Marked

We are all marked. We are marked in the clothes that we wear, the words that we speak, the actions that we commit. But according to Deborah Tannen, men have the luxury of being able to choose to be unmarked and therefore escape the judgment that accompanies labels. Unfortunately, “There is No Unmarked Woman.”

Tannen points out the double standard that women face and how unfair this is. She says being marked is a distraction; people will focus more on the markings (like clothing, surnames, and titles) than the accomplishments and messages a marked person is trying to deliver. Because of this, men (who have the ability to dress in an unmarked fashion and are always “mister”) are able to concentrate better on their jobs etc. In contrast, any clothing a woman wears can be judged falsely/negatively and also hinder their completion of tasks at hand.

This bias that women face has been present for an eternity, even though it goes against the biological standpoint, which places men as the marked sex. So why are women marked and can this be changed? Unfortunately, it is already deeply ingrained in society and would be extremely difficult to eradicate. However, women can work their markings to their benefit. Like Hester Prynne, people can positively change the way in which they are viewed and change society’s perception of their markings.