Dear Class,

The first thing people see when they look at me is that I'm a male. Being a male is great, but there are several stereotypes associated with it. For example, men are supposed to be tough, which means you can't be a "sissy" or cry all the time. This is hard for some men because they have to be sensitive with their girlfriends and what not, but around their friends they need to be tough and unfeeling. Being a male I also tend not to care about how I look. I don't want to be like a "pretty boy frat dude" and wear lacoste and all that garbage. Instead I try to dress like it seems like I don't care.
Being a boy affects my behavior as well. All my life my parents encouraged me to play sports and I associated it with manliness. Sports shape your life just as much as any other thing in someone's life in my opinion. Being a boy also means that a lot of people think you're inherently a scumbag. Especially in Clemson, people think that guys are huge creepers that just want to rape chicks. I don't like this stereotype because I feel that most guys, myself included, are pretty reasonable people who are caring and polite. However, heavy lies the crown. Males have an advantage in life,and though it may not be fair, it is nice for me in certain situations. My parents don't really worry about me and let me do my own thing, which is definitely cool. Having girlfriends I've seen how some parents are literally insane about protecting their daughters.

-Steven