Gender and Sex

We have discussed feminism now for several weeks, but we are now moving into the territory of gender studies in many of our recent readings.
I think our readings, discussion and films have raised a lot of interesting questions about sex, gender, and gender performance. Talk a bit here about your understandings of what gender is. In what ways do we perform our genders by choice and in what ways do we perform our genders without choice?

Gender is a complex system and is not simply about display or simply about biology. I think it is fruitful to examine how we define gender in society and in what ways these definitions are limiting to our individual self-expression.

Here are two pictures of the same person:

This is Nora Vincent who, as an investigative journalist, lived for a year as a man. Here is an article about her book from the NY Times.  What do you notice as different in these two pictures?

Here is an experiment I'd like you to try and then to respond on this blog. Spend the weekend observing people of all genders. Take notes. How do they move in the world? Walk? Sit? Talk to one another? Once you have a good bit of observation, try on a different gender style. Walk or sit in a way that is uncomfortable for your own gender expression. Take note of how you feel doing this and of how friends and strangers react to you. You may enlist a friend to tutor you in how to walk this way, talk this way....

Write your responses here. Also comment on the films we've seen this week. What surprised you? Where do you think gender comes from? The Codes of Gender film really stressed gender as a social construct, while Tiger Devore (what a great name!) in the Sex, Lies and Gender film seemed to assert a more biological view of gender. What do you think?

History, feminism, and femininity

I'd like to open this post talking about the film, Iron Jawed Angels. Here is a link to the Alice Paul Institute, where you can look for more facts and information about the suffrage movement. And here is a link to the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women's Leadership. Check them both out and see what surprises you about the history of suffrage in the US. What has been surprising you in the film, historically?

Now I'd like to link this film to current discussions of feminism and femininity:

• At one point early in the film, Alice and Lucy convince Inez to join their cause as the woman on the horse in the parade in part by suggesting that "today's" suffragist is young, single, smart and beautiful. What do you make of this scene and this argument in general? In connection, what do you make of the scenes in which the women primp: makeup, hose, hat choices, etc.?

Here is a video I think relates. What connections do you see? What is the purpose of the video:



Some more info about the history of suffrage:

And here is a link to a timeline of world women's suffrage.

Questions to end on:

• How would you define femininity?
• How is "femininity" as a concept used to police or limit "feminism"?
• What is masculinity?
• Have are ideals about gender roles changed since the 1920s? How have they changed and how have they remained the same?
• Anyone want to comment on how they have felt limited by their gender role (male or female)?