Your categories are not essentially gendered, although I understand why we feel that way. For example, in your travel-packing example my wife would be considered rugged while I would be considered elegant, under your definitions. I also think that in traditional Chinese culture, both of your definitions would be considered masculine. (Sorry women, I guess you get nothing lol)
I also think that we apply these strategies unequally in different parts of our lives. I’d guess if you have to give a research talk at a conference, you’d take an ‘elegant’ approach of “let me prepare my talk well and try to anticipate possible questions the audience will have” instead of “let me do the minimal prep and then just power through any technical difficulties or difficult questions’.
Maybe our gender socialization leads us to favour different strategies in different situations along gendered lines?
to complicate this along gender lines for fun, when i first read your first sentence i totally reversed the descriptions since it’s rugged and masculine to tackle problems and elegant and feminine to tolerate them. per a random edgy tumblr i follow:
that sounds more “rugged” than “elegant” by your definitions, no?
Your categories are not essentially gendered, although I understand why we feel that way. For example, in your travel-packing example my wife would be considered rugged while I would be considered elegant, under your definitions. I also think that in traditional Chinese culture, both of your definitions would be considered masculine. (Sorry women, I guess you get nothing lol)
I also think that we apply these strategies unequally in different parts of our lives. I’d guess if you have to give a research talk at a conference, you’d take an ‘elegant’ approach of “let me prepare my talk well and try to anticipate possible questions the audience will have” instead of “let me do the minimal prep and then just power through any technical difficulties or difficult questions’.
Maybe our gender socialization leads us to favour different strategies in different situations along gendered lines?
I think these things mostly split along gender lines but there are many exceptions, just like pretty much everything else about gender.
to complicate this along gender lines for fun, when i first read your first sentence i totally reversed the descriptions since it’s rugged and masculine to tackle problems and elegant and feminine to tolerate them. per a random edgy tumblr i follow:
that sounds more “rugged” than “elegant” by your definitions, no?
I also read that little edgy story and thought at the time that sentence made no sense.
I still think that.