it is not considered masculine.

 

Being that it is a stressful time in the semester, I am not able to partake in the leisure activities that I once enjoyed. When I tell my friends that I can not go out with them because I am too busy, they will respond by saying "oh you don't have a life". This leads me to believe that leisure activities form a great part of one's identity. Without leisure activities, people presumably do not think that you have a life, even though you are engaged in activities such as school and work. Leisure activities shape one's identity because it shapes aspects of your life that are different from other people's.

I believe that leisure activities sustain ideologies of identity. For example, one of my leisure activities is shopping. In high school, I dressed up every day in high heels and skirts and went all out basically. I was looked at as "the most stylish person" in high school and I felt that I needed to maintain that identity by wearing the most eccentric outfits. It got tiring, and I did not feel as if that is who I really was. If I wore something normal, like a T-shirt and jeans, everyone would say something to me including the teachers because they were so surprised that I wasn't dressed up.

My clothes and fashion sense made up my identity and also gave the aura that my family was well off because of the clothes that I wore. Little did they know, my family was far from being well off and I had to pay for all the clothes myself, and mostly shopped at thrift stores. My outfits constructed who I was in other people's minds. Like when I went shopping with my friends, for example, they would pick out an outfit and say "this is totally you". Well how can an outfit be "totally me?" It is just an outfit. When I see my old friends from high school, they tell me that I have really changed just because I don't wear the same things anymore. The reason that they think I have changed is based on the fact that I simply changed my style and what I wore! I think people base identity on looks. When your looks change, they assume that your identity changes as well.

Shopping as a leisure activity sustains ideologies of identity. People shop for different outfits and styles based on the identity that styles construct. For example, if you shop at Abercrombie and Fitch you are looked at as having a lot of money and also a small size. If you dress "emo" you are looked at as someone who is dark and not in with the mainstream. I could give countless other examples of the ideologies of identity that are built into style. People think that they can change their identity through leisure activities such as shopping, by changing their style.

I believe that leisure activities definitely reinforce racial hierarchies, class distinctions, and especially gender stereotypes. It does construct identities and we all do it on a daily basis. As seen from the readings and discussed during Tuesdays class, make-up reinforces gender identities. From observing the classroom, most of the girls have some form of makeup on, from foundation, lip gloss, to eye makeup, it has become part of the norm.

When thinking about my leisure time, I really like to just hang out with kids (6 and under). I work full time and go to school full time, so when I volunteer at the local daycare center, the kids help me forget about the stress that I have in my life, and they usually put a smile on my face without even trying to. As a volunteer I get to take the children out to play, but on cold days they tend to stay inside. Now I like to think that kids always have leisure time, they have no responsibilities, and just stick to their instincts. "I'm hungry" "I'm thirsty" and "I have to pee".  When they play, I have noticed that the girls love to hang out around the plastic fisher price kitchen stove and refrigerators, while some will serve me tea in plastic cups. The boys on the other hand have monster trucks to play with, and building blocks like Lego's to construct.

My point is that if we look at children's toys at the local Target for example, we will see that girls have new born babies to feed, kitchen ware to play with, and Barbie dolls that can have a closet full of bright pink clothes. Boys will have buildings to build, tools to fix things, and G.I Joes with guns. Kids and their leisure time (play time) are full of gender stereotypes. Already at a young age, girls are associated with pink colors to housewife roles, while boys are associated with blue colors and heroic roles. So the next time you find yourself in a toy aisle, look at the toys and see the ideologies that are implicated.

I definitely agree with the readings from this week and the idea that leisure activities play an important role in constructing and maintaining identity.  For example, a leisure activity that many people do is tan.  Many people tan once or twice a week to maintain color and look freshly bronzed.  However, most statistics prove tanning is unhealthy because it greatly increases the risk of skin cancer.  So why do people tan when they know it is bad for them?  In my opinion, tanning is a tool that many use to maintain a certain look or identity.  In many cases, tanning makes people "look better" and many are willing to sacrifice their health to look more attractive.  Also, tanning costs money, so people who can regularly go tanning construct a social identity of having money and being able to spend it how they want.

