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Assignment 5: C.J. Pascoe

In the first two chapters of C.J. Pascoe’s book, she touches on the subjects on how the students, administrators, and teachers have an effect on the cultural meaning of gender and sexuality at River High. Chapter one starts off talking about the skits the senior boys do in order to be crowned Mr. Cougar. Pascoe describes what took place in this skit which was two nerds get their girls “kidnapped” by gangstas and they would eventually have to end up working out in order to scare the gangstas and end up winning their girls back. This right here shows how the students viewed being weak as a less masculine feature and that being strong is the more masculine thing. Also this shows that women are just a prize to men and women are defenseless due to the fact that the girls couldn’t fight off the gangstas themselves. The students would view drama classes and the Gay/Straight Alliance as being a fag and the masculine sites to be auto shop and weight lifting. The administration also contributes to the meaning of gender and sexuality at River High due to the fact that the organization of school activities encouraging heterosexual pairings, such as the Winter Ball, school rallies, plays, dances and proms. By making events that are meant for heterosexual pairing it teaches the students to think that a boy and girl pairing is the right way to do dances and anything besides that is considered unusual/being a fag. The dress code for the girls also prove that gender differentiation takes place in River High. To emphasize more on the concept of gender differentiation, official school policies encouraged sexual abstinence and discouraged homosexuality. The teachers had a role in this as well. Pascoe mentions a teacher, Ms. Mac, where she  frequently drew on and reinforced concepts of heterosexuality in her teaching. She also had a wall of senior pictures where the vast majority of the pictures showed boy and girl pairs dressed in their formal best. This right here shows that  heterosexuality was celebrated as opposed to homosexuality.