Double Standard?

Walking around at PAX this weekend, I saw a couple of guys carrying gallon-sized water jugs and I caught myself wondering - is there a double standard?  Are there certain things that are more okay for men to do than it is for women?  Here are some of the points that came to mind as I pondered potential double standards:

• Working out - It's more okay for men to lift weights and for women to do cardio (more specifically group fitness classes)
• Strength - Men can be muscular or visibly strong while women are more expected to be lean and non-bulky
• Effort - Men can put time and effort into working out while it's expected to come "naturally" to women, as if no effort were needed to be fit
• Appetite - Men can have a big appetite while it's "unladylike" for a woman to eat the same way

I'm sure there are a bunch of other fitness-related double standards, and I know there are tons of other double standards throughout society.  There definitely were more guys than gals at the convention, with sense that it's more okay for guys to be gamers and geeks.  Men get more "distinguished" as they age while women just get old.  Men can be portly or stout while women are fat.  And I know that the double standards go the other way as well.  My husband and I have talked about a number of jokes or commercials on TV that are "male bashing" where if it was directed toward a woman it would be sexist and demeaning.  Also, it's okay for women to stay home with the kids while "Mr. Mom" is still an oddity (as the title itself implies).  Men are expected to be the breadwinners and there's something wrong with them if their spouses out-earn them.

There are so many differing expectations along gender lines and I know I'm only scratching the surface here.  (I also don't think my thoughts are as coherently formed as they could be, but I'll blame that on the sinus infection.)  What it comes down to is that there is a lot of judgment going on all around us.  Sometimes we're judging ourselves, sometimes we're being judged by others, sometimes it feels like we're being judged by society as a whole.  Gender is one of the more obvious criteria by which people are judged or evaluated, because it's typically one of the more obvious characteristics about an individual (race/skin color being another one).  When someone tells me I shouldn't be doing something, I'll ask myself (and them) why not.  What's wrong with my having well-defined arms?  Why is it okay for that guy over there to have biceps but not for me?  Why is a muscular man deemed attractive but not a muscular woman?  (And, yes, I recognize that there are extremes in all these areas as well as personal preferences.)

I don't want to be told that I can't or shouldn't do something because I'm a girl.  Let me determine my own limits and boundaries, based on what I choose to do and what my body is capable of.  I can be strong.  I can be a geek.  I can have an appetite.  I can take pride in myself and what I'm able to do.  As it said on the t-shirt my parents gave me years ago:  

"Whoever said that the last man standing wins didn't ask a girl to play!"

Food Log:

• Meal 1
• Challah with peanut butter
• Meal 2
• Chicken tortilla soup
• Pita chips
• Meal 3 (BINGE! A serious case of the "fuck its" hit this afternoon)
• 2 Nutter Buddies
• 1/2 a box of Thin Mints (blasted Girl Scouts and their cookies!)
• Chex mix
• Mixed nuts
• Light cheese
• Meal 4
• Matzo ball soup
• Perogis
• Mixed nuts

Exercise:  None
Today's Weigh-In:  Not happening while I'm sick (it's just depressing and I'm already feeling down and grungy with being sick)