i'm going to be such an annoying college student now
and post each essay as i finish it. it gives me more of a sense of closure and accomplishment, and makes me feel ready to move onto the next essay. i think the stuff i'm writing about is pretty interesting, i don't think it's out of the question that someone would want to read it, unless of course you're in college too and have to write just as many essays as i do right now. this one is only two and a half pages in real world formatting. the topic:
"Over the course of this semester we have discussed binary systems of gender at length. Succinctly define and critique the binary gender system. What is your vision for a society that allows for non-binary gender expression? What would this look like in terms of both theory and practice (praxis)?"
my name
12/14/04
Contemporary Gender Theory Final
Question #2
The binary gender system is a social construct that demands that every person fall within one of two distinct and opposite categories: male masculine men, or female feminine women. Which category a person adheres to is not to be self-determined, rather it is assigned at birth on the basis of genitalia. The binary gender system not only demands that all people conform to these two narrow identities, but also posits the gender binary as a natural biological occurrence that cannot and should not be questioned, evaded, or rebelled against. These two genders are defined as the only valid and real genders, and anything that falls outside of them is considered an aberration. The system infuses almost everything with a gendered value, from bodies to colors, clothes to emotions.
The binary gender system upholds male domination by defining exactly who is supposed to be in charge. It not only privileges men, but privileges perfectly gendered men, who are also white, middle or upper class, heterosexual, masculine, etc. Given that there are incredibly few real people who are perfectly gendered, most people feel inadequate at some point. Many people do not fit into one of the two socially acceptable genders at all, or they fit into one that was not assigned to them at birth. Under the binary gender system, all gender variant people are persecuted. While most people are relatively comfortable within their assigned gender, there are multitudinous restrictions within those categories, and people of all genders are discouraged from expressing themselves fully and following their own paths.
I imagine that a society that allows for non-binary gender expression could exist without any more gender freedom. If there were three gender categories, that would be non-binary. What if the gender options were male, female, and yenika? What if gender were assigned at birth based on the season, weather, or moon phase? That would not create any more freedom in society. The face of gender-based oppression would certainly change, as it would then be one group with socio-cultural supremacy over two other groups. Intersections between oppressions would become even more complicated than they are now with more possible permutations added. Overall, I don’t think things would look so terribly different.
A truly radical possibility for a non-binary gender system would be to get rid of the idea of a gender system altogether. I imagine a society in which gender is like hair. There is no hair system, binary or otherwise. People do all sorts of things with their hair, and while in this society some hairstyles have greater social acceptability and currency than others, that is often due to a race, class, or gender associated with a certain style or type of hair. The complete dismantling of the binary gender system could only occur simultaneously with the dismantling of all forms of social control and oppression. Under those circumstances, gender, much like hair, could become a mode of personal expression, with no value attached to it, besides a positive value for coming up with a unique expression that hasn’t been seen before. Making physical changes to one’s body in the interest of self-expression would be seen in much the same light as cutting one’s hair; a self-determined personal decision that does not affect anyone else and can be done at will. All body modifications would be seen as socially neutral and voluntary, including piercings, tattoos, implants, genital surgery, and hormones. These changes would not be aesthetically neutral, since someone changing their body would be doing so for their own reasons, and people around them might appreciate the visual and experiential change.
In theory, this new lack of gender system would mean that there are infinite possibilities for gender, and they are all acceptable as long as they conform to the social rules that govern everything, namely that one does not harm or restrict anyone else. No one would be assigned a gender at birth. Gender neutral pronouns would become ubiquitous. Gender would simultaneously become everything and nothing. Options would be limitless, and after a time, I think gender expression would cease to be a distinct category. What we now think of as gender would eventually become just another facet of each individual’s personality and presence in the world. Gender would shift and change continuously, but little attention would be paid to it, because given that no person is the exact same person as they were yesterday, it would be obvious that one’s gender is never exactly the same as it was the day before.
Practically, this would mean that if someone chose to wear a sparkly purple skirt one day, they might get compliments on their skirt on the basis that it is aesthetically pleasing, and that they had either made or found such a cool piece of clothing. This would happen regardless of their genitals or what they wore yesterday. It would be equivalent to receiving a compliment on piece of art. Someone would be likely to wear a skirt on a day that it was relatively warm and they were not planning on doing anything physically demanding. If they were going rock-climbing the next day, they would wear pants, but no greater value would be placed on that. Neither of these choices would necessarily be more gendered than choosing to wear white socks. After a sufficient period of this gender freedom, the history of the binary gender system would probably be interesting, and people might play at dressing up as one of the “old” genders for fun, performance, sex, or Halloween.
In order for a society that allows for non-binary gender expressions to come about, there would need to be an intermediate period of deconstructing the binary gender system that is currently in place. There would need to be a universal commitment to breaking down all forms of oppression and control that currently exist. This would take quite a while. In the process, people would begin to explore gender options that were not previously open to them. It would take several generations of trying on gender possibilities before gender categories would become meaningless and gender would be completely liberated.
