My Sins against Gender-Stereotypes

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Uma and Hitchy(noticed only now, Hitchy) has tagged me to list out the 10 things that I have ever done which are against gender stereotypes. Just 10?, am sure I can list more 🙂

Now, this is a tag after my own heart. I have spent years telling people, that half the things that they believe are  ‘girlie’ stuff are just stereotypes and we start believing in them when it is reinforced in multiple ways. But seriously, just going by this tag, that so many of us have already taken up – most of us seem to do what suits us, rather than what our gender stereotypes recommend.

1. Played loads of cricket on the streets back home 🙂 Came home with scraped knees and full of pride 🙂

2. Wanted to and became a Mechanical Engg – although people kept telling me that it is not ‘suitable’ for girls. Although, I am yet to understand why. Have worked on a shop floor and loved the experience.

3. Can change bulbs, fix things, mowing the lawn.

4. Love discussing politics, which I was told does not suit a woman, not that it made any difference.

5. Much more comfortable in trainers than delicate shoes. I have minimal shoes, and practically live in my trainers, as they are so so much more comfortable.

6. Have lived alone, in an apartment, in both India and abroad, and loved it! I love living on my own, love the solitude.

7. Have no fear of the dark, insects or bugs or any such things. (Daughter makes up for it, though 😦 )

8. In every city we live, I end up travelling around it much more than husband 🙂 I walk and explore a lot too.

9. I am perfectly comfortable going out without makeup or a lot of dressing up. I actually get ready quicker than husband 🙂

10. Are books considered non-girly? I love books, and don’t care what gender they belong to, as far as they belong to me 🙂

At the same time, I love chocolates, chick-lits, chick-flicks and hate horror movies. I wonder what that makes me? While I love games like scrabble, I cannot play games on the playstation or the Wii. I don’t like cooking, while I love baking. Totally mixed up? That’s what most of us , aren’t we 🙂 A combination of skills, which have little to do with what gender we are, and more to do with our personalities.

And now for the tough part. I’ve got to tag people. Apparently according to IHM, if you read this and you don’t take the tag up , you are  – ‘cursed to wear blue clothes pants if you are a woman and pink shirts if you are a man – for next twelve years’.

So I tag,

Goofy Mumma,

Sandhya,

Sands,

Celestialrays,

Lazy Pineapple,

Doli,

Trishna,

Reema,

Shilpa,

Masood,

Ashwathy,

Pallavi

Edited to add : Saksh as well. I really thought you would be too busy to take it up 🙂 Now you better do this tag pronto 🙂

I do hope none of you have been tagged already, I tried real hard to ensure that I tagged only those who were not already tagged 🙂

53 thoughts on “My Sins against Gender-Stereotypes”

  2. I love your list as well!! 😀
    I’m so enjoying this tag!

    Thanks Pixie!

    And I won’t have 12 bloggers to link up if I don’t get to it soon!! 😀

    I know! It is spreading like wild fire, isn’t it?

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  3. This is the 4th post on this tag that I read today! Wonderful tag it is!!

    It is a wonderful tag, isn’t it?

    I can say “Same Pinch” for many things from your ‘Sins”!! Will share them on my post!!

    🙂 Waiting for your take on the tag, Shilpa!

    Thanks for tagging, will take it up ASAP!!
    Cheers 🙂

    Great! Waiting 🙂

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  4. I forgot politics Smitha!! I love discussing politics too 🙂
    We have lots more in common, I enjoy living alone too, and have done that a lot.
    You have worked on shop floor!! I am so impressed!! :jawdrop:

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  5. LOL how did you add, ‘+add yours’ here 😉 I just clicked on it and the comment box opened 🙂

    I liked that ‘+add yours’ as well 🙂 It is part of the template. Came with the package 🙂

    I agree Smitha, “half the things that they believe are ’girlie’ stuff are just stereotypes and we start believing in them when it is reinforced in multiple ways”.

    🙂 Glad you agree, IHM 🙂

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  6. You’re out with the tag too..so am I 🙂
    I played cricket too…same pinch!!