Like tanning, there are other leisure activities that represent specific social identities.  Some of these activities are getting your nails done, wearing make up, and going shopping.  In every race/ethnicity there are certain activities that one can do to show their social status and maintain a certain identity.  Whether it is wearing the trendiest clothes, regularly getting manicures or pedicures, or wearing make up (hair extensions, fake eyelashes, etc.) different activities play an important role in maintaining a certain look.  Depending on one's look they are categorized into a certain class.  If you have the money to wear nice clothes, buy new make up, get your nails done, etc. than you are higher on the social hierarchy.  Leisure activities can directly relate to the type of person you are and the message you are sending to others.

An unfortunate aspect of constructing or maintaining an identity are the extremes people are willing to take to look good.  Many people, especially teenage girls, struggle with eating disorders and have substance abuse problems.  These problems definitely relate to leisure activities and the role they play in social indentities.  Oftentimes, we become obsessed with looking good or being part of a social class that we ignore what is healthy.

Leisure activities do play an important role in constructing and maintaining my identity. I am taking an Asian Service Learning course that involves with working with students off campus or on campus. I really like to help these students and I have taken this course for 1 year already which we can take it up to 8 credits. I have volunteered throughout my high school year until now and found that this is something I like doing. I haven't really gotten my own time to relax and the only time I get to relax is at night or around 6 Friday-Monday because I have class Tuesday-Thursday all day, work Monday and Friday, and volunteer on the weekends. I like volunteering and need to get my hours for my Service Learning class, but it takes so much of my time that I can spend to myself, which I do need so that I don't stress out too much. It is very challenging for me to keep up with what I have here, but I am surprised that I am doing well so far.

 

I haven't decided my major yet, but I might major in Youth Studies or Family Social Science because of this class and working at Henry High School as a Tutor. I feel like I haven't really gotten the time to spend with my family and boyfriend because I have been so busy and distanced from them. I don't want to have to give up time for work, school, volunteering, or family because I feel that they all play a part of constructing and maintaining my identity. I do feel like giving up on certain ones, but at the same time they are all important to me so then I will have to find a way to put all the pieces together.

When looking at how the people around me enjoy or consider what is and what is not leisure time is very different from my own experiences and perspective. I consider leisure time to be none-existent during the school year and I have to push myself to take time out of studying or working to make myself sit and have dinner with my family in order to center myself again. This would also include me making sure that my cell phone is off and the books are out of my hands, in order to keep my attention to whomever I'm with. Other people that I have around me, like the rest of my family, are not going to college, so they work year round; therefore, their definition and amount of leisure time that they have is totally different than mine. I know that my mom hardly gets to just have time for herself because right when she gets home from work, she starts dinner, while the rest of my family does their own thing: dad takes a nap, brother works nights, I'm doing homework.

So these differences in roles that are played within my family show how they dictate who can or will receive leisure time. I have asked my mom what she considers to be her leisure time and this is what she says: "Between the hours of 4am and 6am when everyone is asleep and I can watch TV and read the paper in silence". So, she has adjusted her schedule around ours in order to make time for herself and it begs me to wonder: Is this fair? I know the default answer that she would give me would be something along the lines of "I am a mom and this is what moms do, they take care of their family", but is this all that "moms" should do and be identified by? I give my mom a lot of credit for what she does and I just wish that I could help out more. Then I also wonder if she would still have the same impact on our family if she didn't do these types of things, but if my dad did them instead. Would she, herself, feel less of a mother or would the rest of us think that of her?

I honestly, am not sure, but what I do know is that society has dictated and put these mandates on what we perceive to be and not be rights ways in which one should play out their 'role' within the family. This influence in ideology has impacted and hindered people from thinking outside of this pre-made box and if anyone was to step outside of it, it would be considered wrong.

I was on my way back from the Rec Center after a great workout when I realized that working out and in particular lifting weights is an activity that I truly enjoy doing. I try to work out at least five days a week and when I skip a day or two, I really miss the energy I get from working out. So, when thinking about this week's blog assignment and in particular a hobby or activity that I consider to be a leisure activity, I immediately thought about lifting weights and working out.

