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- Analysis on Gibbons and Best's Gender Roles and Growing Up at My Own PaceBrooke Whelan
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- This graphic essay explores my experience as a 'late bloomer' through the lens of embodied gender, connecting to Gibbons and Best and their discussion of how adolescence is a key period when individuals internalize gender expectations tied to physical development. According to the authors, societal norms often link femininity with the early onset of puberty, body curves, and menstruation, which can marginalize those whose bodies develop later. My personal narrative highlights how these cultural messages shaped my feelings of inadequacy and difference, especially when my peers reached puberty years before me. By reflecting on my embodied experience, this project illustrates how gendered expectations around body changes can influence one’s sense of identity, belonging, and self-worth during adolescence (Gibbons Best, 2024).
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- This story explores how my late development during puberty shaped my understanding of femininity and belonging. Gibbons and Best explain that gender expectations during adolescence are closely tied to physical changes, which can marginalize those whose bodies do not conform to typical timelines. My experience as a 'late bloomer' highlights how these pressures impacted my identity and confidence.
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- In middle school, everyone seemed to be talking about their periods—except me
- I have no idea what they are talking about -- should I be worried?
- Ugh, I had the worst cramps today
- I just started mine last month. Its so annoying!
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- According to Gibbons and Best, body size and shape are often used to enforce gender norms, with girls expected to develop curves as a sign of femininity. Being called a 'twig' highlighted how I was failing to meet these expectations in the eyes of my peers. Their comments not only shamed my appearance but also reinforced the belief that developing a certain body type was essential to being seen as feminine and socially accepted
- Why does my body refuse to change?
- You look like a twig! Do you even eat?
- That's not funny...
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- Tampons are way better for sports!
- Um...not yet
- Wait, you haven't gotten yours yet?
- Pads or tampons? I never know what to use.
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- Why isn't my body changing? What if it never does?
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- Gibbons and Best discuss how consumer culture reinforces gender norms by marketing products like bras as essential markers of femininity. Trips to buy bras with my friends became moments of discomfort and exclusion. While they celebrated growing into their bodies, I felt disconnected, reinforcing the societal message that developing certain physical features was crucial to being considered 'normal' or 'feminine'.
- This push-up bra is SO cute!
- Whats the point? Theres nothing to push up.
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- Gibbons and Best explain how social environments, such as peer groups, play a key role in reinforcing gendered expectations during adolescence. Conversations about periods at sleepovers became exclusionary spaces for me, underscoring how bodily changes are often viewed as essential milestones of femininity. My absence from these shared experiences contributed to feelings of alienation and reinforced my perception that I wasn’t ‘becoming a woman’ like everyone else
- He said I look older now that I have curves!
- As Gibbons and Best highlight, physical maturity is often associated with social advantages and increased attention, especially for girls. Hearing my friends talk about how their bodies made them feel more mature and desirable emphasized my perceived inadequacy. My delayed development didn’t just affect my body—it impacted my sense of belonging and how I believed others saw me.
- No ones going to say that about me
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- According to Gibbons and Best, adolescents often internalize societal messages that link femininity with visible bodily changes like breast development and menstruation. Standing in front of the mirror, I absorbed these messages and saw my lack of development as a personal failing. This internalized pressure, shaped by cultural and peer expectations, deeply impacted my self-esteem and how I perceived my gender identity.
- Wait...is this really happening?
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- I should be happy... but why do I still feel off?
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- Younger Brooke:
- Present-Day Brooke:
- I'll never catch up
- If only she knew how far she'd come
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- When I finally got my period at sixteen, I expected to feel relief—but my emotions were complicated. As Gibbons and Best note, the cultural framing of menstruation as a symbol of womanhood can create immense pressure for those who experience it later than peers. Although I had reached this milestone, I still felt behind, questioning why it had taken me so long and whether it would change how others perceived me.
- If I could speak to my younger self, I’d echo what Gibbons and Best suggest: that femininity isn’t defined by how quickly you develop. Societal timelines don’t determine your worth or identity. Everyone’s path is unique—and that uniqueness should be celebrated, not shamed
- Bodies grow at their own pace--and thats okay. You're enough just as you are.
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- Gibbons and Best emphasize that physical changes alone don’t automatically resolve internalized insecurities developed during adolescence. Even after finally experiencing a key marker of femininity, I struggled to shake off years of feeling inadequate. This highlights how deeply ingrained societal expectations around gender and development can shape one’s self-concept long after the physical changes occur.
- Those pressures shaped how I saw myself...but I know better now
- "Genetic, environmental, and social factors result in a great deal of variation in the age of onset of puberty as well as its speed of progression. Such timing differences can impact adolescents’ social interactions and adjustment." (Gibbons Best, 2024, p. 160)
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- Reflecting on my journey, I realize how much I internalized the pressures discussed by Gibbons and Best. The emphasis on hitting certain milestones at specific times had made me believe my worth was tied to my body’s timeline. Now, I understand that gendered expectations around puberty are socially constructed and that everyone’s journey is valid, regardless of when changes occur.
- I am more than my bodies timeline. Its me--and thats enough.
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- I am happy in my skin--late bloomer and all!
- Sounds good!
- Lets grab coffee!
- Everyone blooms differently—and that’s what makes us unique. As Gibbons and Best remind us, gendered experiences are diverse and complex, and embracing our own pace is an act of self-love and resilience.
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- This reflection reinforces Gibbons and Best’s argument that adolescence is a critical time when gender norms are deeply internalized. My experience illustrates how physical changes—or their absence—can become a measure of belonging, but also how challenging these norms can lead to self-acceptance and resilience
- Works CitedGibbons, Judith L, and Deborah L Best. Encyclopedia of Adolescence, Academic Press, Gender Roles, Pages 99-108. Elsevier/Academic Press, 2011.
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- Gibbons and Best highlight that understanding the socially constructed nature of gender expectations can empower individuals to embrace their uniqueness. This realization helped me reject the pressures of early development as the only path to womanhood, allowing me to embrace my journey
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