Origins of Self Perception

We construct concepts and definitions by using opposing and comparable concepts. We know what smooth is because it is the opposite of rough, and we can then understand the range of textures between. We do the same thing with our self perceptions. Firstly, these all rest in a social construct. My assessment of my femininity is placed within the contemporary western ideal of feminine. I then perceive myself in comparison to feminine icons, and women in my life and have a series of comparisons and contrasts, placing myself on a scale alongside these women in order to best understand my own femininity. Thus my self perception of my femininity is created out of a social narrative and relative to the subjects I have compared myself to.