“A Rose By Any Other Name”
“A Rose By Any Other Name”
From “Steven” Joshua” and Michael to Janet Leah and Paige, there are millions of Baby Name Books that guide parents in selecting the right name for their little bundle of joy. With names having both cultural and historical meanings, these books are intended to pick the best name for a child that describes the characteristics that the parents wish for their child to have. For example, A parent might decide to chose their soon to be baby girl to be called Adina meaning Noble, gentle, delicate (http://www.thinkbabynames.com/search/0/gentle). Or perhaps Ethan, a Hebrew name for a baby boy that means firm, strong, impetuous (http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Ethan.html). While parents search for names that have pleasing characteristics, there is one huge aspect that goes into the name selecting process: Gender. Before the child is even born, parents begin defining gender norms for their child the second they find out the sex of the baby. Looking towards masculine names such as Michael, David and Adam, parents wouldn’t dare name consider one of these names for their baby girl. Society clearly defines gender appropriate names; there is a set name for men and female. Even in Different languages, such as Spanish adding a n “a” to feminine and “o” to masculine words, a clear distinction between male and female attributes. Our society feels comfortable with these genders normative names. When we are introduced to a man named Josh and a woman named Sally, our views are not disturbed; there is no confusion in our mental process. Now there are gender-neutral names such as Taylor and Cameron, that may take more consideration but once given a male or female face the confusion is solved. However once names that have already been socially defined as belonging to a certain sex are given to another group, a problem is presented. It is not acceptable to name your son Brittany, this challenges the characteristics
From “Steven” Joshua” and Michael to Janet Leah and Paige, there are millions of Baby Name Books that guide parents in selecting the right name for their little bundle of joy. With names having both cultural and historical meanings, these books are intended to pick the best name for a child that describes the characteristics that the parents wish for their child to have. For example, A parent might decide to chose their soon to be baby girl to be called Adina meaning Noble, gentle, delicate (http://www.thinkbabynames.com/search/0/gentle). Or perhaps Ethan, a Hebrew name for a baby boy that means firm, strong, impetuous (http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Ethan.html). While parents search for names that have pleasing characteristics, there is one huge aspect that goes into the name selecting process: Gender. Before the child is even born, parents begin defining gender norms for their child the second they find out the sex of the baby. Looking towards masculine names such as Michael, David and Adam, parents wouldn’t dare name consider one of these names for their baby girl. Society clearly defines gender appropriate names; there is a set name for men and female. Even in Different languages, such as Spanish adding a n “a” to feminine and “o” to masculine words, a clear distinction between male and female attributes. Our society feels comfortable with these genders normative names. When we are introduced to a man named Josh and a woman named Sally, our views are not disturbed; there is no confusion in our mental process. Now there are gender-neutral names such as Taylor and Cameron, that may take more consideration but once given a male or female face the confusion is solved. However once names that have already been socially defined as belonging to a certain sex are given to another group, a problem is presented. It is not acceptable to name your son Brittany, this challenges the characteristics