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Why Are These YouTubers Saying 'Pizza Rolls Not Gender Roles?'

It doesn't matter if you’re a girl who likes sports, or a boy who likes glitter -- or even if you don’t identify as a guy or a girl at all.

By Casey Acierno

If you’re a girl, how often are you encouraged to “be ladylike” or like things that girls supposedly like (pink, glitter, Taylor Swift?) And if you’re a guy, how often have you been told to “man up” or had people assume that you have an opinion on sports? (Or, even worse, that boys don’t cry? Tell that to Chris Pine.)

Well, we think gender norms are kind of B.S., and a bunch of our favorite YouTube stars agree. Cuz the truth is, it doesn't matter if you’re a girl who likes sports, or a boy who likes glitter -- or even if you don’t identify as a guy or a girl. You're just you.

Today, a bunch of video-making ladies, including our very own Laci Green and Girl Code’s Shalyah and Nessa, as well as some supportive men, are talking about gender roles as part of “Pizza Rolls Not Gender Roles.” Check out our fave videos below, and see them all here.

Let’s be real – when you’re five (or, uh, twenty five) and watching Disney movies, you wouldn't necessarily think much about why all the women were princesses who needed saving. But when you think about it, it is pretty messed up. In the latest episode of MTV’s “Braless,” Laci Green gives us a primer on gender norms and calls out all the reasons that a little diversity in Disney’s characters could make a big difference.

Guess what? Women can be groundbreaking, brilliant scientists just like men – even though you might not hear as much about them. BrainCraft and It’s Okay to be Smart are talking about some of their favorite women in science to fight the stereotype that only men get to be mad scientists. Wanna test your own assumptions about what people do based on what they look like? Check out Look Different’s Snap Judgment.

What’s it like to not fit into gender roles? Growing up, Denise preferred playing football and working on cars to wearing dresses. She defines herself as a daughter, a wife married to another woman, and a mother to her daughter. Find out why gender policing doesn’t help anyone here.

Wanna date Girl Code’s Shalyah Evans? Pro tip: men who aren’t feminists need not apply. She says: “Feminism is just the belief that women are also people. Basically. And that we deserve to be treated like people. So, yeah, I’m gonna only date people who think I’m people. That seems fair.” Learn why everyone’s coming out as a feminist here.

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