Georgia and the other teen characters in Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging have some ideas about gender roles and they put a ton of pressure on themselves to fit into these narrowly defined stereotypes. How should they look? How should they act? What happens if they deviate? Yeah, gender is a source of major anxiety for these kids, and unfortunately it's also really limiting. Our fingers are crossed for Georgia's sake that as the series progresses, she loosens her grip on these rigid social norms and starts letting herself be who she truly is. It's more fun.
Questions About Gender
- When does Jas take authority on the subject of gender roles? How does Georgia respond to this? What does this tell you about gender in their friendship and social lives?
- How does Georgia graft her ideas of gender onto other people? Give specific examples, please.
- Where do Georgia's ideas about gender come from? Give evidence from the text to support your claim.
Chew on This
The pressure to fit into specific gender roles only adds to Georgia's insecurities.
This book is pretty backward when it comes to gender—it takes its gender cues from the 1950s.