Proving Yourself

After our discussion in class, I was very intrigued. Since I am not a part of a gang, or know anyone who is, I did some research on gang initiations. It was unbelieveable to see what some gangs would do for initiation. The kind of danger one would chose to put themself in. There were all types of initiations. The robbing, drive bys, allowing the rest of the gang to beat you up. Then there were some that were a little more extreme. I read about being sexed in, where girls have to have sex with members of the gang to be allowed to join. There was also an initiation where a guy or girl has to have sex with someone who has a sexually transmitted disease, and not get it. I could never imagine putting myself in this type of danger just prove myself. As a female we are not suppose to be seen as masculine. Therefore, this could be the reason behind not wanting to prove myself to be masculine. For females I think it is a little different, obviously. It's not necessarily proving that we are masculine, but that if we do want something we are capable of getting it. I remember in grade school trying to play tag with boys, I was required to show them that I was capable of being a good competitor. Once I gained their approval, they no longer tease me like they would the other girls. I don't know if it was because now they thought of me as boy, or that they knew I was capable of defending myself, and would if I felt it necessary. But I can easily see how boys may feel the pressure to prove their masculinity. And if they don't or are unsuccessful, they are seen as weak or feminine.