Essay Sample on Gidget's Story: Unfairly Denied Recognition for Her Surfing Skill Due to Gender Bias

Introduction

Gender inequality is a commonly held belief that men and women cannot be equal. Sexism, on the other hand, is the discrimination against women by focusing on the differences between these two genders. Although Gidget is an outstanding surfer, she fails to get the recognition she needs due to the fact that she is a woman. It is believed that she cannot be as good as the male surfers, and her success is only acknowledged in relation to other great male surfers on the beach. Gidget goes to the beach with her friend in search of handsome boys. However, unlike the other women her age, Gidget is more interested in the surfing act more than the boys. When she got stuck on seaweed and had to call for help, the surfer boys came to her rescue (Kohner 11). That is where she got her first surfing experience. The film and original novel Gidget greatly impacted the surf boom that was experienced in the early 1960s at around the same time the story came out. Before that, women did not know that they would surf and become great at it. Hence, even though many had an interest in the sport, they did not participate in it. After Gidget, many women surfers could be seen on the beach as they had been inspired by the story. By learning to surf herself, Gidget empowers herself to do what she liked despite it being labeled a male sport. She also disempowers herself by falling in love with Moondoggy, who she settled for so she could fit in with the group of surfers.

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Empowerment through Surfing: Challenging Gender Stereotypes

Even though she was short and did not have any male-like physical characteristics, Gidget empowers herself to engage in surfing as she had an interest in the sport. When she indicates that she wants to learn how to surf, the boys who saved her after getting stuck in the water make fun of her (Kohner 11). This scene should be interpreted as a representation of gender inequality because of how the boys laughed at Gidget. They assumed that she would not master the required surfing skills. They did not think that she can manage to become good at surfing until she balanced on the board. They even gave her a nickname showing acceptance. Gender inequality is also seen in the scene where the boys gave her the nickname Gidget, a female version of Midget since she was also very short (Kohner 20). They were focusing on her physical characteristics and could not just accept that a woman can be great at surfing. Hence, the alteration of a name so that Gidget fits into the male category is a representation of gender inequality. The surfers did not think surfing could be associated to the female gender. These scenes represent gender inequality and how Gidget empowered herself by refusing to be stereotyped. The absence of male-like characteristics which led to the nickname Gidget are a representation of gender inequality that this female surfer chose to overlook.

Disempowerment through Relationships: Gidget's Association with Male Surfers

Gidget disempowers herself by getting romantically involved with Moondoggy as she still had an interest in people of the opposite sex, just as it was the case with other girls. When she became successful, the stories were tied to how she hangs out with some of the best male surfers. Almost as if she would not have managed without them. Her relationship with Moondoggy was mainly because she wanted to feel like she belonged in a society where all girls had a crush or relationship (Kohner 26). She also needed to fit in with the surfers so as to get their assistance. Therefore, when her success is linked to the great male surfers, it shows sexism where the public believes that women alone cannot manage to become great surfers. The focus should have been purely on the fact that a woman was a great surfer. Another example is seen when women had an interest in surfing, but none would take the step to engage and try out the sport (Kohner 28). They had become accustomed to the fact that it was a male sport. Therefore, this discrimination against women, whereby it is assumed that they cannot be great surfers, is a representation of sexism. Even the women had already surrendered to the idea. That is why no one was seen attempting to surf at the beach. The scenes summarized above are an example of how Gidget disempowered herself, even though she would have been successful on her own. By getting into a relationship and associating with male surfers, Gidget disempowered herself as she was seen as an inferior individual.

Conclusion

By learning to surf herself, Gidget empowers herself by not following a similar path as the other teenagers who are of her age group since she pushed herself to do what she liked despite it being labeled a male sport. Even though the boys make fun of her at first, she manages to become their friend, which is why they start to teach her how to surf when hanging out. Being in a relationship can disempower a woman by making her inferior to the man. "Do women need to be associated with men before they can be recognized as great people in the society?"

Work Cited

Kohner, Frederick. Gidget. Berkley Books, 2001.