Gender Roles

From what I can remember, there has never been a time in my life where someone specifically outlined my role as a male, without it being part of the myriad of jokes I’ve heard on the matter. Instead, I think kids are slowly led to believe a certain way because of their surrounding environment growing up. When growing up you are never told, but you quickly learn the distinction between a guy playing with an action figure and a guy playing with a doll. Between a guys taking karate and a guy taking dancing. Aside from these more subtle lessons in gender roles the only outright mention I had ever heard of specified roles was in the jokes I’ve heard and that, truthfully, I’ve told. I don’t believe that these actually are sexist in the way I’ve heard them though. If someone had truly meant the joke then yes, it would be sexist but the way in which I have heard them tossed around and the way in which they are funny is because they are so flat out ridiculous that no one takes them seriously. These jokes maintain their humor because my friends and I don’t take them seriously and hold a certain measure of contempt for those who actually believe in the legitimacy of what the jokes say. Within my life, I have never been told what my specific role was in a truly serious manner, and I don’t think I’d be able to take someone seriously who tried to prescribe such roles to me based off my gender.