Lizeth Morales

WGST 307

Reading Essay #3

14 March 2017

Challenge Your Society!

Our society is often caught up in the idea of being normal but what does it mean to be

normal? And who is in charge of categorizing what is acceptable and what is not? According to

Chrys Ingrams, Heterosexuality: Its Just Not Natural!, cultural meaning systems determine

what counts as normal and natural. Those same systems are the ones that determine what is the

correct action if something is not normal, but ultimately it is each individual that allows these

systems to take meaning in our societies and change our views on certain topics. Ingram wants

us to critically analyze how we allow our culture to give things meaning, specifically with

heterosexuality.

Heterosexuality is emphasized to be the norm when discussing sexuality as it is the

behavior the vast majority of the population claims to be socially acceptable. In order for

someone to be in the norm and be socially accepted, they must follow sets of rules but rules

are also socially constructed to keep you within a category. When a female baby is born, they are

not born with the innate desire to like pink and play with Barbies, they are taught to want to play

with these things as these are things society expects them to like. Heterosexuality not only

influences what people deem as normal; it also oppresses women by maintaining gender

expectations in the workplace and the housework. When a person identifies as heterosexual they

are automatically considered privileged as this constitutes a normal expectation of sexuality and

is socially constructed to work in favor of those who fit that norm. Marital status is often an
indication of your social identity, and society expects you to fit within those categories even

when completing a simple questionnaire. An individuals marital status should not matter when it

is not relevant to the scenario. An individuals relationship should not be asked or questioned, yet

our society allows this to be socially accepted making it a universal expectation. Marriage is

deemed such an important social construct that most laws and policies use marriage as the

primary requirement for social and economic benefits. Therefore, what happens to the people

that do not fall within this gender expectation? Although, gay and lesbian couples are able to

marry, the heterosexual norms of marriage exclude certain individuals from receiving the legal

benefits of marriage.

I am very concerned with the institutional expectations of marriage and all the societal

implication it has on individuals who decide to marry. I grew up thinking that marriage is about

finding your true love and growing old together, but past all that there is an oppressive system

that automatically categorizes you. The glamourous moments of trying on wedding dresses is

also influenced by an economic system that wants to thrive in any way possible. The desire to

gain maximum profit of off false expectations cost consumers a substantial amount of money, all

while the dress may have been made by a thirteen-year-old in Guatemala making only a few

dollars a day. American culture seems to enjoy giving people a false sense of joy, as the reality of

that joy may be hurting other in the process. Our society holds heterosexuality as the norm and

those that fall in that category are rewarded at the expense of those outside of that categories

oppression. How can a country try to excel when it does not equally represent all of its citizens

but claims that all are equal under the law? We must educate ourselves and challenge the

society we have grown so accustomed to. What we may think as normal and natural may not be

so as the term itself only encompasses what the mass majority deems as acceptable.
Work Cited
Ingraham, Chrys. "Heterosexuality: Its just not natural." Handbook of lesbian and gay studies

(2002): 73-82.