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Do clothes make the woman Q's by Emily Ortiz
- Where do you think society would be if we didn’t use gender to relate to each other?
- In what ways would we practice relating to each other?
- In what direction is society leaning towards in the future, might there still be a need for gender-performance and the expectations that come with it, how might society change?
- When did we begin to associate gender in possessions? How could this have came about?
- “Gender no more resides in gesture or apparel than it lies buried in bodies and psyches” Knowing this, how can we encourage people to stop thinking in “binary ways”?
1. I think society would be very different from where we are now without the use of gender. I'd imagine there would be more freedom in expressing one's self and tastes. I'd imagine people would become more willing to talk to people to learn more about them, instead of judging how people act/look in order to form an opinion on others.
ReplyDelete2. We sort of have other ways to relate to each other besides gender within our current culture and societies. For example some people identify more with media they follow or interest groups they participate in. We can see this with fans of Star Trek calling themselves "Trekkies" or people who play a ton of video games are commonly labelled as "gamers."
3. I think society as of now is still leaning heavily on gender and gender performance and this might change in the future. Modern media has been producing more characters and plot threads that introduce audiences to characters that defy the typical or traditional gender roles. Although some argue that this nothing more than a marketing scheme, I think this may open up discussion and provide opportunity for people to think and learn more about the social construct of gender. This may end up how society as a whole thinks of gender.
4. My guess is that we tend to associate objects with a gender based on our experiences growing up. I imagine children learn to associate colors and objects to a gender and carry those ideas into adulthood. For example, children tend to assume a doll is a girl's toy due to their use of pastel colors of their clothing. When they get older they tend to think that those colors are more feminine and boys are less likely to wear those colors or have objects with those colors.
5. We can encourage people to stop thinking in binary ways by telling them to be open minded and have discussions with others. Many people tend to judge a person's personality and characteristics based solely off there appearances and mannerisms. People should instead just talk to others before they form any sort of opinion of someone else.
1. I actually don't think getting rid of gender would change how we associate with each other very much. We tend to associate common traits between people with gender and it is those traits that we really identify with. I think our society is rather critical and if gender were removed we would find other ways to characterize people into groups.
ReplyDelete2. I think we would just identify with common interests and beliefs, something that is already done to a certain extent. Losing the idea of gender would only increase this.
3. I think society as a whole is difficult to assess because of how many different groups and beliefs there are out there. However, i do believe our society is moving closer towards a reality where gender is not a defining feature of who a person is. The idea of traditional gender roles still exists but it is becoming less prevalent than it was before.
4. I think associating gender with objects begins when we are growing up. Certain toys are deemed acceptable for boys and not for girls and the other way around. Even if these types of things are not being taught at home it can be learned through other children or even ads directed towards different genders.
5. I think we can just work on becoming more aware of the fact that not everyone abides by what we consider gender roles and it is their decision and does not define who they are the same way people who choose to abide by traditional gender appearances are not defined by that. We need to open up the conversation of how appearances do not tell you everything about a person and you need to get to know them rather than making assumptions.
1. I think if society didn't use gender to identify ourselves then we would be more open and accepting of one another Society plays a lot of attention to our "gender" that it has lead to many set backs and hate crimes when if we were accepting there would be less problems.
ReplyDelete2. We can relate to each other through common interests, hobbies, etc; as it can lead to a happier and loving community rather than focusing on our differences.
3. I feel as if the future generation we will be more accepting and open minded, if we keep up the open mindedness then our future society would be more loving and encouraging of their neighbors.
4. I think association from gender to object was presented us from an early age because we were always told to "act like a woman" or to "man up". our families pushed our gender identities onto us and we portrayed it to the world.
5. We have to start within our own families first, we must show them what we know and teach them that times have changed and now we are more accepting of people who express themselves because it is most common for the older generation to be closed minded.
1. If we did not use gender, I think as a society we still would have come up with some kind of categories or system of division between people. I think if gender were not used to relate ourselves to other people it would probably cause less anxiety and confusion because for people who see themselves as being either or like no one else it would probably provide them with some relief in knowing that there is no one box they have to fill.
ReplyDelete2. I think that if gender were not use another way that we as a society would practice relating ourselves to each is through cultural practices such as clothing, speaking, and overall behavior. I think that cultural practices can help people connect with those people who are similar or even different from them.
3. I think moving forward society has to be more open-minded when it comes to performance and how people express themselves. I think in the future gender performance is still something that can be valued and used but people and society should understand that it is always changing and that there really is not one way to be truly female or male.
4. I think gender became closely linked to possessions from maybe even the start of human existence. Some objects were seen as more manly and other objects were seen as more feminine. I think this idea of gender possessions came about when people started to associate themselves with certain objects or things and so society as a whole confirmed it as being true.
5. I think one way we can change people to see or get people to stop thinking in terms of the gender binary is by demonstrating a diverse array of gender expressions and letting it be more represented to a wider audience. I think everything is about exposure if more people are expose to the idea the more they may be willing to accept it or be curious to want to learn more about it.
