Gender Subversion
A recent Tweet-stream with the talented Ms. Amy van Donsel reminded me of this piece, which I don’t know if I ever actually posted here. It hangs on the wall of my office, and it sums up how I think about gender pretty well. It’s apparently adapted from a poem byNancy R. Smith. and you can download it here if you’d like your own copy.
I do get sick and tired not just of regular sexual stereotyping and expectations (be pretty! be feminine! be nice!) but now the added expectation that we will somehow also be strong and assertive and generally kick-ass, but not assertive about things that inconvenience or upset other people. It’s like we’re supposed to stand up for ourselves (and are blamed for NOT doing so) with everyone who is not the person standing right in front of us at that time. And there’s also a layer of “Let us know how you feel.” which gets all smeared with “But wait, that’s not how we expected you to feel. Don’t feel that way, you hysterical lady-person!”
It’s a very complex thing, being a girl in the world. And I am sure it’s a very complex thing being a boy in the world, too. I wish we could all just be individuals in the world.
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