Overview
This week we dived into readings with the question “What is gender?” in mind.
– Starting with Catherine G. Valentine, we get the idea that gender has historically been thought of in two ways only. You are either a male or a female. Simple. However, gender is not simple and behaviors or actions should not be thought of as being exclusive to one gender or the other. Valentine asks the question “Do all the men you know fit the ideal of masculinity all the time, in all relationships, and in all situations?” (Valentine, 2020, p.4). Using my personal experience, my answer to that question is no. Yet, males are given character traits such as being rough and tough while females are regarded as sensitive beings. Society has long thought that men are not supposed to be sensitive or *emotional like a female*. The question that Valentine asked is meant to make us think of how behaviors vary depending on the situation that a person is in. Gender should not be used to explain or predict someone’s reactions to circumstances.
– Maxine Baca Zinn and Bonnie Thornton Dill are women of color that have shared their perspectives on multiracial feminism. In the text, Zinn and Dill mentioned that they “use “multiracial” rather than “multicultural” as a way of underscoring race as a power system that interacts with other structured inequalities to shape genders.” (Zinn & Dill, 1996, p.324). After reading that statement, I can say I understand their reasoning. When referring to race, it is typically outward or observable characteristics that are shared by a group of people. Culture is not as easily observed, and it incorporates the beliefs and values of a group of people. Zinn and Dill’s decision to use the term “multiracial” works with their ideas because, within society, a person’s race affects their encounters and social location. That is not to say that someone’s culture does not do the same, but race, within the United States especially, has a profound influence on social order.
– Trying to find a connection between “The Prism of Gender” and “Theorizing Difference from Multiracial Feminism” is a bit of a challenge for me. I believe that all three authors would acknowledge gender as being situational, but I think that Zinn and Dill underscoring race instead of culture conflicts with Valentine’s view that culture helps manifest how people see gender.
Check Out This Video
– While I read Zinn and Bonnie’s text, I was hoping to see the word intersectionality because I believe the meaning behind that word could sum up a good amount of their ideas. Since I did not see the word used, I want to add this quick video on what intersectionality is by the great Kimberlé Crenshaw (:
Keywords
Catherine G. Valentine (2020), “The Prism of Gender”
– Complex, Situational, Culture, Biological, Individual
Maxine Baca Zinn and Bonnie Thornton Dill (1996), “Theorizing Difference from Multiracial Feminism”
– Feminism, Inequality, Change, Multiracial, Difference
Let’s Think Together
I want to start by saying WOW! “Androgynous” by The Replacements is such a powerful song with few words. The song was released in 1984 making it 39, nearly 40!, years old.
My questions:
How much longer will it take
or
What will it take for androgynous people to be more openly themselves in public?
I used to “fit” all men into one and all women into the other. I did this when I was in my 20s. The older I got and the more I pulled away and realized there is no once size fits all for people.
I had a hard time trying to tie the two together as well. In my opinion, the focus discussed race and feminism. There are so my types. Awesome job on everything.
Hey great blog! i honestly think that once the world finally puts a stops to judging people on any and everything, that’s when people will be able to just be themselves. But we all know thats not gone to happen any time soon.
I’m glad you mentioned intersectionality here! We have a whole week devoted to it (week 4), and the Kimberlé Crenshaw video you shared is actually on our calendar for that week. Nice work! 🙂