Final essay We live in a world that runs away from the idea of ​​gender constructions. Every aspect of our lives is influenced in some way by the roles that society believes a certain sex should embody. Growing up, I didn't fit into the “normal” gender categories that women are thought to belong to. I didn't realize that many of the things I did and the way I dressed were not associated with the "feminine" gender of a young girl. For as long as I can remember I have been a tomboy, who loved sports cars and dirt bikes much more than Barbies and princesses, but at such a young age it seemed normal to me. The older I got, the more I realized that these things weren't what most girls liked, and that's when I first began to learn the differences between gender constructions for both men and women. for most of my childhood with my father, he was and still is my best friend. It has played a key role in shaping who I am today, which is precisely why I am not the typical “girly girl” that our culture believes girls should be. I spent my weekends in a male-dominated environment, usually at dirt bike events or going to the mountains. The number of girls was always scarce, so I learned to behave more like a boy would than a girl. Contrary to the kind and weak characteristics that girls are supposed to possess, I was the complete opposite. Valenti states that “femininity is weak, vulnerable, and artificial” (64). In these respects I could not be classified as feminine. I loved playing with the boys in the mud and was almost fearless as a child. Usually, as Valenti says, "little girls are always attracted to strong women and feminine characters" (174). In my case, I never wanted to play with b... middle of paper... I would like to be with guys more than the stereotypical sorority girl. For as long as I can remember, almost all of my friends have been male. This has also influenced my decisions in life. Overall, every aspect of my life growing up, my parenting, and the activities I took part in, shaped the gender constructions I fell into. More dominantly, however, it led me to reject the typical characteristics that women are expected to possess. My masculine upbringing led to me being labeled a “tomboy,” which was perfectly fine with me. It wasn't until towards the end of my middle school days that pop culture and media components began to have any effect on my life. This oblivion in which I grew up shaped me into what gender constructions would see as a masculine rather than feminine girl, and I continue to carry these characteristics into life with me today..