    Same pinch 🙂 Like our twin blogs? I changed the template 😦 I really liked the look of this one too 🙂

    Reply ↓

    • yes yes like our twin blogs twin cooking ranges also 😀

      I liked this theme when I saw it on other blogs..but when I previewed it on mine, didnt like it much. Guess I’m too much in love with my current one to try out something else 🙂

      This theme looks good on your page, Smits :). Like that +add yours feature.

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  7. I love my trainers too..they are any day more comfortable than those delicate shoes.

    And I hate cooking too..I’ve mentioned it in my main list though!
    Real fun tag, nahi?? I’m having a blast reading all the versions 🙂

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  8. I’m SO glad u tagged me for this – this is one tag I’m definitely gonna enjoy doing!!! 😀
    And yes, its an absolute delight to know there are more hybrids like me in the world… wait till u see my list! 😀 😀

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  10. thanks for tagging me Smitha 🙂

    awesome list! I have a lot of thinking to do considering that I don’t distinguish between the stereotypes that well… that hopeless I am! I guess 10 points may not be enough after all 😛

    Once you start, you wouldn’t be able to stop 🙂

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  11. You too… I hate this business of taggin a specific number of people, but it seems all are getting tagged one way or the other…

    I played loads of Football, cricket basketball at school and in the streets, and what brusies… Once I slipped on the concrete basket ball court and had noth and hands and legs skinned 😀 😀

    Books are a man’s thing!! Strange na, I love books, and I love my flats now, though there was a time a few years back when I wore only heeeeeeeeeels, now the very thought gives me insomnia 😛

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  12. I get ready faster than my husband too! I think that if men carried handbags like us, they’d speed up, my hubby is forever collecting all the gazillion things he carries in his pockets and keeps losing. I just pick up my purse and run! 😛

    I so agree! He keeps forgetting half his things!

    I love solitude too! Great list!

    You too 🙂 While I like being around people too, I need my alone time just as much, if not more 🙂

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  14. Loved loved loved it so much…. 🙂

    Worked on shop floor – Thats a WOW !!! 🙂
    That was really no big deal. It was a lot of fun.

    Getting ready faster than the husband – same pinch on that !!! he he he …now, I am thinking of another post… 😉

    Waiting for that post 🙂

    Of course, so many similarities – insect hunter – walk and explore the city more than the partner….

    I know! We should meet! It is fantastic, isn’t it, figuring out so many similarities 🙂

    As u rightly said, we do things what we feel or like not becos it is womanly or so…thats the best way to live, na !!! 🙂

    True 🙂 We all do what works for us 🙂

    Reply ↓

    • Exactly Uma, we do things because that’s the best way to do it, or the way we have been doing it for so long…not because we want to emulate the Man, is it…

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  16. LOL – all mixed up are you?
    In that case, you’re gonna be cursed with a combination of blue and pink pants!!!!

    That would be close to Fuschia, wouldn’t it 😉 No issues at all 🙂

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  17. You’re not scared of any bug??

    I am not usually scared for crawling/walking bugs.. but hate the flying ones!

    I am not scared of bugs, for some reason. I am scared of horror movies, though. I stay away from scary movies, but bugs and stuff, I can deal with 🙂

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  18. I am like u on soooo many things Smiths. I wonder if I hv to really do this tag 😛 U girls hv already got everything of mine on the list 😉

    That is why I did it right away – did not want to wait and have nothing to write 🙂 It is such a fun one though 🙂 Am sure if you start writing, you will come up with loads of points!

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      • don’t care what gender they belong to, as far as they belong to me – i luvvvvv it 🙂

        I knew you would agree 🙂 As far as I know, more women than men read 🙂 Either way, I don’t care 🙂

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      • No.2 I meant 😛
        Godddd, I never thought I would meet somebody soo soo similar Smiths 🙂 🙂
        Being like poles and we don’t repel @ all … *touchwood*

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  19. who do I tag and what do I write..everything is taken..but same pinch on most of the things….and lovely that u wanted to take up mechanical engg. I remember my husband telling me about the only girl in their batch who used to help in welding workshops!