1) I think that society would be somewhat different because gender roles play a large role in how we identify and group individuals within our society. However, I do not think it would be too different because we would find new ways to identify with others and groups others based on other similarities.
ReplyDelete2) We relate to one another based on similar interests, such as sports, music and movie genres, similar hobbies, ect.
3) I think that as time progresses, gender norms will not be as prominent in society. Gender non-conforming is becoming more well known in our society, with more individuals identifying as queer or gender non-binary. I do not think there is a need for gender performance, but I think that the use of male and female gender will continue to be used to demographic reasons.
4) I think that associating gender with belongings starts at a young age, when children begin to choose what toys to play with. Growing up, I immediately identifies with female toys, such as dolls, dress up clothes, and makeup. My mom never pushed gender norms on me, but she would always buy me traditionally feminine toys and clothes. My sisters on the other hand, were complete tom boys and my mom would buy them Nerf guns and skateboards. I think gender identification begins at a young age when we begin to take interests that are associated with male and female identity.
5) I think that asking individuals to ask others about their preferred pronouns is a start. A person may look different than how they identify. So understanding how the person wishes to be perceived is major progress. Also, if we stop associating certain behaviors and interests as "female and masculine", we can begin to distant ourselves from this binary world.
1. If society did not use gender to relate to each other, I think people would be more open minded. For example, in the text, the women are either labeled butch or femme. This categorization is really black or white since there is no spectrum.
ReplyDelete2. I think the ways we can practice relating to each other include gender. Gender itself is not an identity but they use gender to relate to each other through gendered presentations like loudness or dance.
3. I still think society is still leaning towards gendered presentations in the future. Lesbians will still want to be accepted by other women, so they will style their looks to fit a desirable image. Besides, being butch or femme is just an act since most lesbians do not seriously consider themselves butch or femme. So, these gendered presentations will likely come up in the future as well if it is to impress.
4. Gender permeates itself in society all the time. I think that people associate gender with posessions as long as that mindset has existed. If gender can permeate itself in looks or behavior, associating certain objects as more masculine or more feminine is normal.
5. To be fair, women have said that being labeled butch or femme does not affect their self perception. Just because they use those labels does not necessarily mean they think in those
terms. But to stop people from thinking in those binary terms, the first step would be to stop associating gay with feminine or lesbian with masculine. That kind of thinking is too black and white.
1. If we didn't use gender to relate to each other, I think there would be more self-expression and confidence to be yourself. On the other hand, I do agree with my classmates when they say it might not make much of a difference and like we do today, we would probably use other things to relate to each other.
ReplyDelete2. We practice relating to each other though culture, religion, similar interests, or even through social media where we have a clear view of mutual interests.
3. I think society is starting to become more open and accepting of others based on personal characteristics instead of gender and sexuality. Although, I do not think we are as far as we need to be.
4. I think we began to associate gender with possessions since some of our very first memories because that is how we grew up. I grew up learning that barbies are for girls and toy cars are for boys. I think it starts out pretty simple like that for most and just escalates from there as we grow up.
5. We can encourage people to stop thinking in binary ways by focusing on an individual's personal traits to decide what we might think of them, instead of gender and sexuality. Being more open to their fluidity and realizing that their identity does not affect you is helpful.
Wrap up comment:
ReplyDeleteFor number 1, everyone agreed it would be more liberating to live in a society without gender to relate to one another, but I think some recognized that there could still be things society would try to categorize us in.
For number 2, everyone did recognize there were other things people can relate with through out interests.
For number 3, everyone does feel the future is looking up, and we are beginning to see people take each other in with a more open-mind, which is important if we want to live in a society not conformed by gender.
For number 4, people associate gender most often with toys that were traditionally masculine or feminine, as they reminisce back to childhood, but one instant associated it more with words we often heard, like to "be a man/ woman".
For number 5, many seem willing to look beyond a person's gender and into their personality and their preferred pronouns as a start to shift the way we look at gender; in addition to not letting a person's appearance define their gender.
I don’t know where society would be if we didn’t use gender to relate to each other, but I do think people are naturally drawn to people who are similar to them, I also think that people would be more free in terms of self expression and how they present themselves.
ReplyDeleteWe practice relating to each other through common interests, music and trying to find ways to discuss things we like with other people who are just as interested about something.
I’m not sure what direction society is leaning toward in the future, I can’t imagine it looking different from what is does right now, so many people are becoming less attached to the idea of gender performance but there are some people who are set in their ways and I don’t think they can be swayed, so I’m not sure what more could change.
I think we start associating possessions based on nurture, it all depends on the type of environment you're raised in and how gender performance is divided in a particular household.
I don’t know if we can stop people from thinking in binary ways mostly because binary is what society has also taught, so even if people stop thinking in binary ways their actions might say otherwise because they’ll go back to what they feel comfortable in.