When first hearing about this project, I was terrified. I was convinced that I wouldn’t be able to find an example of gender in my every day. Through the process of this project and self-reflection, I can confidently say gender is a part of my every day. I had a professor once tell me that the questions we ask inform the answers that we will get, if we don’t ask about gender, we won’t find gender. Through this project by asking where gender is and using gender as an analytical tool (Hawkesworth, 2005) I was able to find it in every aspect of my everyday life. Although I could have chosen many examples, for the purpose of this project the artifact I have chosen is my lifeguarding uniform. 

I chose my lifeguarding uniform for two distinct reasons. The first is with regards to the gendered characteristics of power and authority and the second is with regards to the sexualization and sexual harassment I continually face as a female lifeguard. Starting with the gendering of power, there are certain characteristics deemed feminine and masculine. For example, characteristics such as weak, soft, and nurturing are deemed feminine thus viewed as appropriate for females to adopt and terms such as strong, aggressive, and power are characteristics deemed masculine thus viewed appropriate for males to adopt (Grant & MacDonald, 2020).

While both sets of characteristics are important, it is the male characteristics that are viewed as better than the females (Grant & MacDonald, 2020). Moreover, it is these differences that define the social relationships on the axis of gender and power (Hawkesworth, 2005). The question then becomes what happens when a female tries to adopt masculine characteristics or vice versa? In my five years of lifeguarding, my authority is disregarded, disrespected, and challenged every day. The answer as to why, is that as a female I am not seen as allowed to be powerful or have authority because these are masculine traits. To use a recent example, a middle-aged man came into the facility and refused to wear a mask. As I tried to explain and enforce the rules this man laughs at me and says, “I’m sorry but I just can’t take you seriously.” Yet as a male lifeguard came up behind me, this man’s entire demeanor changed and although frustrated, he left the facility. One has to ask themselves if not gender then what was this man’s reason for not respecting my authority? This man knew I was the supervisor on shift, I had more seniority, and I was older than the male lifeguard. Yet, I have countless examples of how when I enforce a rule on the pool deck, I am disregarded and it is only until a male lifeguard steps in, that the patron follows the rule. These examples highlight how because of my gender I am pushed onto the margins of power, not able to make my way into the core, and as a result always being a dichotomy between power and gender. 

The second way my lifeguarding uniform represents gender in my every day is the continued sexualization and sexual harassment I face as a female lifeguard. It is argued that a reason for this is due to the androcentric value patterns of pop culture (Fraser, 2013) through shows such as Baywatch, yet this doesn’t excuse how I am made to feel every single time I walk onto the pool deck. My job is to keep people safe; I have the right to go to work and not worry about being stared at or have comments made about my body and yet in five years I have not gone one shift where I haven’t encountered these issues. To intersect disrespect of authority and sexualization, as I passed by a group of men sitting in the hot tub, one of them said “damn that’s a fat ass.” Yet after getting confirmation they were in fact talking about me and telling them they had to leave the pool, I was then referred to as a prude and fat. I can confidently say, male lifeguards in a pool environment are not sexualized nearly to the same degree. Although I have the ability to save someone’s life, I am objectified by my uniform and my body (Fraser, 2013). Another example is how for three years, I have been subject to extreme and excessive staring and harassment by a male that comes to the pool every day, and yet I have been told I’m being dramatic or to just ignore it. Through the Craig article we can see how dangerous these comments are as these are the same type of comments that have been made to criminally excuse actions of sexual assault (Craig, 2020). Yet I have to ask myself if my concerns are being ignored now what would happen if something even worse occurred? Would I still be ignored and shut down? Through both the Craig and Small chapters, they problematize this idea of individualization and female responsibility that I have personally experienced (Craig, 2020; Small, 2020). I see this in my role as a lifeguard as I shouldn’t be the one making sure I’m not being sexually harassed; the ownership should fall onto those committing these acts. I will conclude this by saying I love my job; I have saved children as young as five and adults as old as seventy-five. However, I face the challenges of gender every day. I am seen as not allowed or respected in my position of authority and I am continually made uncomfortable by comments and actions on the basis of my gender.