Gustaf: I absolutely agree with this. For me, I think about it a lot in relation to having very submissive and somewhat masochistic sexual/romantic preferences and how that relates to my own gender. Or that I actually *like* shaving my legs and...other areas, despite the fact that I dislike the social pressure on women to stay clean-shaven. Is that "my own preference" or have I picked it up from society? Yeah in the end it is impossible to separate out what is "really you" and what is socially influenced. I guess the best answer is just to do whatever works for you and others, don't do things because society tells you to if you don't want to but if you don't mind fitting into social roles than w/e. Not 100% satisfied with that answer but it seems alright. Still something I ponder a lot.
Both. It is a personal preference you have picked up from living in your society. I would argue that that is the case for most personal preferences. I think whether something is "really you" or "socially-influenced" is a false dichotomy. Everyone internalizes the society they grew up in, and "you" wouldn't be "you" without your society. I fail to see any conflict between social influence and personal autonomy.
Similarly, I think there is a false dichotomy between what is socially-constructed and what is natural. I think people tend to forget that what they're calling "social constructs" have influenced biological evolution and been influenced by biological evolution. I don't think it is even possible, and perhaps not even desirable, to separate out nature from social constructs. I actually think there is nothing wrong with having social norms, and indeed humans could never function without social norms. The only problem is when social expectations become too rigid or unrealistic.
