Critical Feminist Studies 2013

There is no such thing as a "perfect" male or a "perfect" female (someone who conforms to all gender stereotypes).

Stereotypes will never be truthful when talking about gender because gender is constatly changing and everyone has their own individual identity.

Identity is the only thing that all humans have in common- it both separates and binds us together.

Together, we can break down the socially constructed views that condemn any one person for their preferred gender identity.

groups members: vhiggins, pialamode, sschurtz, Ann Lemieux and Christina (also not sure of her username)

So this post sort of relates to a conversation we've been having in all of our classes not just the most recent ones. The sex we are assigned comes with gender roles that are forced upon us and carried through generations. the realtionship between father and son is one that is extremely different from the relationship between mother and daughter. I came across a video of a poetry slam in which Lily Myers performs for Wesleyan University her piece entitled "Women Shrinking" she addresses the roles of gender in their family and how there is such a divide betwen the men and women in her life. Her gender roles were inherited and as she so wisely states "inheritance is accidental." I've attached the video of her performance, it is truly powerful.

I thought it was interesting that, for the most part, the class was in agreement that Kate Bornstein’s ‘My New Gender Workbook’ was very hypocritical in that her gender assessments encouraged a sense of ‘either/or,’ which she had been insisting that we stay away from for the majority of her book.  I also was a little irritated with the way that she presented these quizzes and with the summaries that were given about your personal score.  Like a lot of people in our class, I sensed negativity and a condescending attitude that really made me feel like I was not a welcomed reader.

However, it was mentioned in class that Bornstein’s personal stories were more relatable and actually taught more about the process of discovering your identity versus all the steps, quizzes and theories she was throwing at us.  For me, the mini biography she included and the tweets from real people who were in the process of discovering their identity are what made me want to continue reading.  I know we touched on this the first day of class, whether or not we wanted to learn about gender and sexuality with an objective or subjective lens, and we came to the conclusion that we needed a little bit of both.  Based on this conclusion, I think that was Bornstein’s intent with the structure of this workbook.  She presented us with some objective theories and steps for processing your identity but she tried to balance it out with some relatable evidence.

In class on Thursday, during our modified version of the “Question” activity, as well as during the new “Statement” exercise, my group identified one overarching concern: not one of us “answered” the questions, or even made a succinct, declarative statement in response to the issue at hand. We seemed utterly incapable of distilling a broad question (like mine, “Where does gender begin?”) into a concise, concrete statement. All of the responses merely bloated the issue at hand with nebulous words such as “universe” invading almost everyone’s question series. Our responses were also riddled with shaky, timid statements that could easily be retracted, or our words were hedged with disclaimers. Why is this? Why are we seemingly (I am noting my inability to write fully declarative sentences here, as I automatically used a weak word like “seemingly”) unable to make decisive statements and stand behind them? Why are we afraid of answering our own questions?

One of the major issues in Persepolis is how the views and expectations of women changed in revolutionary Iran as author Marjane Satrapi grew up there. The contrast between the more "liberal" views of her parents and the "conservative" ones of the people like Marji's schoolteacher shows the importance of cultural perspective when it comes to looking at gender. People forget that when coming to understand gender and gender roles in society, you also must consider other factors, such as culture and class. Gender does not exist on its own. Gender exists within an individual, but the roles that come with it exist around the individual. It is important to remember that, when studying gender, one cannot do so effectively looking exclusively through their own cultural lens. It is important to understand gender and gender roles throughout many different cultures.

While reading Persepolis, I struggled with the term “emancipation”. A religious man tells Satrapi that the veil she is forced to wear is emancipation – from the male gaze, leaving her free to worry about other things. But some women rebel against this ‘emancipation’ with things that attract the male gaze – makeup, hairstyles, tighter clothing, etc. It made me wonder: is it still rebellion if the women are rebelling by playing into their roles in a patriarchy? (to be more feminine, to please men, etc.) However, I have come to realize that emancipation is about freedom of choice and that these women were choosing to attract men when/because their society refused to let them do so, and that this is an act of rebellion.

The more you know, or are informed about things, the better equipted you are to make better choices for yourself. But sometimes knowing more also confuses you. As I have been learning more about gender, I am more aware and conscious of my own identity, and being cautious of not labeling other's identities. However, the more information I recieve, the more I also become confused. Even in Persepolis, I see Marjane Satrapi adjusting and reconfiguring the choices she makes when given more knowledge about the social revolution happening right outside her doorsteps, yet she too is sometimes confused by the different (sometimes contrasting) information she recieves.

The more I know also seems to place a burden on me. I feel like having information many others may not, puts me outside the sphere where the majority live, and creates a barrier. Knowing and understanding the oppresive institutions that operate against marginalized groups and not feeling able to help because the mainstream accepts, perpetuates and encourages them is defeating. The question activity in class really got me thinking, why doesn't society question more, and push boundaries instead of accepting them blindlly? Is it becuase its more comfortable to live in blissful naivete? Do they also feel defeated or afraid to fight for a cause that may seem impossible? Or is it because they benefit from institutionalized racism, sexism, genderism, etc. that they choose to do nothing? 

knowledge is a gift and a burden

Hello class! We haven't officially been introduced (and of course I mean on Serendip), but my name is Vaughan and I am a senior Philosophy Major. 

I expected the choosing of my avatar to be an easy task. However, in wanting to connect the avatar with my personal narrative it was a bit more difficult to find one that could encompass what I am going through at the moment. I feel that it is representative of the new journey that I am embarking on in my life, one that shows promise of helping me to understand my gender and racial identity and how it affects my personal, social, and professional life. As someone who has never questioned the implications of what it means to be a young “woman”, through taking this class I hope to gain knowledge of what my gender identity is and means, as well as how to exercise agency over it. There is a compass and a map shown in my avatar, both of which are vital to beginning a new journey and being able to see it out to the end. I am hoping that this class will act as the tools shown to help me along my path.

Questions:

Is gender meant to serve a purpose?

Who made gender?

What is gender?

Why do people like to put things in boxes/categories?

Should we try to break out of those categories, make new ones, or keep them?

Statements:

We are all human

Humanity is allowed within people in accordance with their identities

Identitiy is a complex component of a person

Person-hood is defined by identity

Identity can change

EmmaBE, EP, Taylor 11, Elizabeth