critique on passing -- what's yr opinion?
I am submitting a piece of writing on "rejecting the need to pass" for Mattilda a.k.a Matt Bernstein Sycamore for her new book which she asks:
"What lies are people forced to tell in order to gain acceptance as "real?" When someone passes -- as the "right" gender, race, class, sexuality, age, ability, body type, health status, ethnicity -- or a member of the dominant religion, political party, social/educational institution, exercise trend, fashion cult or sexual practice -- someone else fails. How do we break the rules and make the tools to skewer dominant cultural norms and open space for those in the margins?"
So I am writing something on what I have titled, "passing as butch." What I am focusing on in my writing is rejecting the need to pass as butch within the queer community. My idea right now is to focus more on how I define and have come to define my female femininity, and how I have learned to define and express my female masculinity, and how that comes off as being anything but butch. I am rejecting the need to pass as anything, but instead hoping to redefine the idea of being a woman by passing as something else entirely.
But I want to know what you think. How do you pass or not pass on a daily basis? What are you passing or not passing as? Do you feel like you are performing when you are passing as something, is it natural, or have you just learned how to produce outer mannerisms that allow your passing as whatever to appear natural.
Also, if you have had personal interactions with me how do you interpret my gender expression? Could I pass as butch to you if I acted more masculine, is my gender ambiguous, is it traditionally feminine, is it something else entirely?
Thanks for your help!
"What lies are people forced to tell in order to gain acceptance as "real?" When someone passes -- as the "right" gender, race, class, sexuality, age, ability, body type, health status, ethnicity -- or a member of the dominant religion, political party, social/educational institution, exercise trend, fashion cult or sexual practice -- someone else fails. How do we break the rules and make the tools to skewer dominant cultural norms and open space for those in the margins?"
So I am writing something on what I have titled, "passing as butch." What I am focusing on in my writing is rejecting the need to pass as butch within the queer community. My idea right now is to focus more on how I define and have come to define my female femininity, and how I have learned to define and express my female masculinity, and how that comes off as being anything but butch. I am rejecting the need to pass as anything, but instead hoping to redefine the idea of being a woman by passing as something else entirely.
But I want to know what you think. How do you pass or not pass on a daily basis? What are you passing or not passing as? Do you feel like you are performing when you are passing as something, is it natural, or have you just learned how to produce outer mannerisms that allow your passing as whatever to appear natural.
Also, if you have had personal interactions with me how do you interpret my gender expression? Could I pass as butch to you if I acted more masculine, is my gender ambiguous, is it traditionally feminine, is it something else entirely?
Thanks for your help!