--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we keep on talking about masculine and…" description: "\"If we keep on talking about masculine and feminine and following those stereotypes, then we will make women suppress and despise their so called mascul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/gloria-steinem-277_despise_if-we-keep-on-talking-about-masculine-an_2369916.jpg" --- # If we keep on talking about masculine and feminine and… ![“If we keep on talking about masculine and feminine and following those stereotypes, then we will make women suppress and despise their so called masculine qualities and men suppress and despise their so called feminine ones, and that's where all the trouble starts.” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/gloria-steinem-277_despise_if-we-keep-on-talking-about-masculine-an_2369916.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/gloria-steinem-277_despise_if-we-keep-on-talking-about-masculine-an_2369916.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/gloria-steinem-277_despise_if-we-keep-on-talking-about-masculine-an_2369916.jpg) > “If we keep on talking about masculine and feminine and following those stereotypes, then we will make women suppress and despise their so called masculine qualities and men suppress and despise their so called feminine ones, and that's where all the trouble starts.” [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Enforcing rigid gender roles forces people to deny parts of themselves, creating personal and societal conflict. **In simple terms:** Gender stereotypes cause self‑suppression. Key Takeaway Embrace all traits regardless of gender. Themes gender equality identity stereotypes Mood reflective concerned Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace dynamics - parenting - mental health - education Key Concepts masculinity femininity social conditioning Questions to Reflect On - How do stereotypes affect your self‑view? - What steps can you take to honor all aspects of yourself? A Different Perspective Not all individuals identify with binary gender concepts; some may reject stereotypes entirely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Feminine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-feminine-1131545/) [Called Masculine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-masculine-3551211/) [Despise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despise/) [Feminine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminine/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Following](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following/) [Following Stereotypes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following-stereotypes-5833892/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Masculine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masculine/) [Masculine and feminine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masculine-and-feminine/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Stereotype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotype/) [Stereotypes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotypes/) [Stereotypes Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotypes-make-4455525/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) ## Related quotes > [One of the main problems of our time is that men are deprived of their human qualities that are wrongly called feminine, and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/one-of-the-main-problems-of-our-time-is-that-men-are-deprived-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women, we tend to become whole people by venturing outside of the home, learning to aspire, to achieve, to deal with conflict - all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-we-tend-to-become-whole-people-by-venturing-outside-of-the-home/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The original languages didn't even have he and she. They didn't have concepts of masculine and feminine. People were people. And the whole idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-original-languages-didn-t-even-have-he-and-she-they-didn-t-have/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I would put all the efforts to humanize the "masculine" and "feminine" gender roles that are the beginning of a false human hierarchy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-would-put-all-the-efforts-to-humanize-the-masculine-and-feminine/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think it's important to see the parallels, and to understand that our masculine and feminine roles are relatively new in human history. Both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-it-s-important-to-see-the-parallels-and-to-understand-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Men tend to gain wholeness by acquiring the qualities that are wrongly called feminine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/men-tend-to-gain-wholeness-by-acquiring-the-qualities-that-are/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We may say that many, if not all, of the personality traits which we have called masculine or feminine are as lightly linked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-may-say-that-many-if-not-all-of-the-personality-traits-which-we/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [ “I believe it’s incredibly important to write against \[racial\] stereotypes. If we give in and make sure that all black women characters are asexual,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-larbalestier/i-believe-it-s-incredibly-important-to-write-against-racial/) [Justine Larbalestier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-larbalestier/) > [I'd read a lot of thrillers about politicians and presidents, but never one where you flip the stereotypes and make good people bad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/i-d-read-a-lot-of-thrillers-about-politicians-and-presidents-but/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [Sexism and racism and homophobia and classism are so naturalized. All these stereotypes make people think it's just normal that straight white men are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/sexism-and-racism-and-homophobia-and-classism-are-so-naturalized-all/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) > [By healing our internal divisions and fully accepting ourselves as we are, we learn to accept and empower our sexual core, and we learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-deida/by-healing-our-internal-divisions-and-fully-accepting-ourselves-as-we/) [David Deida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-deida/) > [Ideally, people find mates with whom they can express both their masculine and feminine sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bakula/ideally-people-find-mates-with-whom-they-can-express-both-their/) [Scott Bakula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bakula/) > [Masculine and feminine roles are not biologically fixed but socially constructed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/masculine-and-feminine-roles-are-not-biologically-fixed-but-socially/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [I think of masculine and feminine energy like two sides to a battery. There's a plus side and a minus side, and in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/i-think-of-masculine-and-feminine-energy-like-two-sides-to-a-battery/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [What makes a gay icon is someone who possesses both masculine and feminine qualities simultaneously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/what-makes-a-gay-icon-is-someone-who-possesses-both-masculine-and/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) ## More by Gloria Steinem > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More Despise quotes > [My whole life has conspired to bring me to this place, and I can’t despise my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-whole-life-has-conspired-to-bring-me-to-this-place-and-i-can-t/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [It may be important to great thinkers to examine the world, to explain and despise it. But I think it is only important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-may-be-important-to-great-thinkers-to-examine-the-world-to-explain/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“You don’t know what it’s like to worry you’ll start to despise the people who help you, the ones you should love, because they’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-guzeman/you-don-t-know-what-it-s-like-to-worry-you-ll-start-to-despise-the/) [Tracy Guzeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-guzeman/) > [Never despise a drink because it is easy to make and/or uses commercial mixes. Unquestioning devotion to authenticity is, in any department of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/never-despise-a-drink-because-it-is-easy-to-make-and-or-uses/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [Everyone has conscience enough to hate; few have religion enough to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/everyone-has-conscience-enough-to-hate-few-have-religion-enough-to/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [I agree that biphobia is real, but I think it's absolutely worth considering that someone who "despises" having sex with her husband - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/i-agree-that-biphobia-is-real-but-i-think-it-s-absolutely-worth/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) > [If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-know-how-to-make-people-shun-you-and-laugh-at-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Russians not only vehemently despise blacks, they believe Africa begins at the Ukraine border.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/russians-not-only-vehemently-despise-blacks-they-believe-africa/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I despise a person of little mind - one might as well not have any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-dunham-kelley-hawkins/i-despise-a-person-of-little-mind-one-might-as-well-not-have-any/) [Emma Dunham Kelley-Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-dunham-kelley-hawkins/) > [I despise computers in many ways. I think they’re hopelessly underevolved and overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-despise-computers-in-many-ways-i-think-they-re-hopelessly/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [With the single exception of Homer, there is no eminent writer, not even Sir Walter Scott, whom I can despise so entirely as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/with-the-single-exception-of-homer-there-is-no-eminent-writer-not/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I despise the pleasure of pleasing people that I despise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/i-despise-the-pleasure-of-pleasing-people-that-i-despise/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [It was beautiful and rare, and you have every right to despise me." She stood pressed to the wall, not moving. "When you came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/it-was-beautiful-and-rare-and-you-have-every-right-to-despise-me-she/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“I'm really starting to despise good -nights and good -byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mi-juan-yu-tu/i-m-really-starting-to-despise-good-nights-and-good-byes/) [Mi Juan Yu tu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mi-juan-yu-tu/) > [But miserable most, to love unloved? This you should pity rather than despise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-miserable-most-to-love-unloved-this-you-should-pity-rather-than/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Browse all 918 Despise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despise/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If we keep on talking about masculine and feminine and following those stereotypes, then we will make women suppress and despise their so called masculine qualities and men suppress and despise their so called feminine ones, and that's where all the trouble starts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gloria Steinem" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-we-keep-on-talking-about-masculine-and-feminine-and-following/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Despise" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-we-keep-on-talking-about-masculine-and-feminine-and-following/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/gloria-steinem-277_despise_if-we-keep-on-talking-about-masculine-an_2369916.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/gloria-steinem-277_despise_if-we-keep-on-talking-about-masculine-an_2369916.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/gloria-steinem-277_despise_if-we-keep-on-talking-about-masculine-an_2369916.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If we keep on talking about masculine and feminine and following those stereotypes, then we will make women…” — Gloria Steinem", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gloria Steinem", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If we keep on talking about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-we-keep-on-talking-about-masculine-and-feminine-and-following/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-we-keep-on-talking-about-masculine-and-feminine-and-following/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```