I was fortunate that my high school had built a great fitness center a couple of years before I graduated. Of course, the fitness center was equipped with machines and free weights designed for the football team, but that did not stop me from learning how to use the equipment. I would chuckle each time the girls volleyball or basketball players would come into the fitness center before or after practice. They were required to work on building their upper and lower body strength. Most of the girls would moan and groan when they came into the fitness center and would half-heartedly work on their strengthening exercising. I would get a lot of looks and stares as I pushed my way through my workout. What I found to be a leisure activity providing mental and physical enjoyment, the players saw it as work they did not want to endure. The stares and gawks of the scrawny freshmen boys would also make me chuckle.  I still smile when I think how the young football players would come into the fitness center and in an attempt to show -off, either to me or their fellow players, pick up a free weight that nearly brought them to their knees.  At the end of each school year during the athletic banquet, awards would be given to the boys for their weightlifting accomplishments. I would get so frustrated during this part of the banquet because, if girls were allowed to participate in the weightlifting program, I too would have been recognized for my accomplishments.

Weight lifting can be as beneficial to one's overall health as cardio exercise. Lifting weights can help women tone their bodies, build stronger bones, and boost metabolism.  As in my case, working out with weights makes me feel great.  What's unfortunate is the identity people associate with weight lifting and in particular women who lift weights. Weightlifting for years has been thought of as a man's activity. Women were not commonly seen in weight lifting facilities or fitness centers. While there has been a slow change in this thinking, there still exists a stigma associated with women who lift weights. Many women and men tend to look disapprovingly on women who lift weights, often wondering why a woman would want to pump iron to develop muscles. Some dismiss a woman weight lifting as a passing whim assuming the woman will give it up after a period of time. Some question a woman weight lifter's sexual orientation.  Some men may feel threatened by women weight lifters, especially if the women lift more weight than the men. Unfortunately, the identity associated with a female weightlifter may keep some from pursuing this activity - an activity that offers many of the same health benefits for women as it does for men.  

For me, lifting weights is not work. It's an activity I enjoy. It's an activity I miss when not able to visit the fitness center to work out. Although the beliefs of some towards women weightlifters may keep some women away from the gym, the ideology of women weight lifters does not deter my participation in this activity.

I do believe and agree that activities of leisure play important roles in maintaining gender stereotypes, racial hierarchies, and class distinctions. Naturally, when it comes to shopping, girls look for certain things and guys look for certain things but the things we shop for are often different according to our gender. I think we do this because it is all we have ever known. And as we continue to go along with the stereotypes of what is expected of us, we continue to reinforce them.

 

Also, one thing that stood out to me and I related to was the cooking idea. The stereotype is set that women are the ones that normally stay home and do the majority of the cooking. However, I personally think cooking and baking is over rated. I've always taken little interest in learning how to cook and felt like it was too time consuming. Recently, I have been dating a guy who loves to cook and is really good at it. I have been impressed with his skills. I've also enjoyed experiencing a guy who doesn't go along with the stereotype and just assume that cooking is my job because I am the women. His willingness to cook has rubbed off on me. He has taught me a lot about cooking and a lot of recipes and I am excited to learn because I respect him and have been introduced to the rewards of being able to cook.

NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, I could not get this week's blog assignment to post on Friday. Therefore, this week's blog assignment will be due by the beginning of class Thursday.

This week we examine aspects of life that can be categorized under "leisure": shopping and television. The readings address how ideologies of race, class and gender shape and constrain how we engage in leisure activities and the significance of these activities for maintaining as well as shifting those ideologies. Activities like shopping and wearing makeup are not, according to these readings, merely innocent pleasurable past-times; rather, they play important roles in maintaining gender stereotypes, racial hierarchies, and class distinctions.

In this week's blog post, I would like you to consider this notion that leisure activities play an important role in constructing and maintaining identity. Think about hobbies that you or people you know have, or activities like cooking that are work for some and leisure for others, or how you react when you feel you don't have enough leisure time. How are the ideologies of identity implicated in, challenged by, or sustained by these activities or their absence? As usual, you can write about yourself, other people, fictional characters.