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  21. 1. I did too, but at home!
    2. Shop floor experience…I admire you, Smitha!
    3. Was doing…
    4. Me too!
    5. It is important to be comfortable, it should not be a hindrance.
    6. Again, I admire you! I never got a chance and never will get one!
    7. Poohi will be like you when she grows up, now enjoy and get a reason to cuddle her!
    8. Very rarely people like to walk nowadays, Smitha!
    9. Same thing here!
    10.Books? I used to be an addict!

    ‘While I love games like scrabble, I cannot play games on the playstation or the Wii.’ I am with you, here! I love scrabble, but zero in the others.

    Even now, I can remember your cakes esp. the Barbie cake!

    Interesting list, here, Smitha!

    Reply ↓


  22. if you read this and you don’t take the tag up , you are – ‘cursed to wear blue clothes pants if you are a woman and pink shirts if you are a man – for next twelve years’.

    OMG!!! pink shirt !! Nooooo!!! 😯 😯

    ROFL… such a great dialogue… I am tagged too Smitha!
    I am going to do this tag sooon 🙂

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  23. Oh I missed reading this yesterday.. loved your post Smitha. Now three of you have tagged me, so will have to take it up, and such an interesting tag that too 🙂 Can’t wait to do it 🙂 Btw, I love changing bulbs too 😉 Same pinch, no back pinch 😉

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  24. IHM has really set the blogging world afire. Most of the blogs I am reading today are on this tag. The point is we are women, real women and we do have likes and dislikes that may not be stereotypical – but that doesnt make us any more or less women right?

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  29. Once upon a time, there was a blogger named IHM. One day, out of the blue, she bit a lot of bloggers and this is what happened !! 😀 😀 😀 😀 This tag is worse than last years swine flu, I mean, in the way its spreading ! 😀 😀 😀

    Btw, you still are down with your selective commenting illness, huh ? 😀

    Reply ↓

    • BTW, you’ve been bitten by IHM too, in case you chose to ignore that 😈

      High time you stopped using your Karate-friend as a shield to bring in traffic to your blog… c’mon out with a post, vimmushthaa 😛 😛

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  30. I think I better do this one quickly coz I see everyone has already written abt what I wanted to write…sobs! If it goes this way the only thing I will be left with to write is something I did that M wouldn’t ever ever like to know about 😉

    Just like you, I treasure my solitude moments. It energize your whole body and soul ain’t it? Except for your dislike for collecting shoes 😡 we are both on the same level when it comes to doing Manly things 🙄

    Ps: Thanks for tagging me, want to show some evidence when M asks what am I doing on vacation writing a post? The more people tag me, the more I can pressurize him :mrgreen:

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  33. LOL!
    Just got here from Meena’s blog, where she has done this tag too!
    And the fun part is knowing there are so many of us who defy gender stereotyping!
    Kudos!
    I too, simply, simply cannot understand why people expect that girls cannot be mechanical engineers, or perhaps fix a fuse, a bulb, a leaky tap… :-o! I do too! And know more about the place one lives in that any of the men around :P!

    Lovely reading this tag!

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  37. Obviously, every blog I go to has this tag these days! IHM has really got all of you confused 😛

    LOL! So are you saying that you are totally clear? Where is your tag 🙂

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  39. This tag is awesome, I am taking turns reading everyone’s tag now 🙂 Looks like all of us have overcome the stereotype 🙂

    I know 🙂 This tag has become so very popular, hasn’t it 🙂

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  40. hey S,that was a cool list…i’ve never understood the need for high-heel,fancy shoes… regular shoes work just fine for me… i am not scared of the dark either…but i like to keep a safe distance btw myself n insects.. not coz im scared of them…but coz i find them yuckkkkkk!!! i donno why ppl wud think reading is manly (may be coz women had access to education later in history) but according to me, more women read than men !

    I used to wear high heels – but daughter’s birth took care of it for me. But I was never mad/crazy about them 🙂 I liked them and now can manage fine without them 🙂

    Reading – I just cannot understand that either! More women than men, that I know, read..

    Reply ↓

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