Norms in Society

Senior teach day, these two nice seniors presented us a slide show about norms in society and it made me think !!
When they asked us about different norms between boys and girls a few of us came up with the same ideas proving that in this class, even if we are all different people we all expect the sames things for boys and girls in our society. Why do we all expect the same thing? Probably because we have been raised with the same value and in a same cultural group. We've been taught how to act in our society and we've seen what people expect from us. So that we don't look odd we have to fit in and respond to those norms by acting the way they want us to act or to be. We don't even think about it anymore, we don't even think that people's expectations dictate us how to be, we just think that it is a "normal" way to act. Indeed it looks like we act a certain way just because we our part of a certain group, a certain society. Society crushes the individual.
By looking closely at those norms we are taught it looks to me that we aren't free as we think we are. For examples, a value of our society is freedom in how you dress at school. But if you come in swimming suit at school then people will for sure judge you and think you're such an odd person. What had happened to the "you can dress how you want" thing? It disappeared behind the norm: you have to cover most part of your body in public. Now, if we were used to see people in swimming suit at school it wouldn't be as choking.
Those are the norms society dictate us and make the group we are in dictate us how we are supposed to be, act and sometimes think.
Now what happens if you break the norm? You get a sanction. You even get kicked out of your group or become the odd person who gets a weird look. And no one wants to be this man. That's why we don't even questions those norms and follow them.
Did the people in Tunisia/Egypt/Libya break the norms? Probably.. The one that told them to shut down and let the government do what it wants? Yes, they for sure did break this norm in the name of thoughts of liberty and freedom. Did they get a sanction? Yes, they got hurt and still do.
So society expected them to shut down during all those years? But They are society aren't they?... Sometimes we brigade ourselves in our own prison, and habits are hard to change.
Because finally I think that norms are mostly habits..