Being a woman means that you show concern for your health and self-care. (Ogden, 2017) That is the social norm for society. Society encourages women to have healthier behavior and show help seeking behaviors. (Ogden, 2017)
I sometimes feel obligated to make doctors’ appointments because many women around me do so when they show the slightest symptom that might suggest an illness. Personally, I don’t have the best help seeking behaviors. (Ogden, 2017) I’m trying to change this behavior, but I never really considered that social norms would influence this. The men don’t usually let us know that they are sick. They consider being sick as a sign of weakness and don’t seek help right away. Here women don’t really have limitations when it comes to health. Society tends to see women as healthier than men. (Ogden, 2017) For me, I rarely get sick. When I do I get the flu, the common cold, seasonal allergies, and sometimes bronchitis. When I am sick, I tend to try to fix the problem right away. I either drink herbal tea or take a Tylenol to ease the pain. If the illness persists, then I ask my mother for pills that we get from Mexico or ask the opinion of a doctor I know from church. My health behaviors change sometimes according to the people I associate myself with. (Ogden, 2017)
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I tend to stray from some unhealthy behaviors since I see women from my church do the same. As a woman, I tend to look up to other women for how to behave or their lifestyle choices. I met someone who has that ideal life that society accepts from a woman. She is regularly having check ins with her doctor, she eats very healthy, goes to gym to workout, tends to her family while still taking care of herself. I mean, you take one look at her life and its what you strive to become. You don’t really realize that its feminine because you’ve become accustomed to social norms. (Ogden,