It's a Spectrum, not a Black and White
I feel like I'm wrong when I'm right sometimes. It's rather annoying.
I guess that comes off as sounding pretty haughty and egocentric, but I guess I can't stand my views being so 'wrong' when they fit how I view the world just fine.
For example....
The idea of Gender is a strange concept to me. It still matters to people in 'power' and 'authority' what gender you are apparently, and much moreso your physical sex at times. Whether you're FAAB MAAB or intersex or whatever, or whatever gender you identify yourself as.
I... don't get it. See, to identify yourself as a girl... you first have to define what a girl is. And.... I don't get it. Why is it that these identifications exist? I feel like -most- gender norms come from sexism... and if you're FAAB then yes, your sex is girl... but... what is gender even then, at that point? It's just a list of qualities that -have- gone along with females for so long because it's either expected of them or tradition. Girls are -expected- to be pretty little dainty things that either like to be waited and doted on, or don't like to get all rough and tumble, or don't want to be around guys at all when they're being rough or vulgar, and above all should be prized for their beauty and social graces, blah blah blah bullshit.
See.... aside from the beauty thing, something that a person has no control over (because, not only are they born into a certain body but society defines what is beautiful) all of these things just seems like... personality quirks. Like, the 'stereotypical' girl used to be expected to do all these things... and to a degree still is to these days, I suppose. But other stereotypes that play in are being emotional, bitchy, backstabbing, all that kind of stuff.... seems like part of growing up and being immature, not necessarily being a female. And... maybe it's because society accepts that particular way of acting out as 'decidedly female', that more girls tend to gravitate towards that type of behavior in order to be accepted but... I don't know. All of the things that are typically assigned to a gender or it's role seem to come from.... rather idiotic sources. I guess I feel that way because I feel like, the sexism was in place and came into play long before the stereotypes did, thereby influencing the stereotypes... and now that it's 'gone' (or becoming so in reality, but at least legally you're not supposed to be sexist anymore) the stereotypes should fade out too... because, what happens if your personality aligns with whatever the gender norm is? What if I like to be pretty or dainty for awhile, or don't want to get all rough and tumble one day, or whatever the ideal girl should do. Does that mean that I'm a girl that day, on a gender basis?
I guess I just feel like gender is the biggest stereotype of all. If you're not comfortable in your body, then you should change it as you see fit, whether that means working out more, less, taking pills that alter your estrogen or testosterone, or getting a sex change... but that doesn't make you a 'girl' or a 'boy' or anything... it just makes you a -person-.
At least, that's how it is to me.
*Edit* looking back over this, I realize how inanely old all of these arguments are, I just seem to have a lot of FeElIngS about them right now that I can't hold. This is where I'm allowed to rant, right?
I guess that comes off as sounding pretty haughty and egocentric, but I guess I can't stand my views being so 'wrong' when they fit how I view the world just fine.
For example....
The idea of Gender is a strange concept to me. It still matters to people in 'power' and 'authority' what gender you are apparently, and much moreso your physical sex at times. Whether you're FAAB MAAB or intersex or whatever, or whatever gender you identify yourself as.
I... don't get it. See, to identify yourself as a girl... you first have to define what a girl is. And.... I don't get it. Why is it that these identifications exist? I feel like -most- gender norms come from sexism... and if you're FAAB then yes, your sex is girl... but... what is gender even then, at that point? It's just a list of qualities that -have- gone along with females for so long because it's either expected of them or tradition. Girls are -expected- to be pretty little dainty things that either like to be waited and doted on, or don't like to get all rough and tumble, or don't want to be around guys at all when they're being rough or vulgar, and above all should be prized for their beauty and social graces, blah blah blah bullshit.
See.... aside from the beauty thing, something that a person has no control over (because, not only are they born into a certain body but society defines what is beautiful) all of these things just seems like... personality quirks. Like, the 'stereotypical' girl used to be expected to do all these things... and to a degree still is to these days, I suppose. But other stereotypes that play in are being emotional, bitchy, backstabbing, all that kind of stuff.... seems like part of growing up and being immature, not necessarily being a female. And... maybe it's because society accepts that particular way of acting out as 'decidedly female', that more girls tend to gravitate towards that type of behavior in order to be accepted but... I don't know. All of the things that are typically assigned to a gender or it's role seem to come from.... rather idiotic sources. I guess I feel that way because I feel like, the sexism was in place and came into play long before the stereotypes did, thereby influencing the stereotypes... and now that it's 'gone' (or becoming so in reality, but at least legally you're not supposed to be sexist anymore) the stereotypes should fade out too... because, what happens if your personality aligns with whatever the gender norm is? What if I like to be pretty or dainty for awhile, or don't want to get all rough and tumble one day, or whatever the ideal girl should do. Does that mean that I'm a girl that day, on a gender basis?
I guess I just feel like gender is the biggest stereotype of all. If you're not comfortable in your body, then you should change it as you see fit, whether that means working out more, less, taking pills that alter your estrogen or testosterone, or getting a sex change... but that doesn't make you a 'girl' or a 'boy' or anything... it just makes you a -person-.
At least, that's how it is to me.
*Edit* looking back over this, I realize how inanely old all of these arguments are, I just seem to have a lot of FeElIngS about them right now that I can't hold. This is where I'm allowed to rant, right?