"Over the course of this semester we have discussed binary systems of gender at length. Succinctly define and critique the binary gender system. What is your vision for a society that allows for non-binary gender expression? What would this look like in terms of both theory and practice (praxis)?"
my name
12/14/04
Contemporary Gender Theory Final
Question #2
The binary gender system is a social construct that demands that every person fall within one of two distinct and opposite categories: male masculine men, or female feminine women. Which category a person adheres to is not to be self-determined, rather it is assigned at birth on the basis of genitalia. The binary gender system not only demands that all people conform to these two narrow identities, but also posits the gender binary as a natural biological occurrence that cannot and should not be questioned, evaded, or rebelled against. These two genders are defined as the only valid and real genders, and anything that falls outside of them is considered an aberration. The system infuses almost everything with a gendered value, from bodies to colors, clothes to emotions.
The binary gender system upholds male domination by defining exactly who is supposed to be in charge. It not only privileges men, but privileges perfectly gendered men, who are also white, middle or upper class, heterosexual, masculine, etc. Given that there are incredibly few real people who are perfectly gendered, most people feel inadequate at some point. Many people do not fit into one of the two socially acceptable genders at all, or they fit into one that was not assigned to them at birth. Under the binary gender system, all gender variant people are persecuted. While most people are relatively comfortable within their assigned gender, there are multitudinous restrictions within those categories, and people of all genders are discouraged from expressing themselves fully and following their own paths.
I imagine that a society that allows for non-binary gender expression could exist without any more gender freedom. If there were three gender categories, that would be non-binary. What if the gender options were male, female, and yenika? What if gender were assigned at birth based on the season, weather, or moon phase? That would not create any more freedom in society. The face of gender-based oppression would certainly change, as it would then be one group with socio-cultural supremacy over two other groups. Intersections between oppressions would become even more complicated than they are now with more possible permutations added. Overall, I don’t think things would look so terribly different.
A truly radical possibility for a non-binary gender system would be to get rid of the idea of a gender system altogether. I imagine a society in which gender is like hair. There is no hair system, binary or otherwise. People do all sorts of things with their hair, and while in this society some hairstyles have greater social acceptability and currency than others, that is often due to a race, class, or gender associated with a certain style or type of hair. The complete dismantling of the binary gender system could only occur simultaneously with the dismantling of all forms of social control and oppression. Under those circumstances, gender, much like hair, could become a mode of personal expression, with no value attached to it, besides a positive value for coming up with a unique expression that hasn’t been seen before. Making physical changes to one’s body in the interest of self-expression would be seen in much the same light as cutting one’s hair; a self-determined personal decision that does not affect anyone else and can be done at will. All body modifications would be seen as socially neutral and voluntary, including piercings, tattoos, implants, genital surgery, and hormones. These changes would not be aesthetically neutral, since someone changing their body would be doing so for their own reasons, and people around them might appreciate the visual and experiential change.
In theory, this new lack of gender system would mean that there are infinite possibilities for gender, and they are all acceptable as long as they conform to the social rules that govern everything, namely that one does not harm or restrict anyone else. No one would be assigned a gender at birth. Gender neutral pronouns would become ubiquitous. Gender would simultaneously become everything and nothing. Options would be limitless, and after a time, I think gender expression would cease to be a distinct category. What we now think of as gender would eventually become just another facet of each individual’s personality and presence in the world. Gender would shift and change continuously, but little attention would be paid to it, because given that no person is the exact same person as they were yesterday, it would be obvious that one’s gender is never exactly the same as it was the day before.
Practically, this would mean that if someone chose to wear a sparkly purple skirt one day, they might get compliments on their skirt on the basis that it is aesthetically pleasing, and that they had either made or found such a cool piece of clothing. This would happen regardless of their genitals or what they wore yesterday. It would be equivalent to receiving a compliment on piece of art. Someone would be likely to wear a skirt on a day that it was relatively warm and they were not planning on doing anything physically demanding. If they were going rock-climbing the next day, they would wear pants, but no greater value would be placed on that. Neither of these choices would necessarily be more gendered than choosing to wear white socks. After a sufficient period of this gender freedom, the history of the binary gender system would probably be interesting, and people might play at dressing up as one of the “old” genders for fun, performance, sex, or Halloween.
In order for a society that allows for non-binary gender expressions to come about, there would need to be an intermediate period of deconstructing the binary gender system that is currently in place. There would need to be a universal commitment to breaking down all forms of oppression and control that currently exist. This would take quite a while. In the process, people would begin to explore gender options that were not previously open to them. It would take several generations of trying on gender possibilities before gender categories would become meaningless and gender would be completely liberated.