In a few years, these images will evolve into a teenage princess armed with a handbag, make up, cell phone and lots of gal pals. In extreme cases, teenage girls are only associated with long trips to the mall, phone conversations with outbursts like "Oh my GOSH!", and sports like ballet and cheerleading. While at the same time, boys move along on separate paths altogether. Starting from blue and green baby gifts with frogs and balls, boys eventually leave behind trucks and action figures to enter the sports arena or video game realm. Stereotypes in society form the dichotomy between masculinity and femininity that hold females back from exploring new things. In fact, these “pink” and “blue” ideologies commonly perpetuate themselves without hesitation, holding back both men and women from exploring new things. Masculine and feminine traits are rarely questioned… until someone steps out of line. 
In the November 2009 issue of “Seventeen Magazine”, Jessica Press examined a rising phenomenon, “Girls and Guns”. The title of the article catches the reader’s attention with its step away from the typical “girly girl” topic that is usually covered in the magazine. Girls and guns? Those two things do not belong in the same sentence! What happened to the cute and cuddly? Although the hobbies of shooting and hunting have been around for an incredibly long time, passion for weapons and guns causes more of an uproar when the interest spreads to teens. With school shootings unfortunately more prevalent today, there is good reason to become sensitive towards gun safety. However, in my opinion this article does not address safety issues. Instead of analyzing the safety issue appropriately (which would have addressed both genders), the question that headlines the article only addresses girls. Jessica Press writes, “Girls and guns: With girlfriend-getaway hunting trips and pink-handled pistols for late-night protection, more girls than ever are getting into guns. But is that a good thing—or a deadly accident waiting to happen?” It seems that since some girls are taking bold steps away from “normal” girl attributes, and choosing to step into an interest more common to boys, people are confused as to whether this is acceptable. Is shooting an interest that is acceptable for females to enjoy?
The three girls interviewed in the article certainly think so, and they aren’t alone. Press explained that in the past five years, “The National Rifle Association (NRA) confirms that the number of pro-gun girls is on the rise” (121). In addition, social networking websites like Facebook are seeing “dozens of groups…for girls who love guns” popping up (121). Girls who participate in the groups cite reasons for their interest in guns as a means for protection, involvement in competitive sport and hunting. The three girls interviewed in the article say their reasons for using guns are: “It makes me feel strong,” “It makes me feel safe,” and “It makes me feel proud” (122-123). All the girls feel they are responsible enough to use guns since they have all had sufficient training. So for these three highlighted users, safety should not be an issue.
However even if they are comfortable with their hobbies, none of the girls can ignore the shock they cause when others find out they shoot. Kaylin, a 20 year old from Vermont, explained something that most people know, "Hunting is something most guys do" (123). After all, the first thing that usually comes to mind when someone thinks of a "hunter" is probably something along the lines of this guy-->
… Not a 20 year old girl with long blond hair and nails painted red like Kaylin is portrayed in her picture. As a result of male dominance in the hobby, Kaylin says she has come to "love the surprised look on people's faces when [she] tells them [she hunts]" (123). For Kaylin, after the shock factor wears off she relishes in the "awesome" feeling of proving people who doubt her skill wrong (123). However, for many other girls, shocking people with such a bold move away from being "feminine" by traditional standards prevents them from thinking about shooting in the first place.Sarah, another interviewee described that few people have the right idea of girls who shoot. She said, “When most people picture girls who like guns, they imagine cowgirls, gangster girls, or police officers.” (122). However, I beg to differ. When I think of a girl with a gun (and maybe it’s just me), I think of a “masculine” girl who I have trouble fitting into any other schema. Instead of having a gun to fulfill a role such as law enforcement, I tend to picture someone who is set apart by their possession of a gun. With this admission, I regret to realize that I am a victim of society’s programming. Throughout my life I have been convinced by the ideologies about feminism, and have rarely questioned them.
Ironically, Sarah also goes on to address people like me in her interview. She says, “I don’t think loving guns makes me any less feminine—if anything it makes me a stronger girl” (122). In addition, upon further research on Facebook I found the last picture included on this blog from the last girl interviewed. After reflecting on the article thoroughly I have come to respect all of the girls interviewed. Going against society’s expectations takes a lot of strength to do, yet all these girls were able to muster up enough confidence to defy typical gender roles. On top of choosing to participate in a hobby that is so often thought of as a man’s sport, these three girls were so passionate they spoke out about the issue in a magazine—nonetheless a magazine that most often talks about fashion and health. In the end, reading this article makes me realize the role I play in the perpetuation of masculine and feminine ideologies. Afterall, as I mentioned in the beginning, the reason “Girls and Guns” caught my attention is because guns and girls do not fit together in my own mind. Obviously, my first reaction was that it was not acceptable for girls to enjoy using guns.
However, combining what we are learning in Women’s Studies and my reaction to this article, I realize that in the end, this article fits in nicely with the other subject matter in “Seventeen”. Sarah and Kaylin, and the other girls who are causing the NRA’s numbers to increase are all beautiful in their own way. Instead of focusing on the right types of clothing to flatter particular body types, like Seventeen often does, Jessica Press is showing teenage readers another way to be attractive. Refusing to let gender roles stand in the way of what they want to do will improve the confidence of anyone. Whether they were choosing to shoot or play football, the feminist movement needs more people like these girls to break down the walls that divide gender. We need more “purple”in the world, instead of just pink and blue.
I found Caren's News Flash to be really interesting and thought-provoking. Like she mentions towards the end of her post, the title "Girls and Guns" catches your attention because of the programming that occurs in society. People do not usually link girls with guns because of the stereotypes that go along with guns and because of the images we form when we think of masculinity and femininity. I think that this article is interesting because it does show that these gender roles are being challenging in society and that the boundaries can be transcended. While I do not necessarily think that the increase in the amount of people shooting guns is necessarily a safe or positive thing, I think that the fact that girls are taking part in something masculine while maintaining their femininity is a positive thing. I think that this may be a more effective way rather than becoming a Female Chauvinist Pig for women to challenge these gender roles and to "act like a man." More of these challenges need to occur in society in order for people to attempt to break down these boundaries that restrict men and women from doing things that are not necessarily considered to be ascribed to their gender role.
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