Tag Archive for "gender binary"

Posts Tagged gender binary

Drake Who? Rihanna’s “Work” and Female Autonomy

February has been a jam-packed month for Black musical artists. In the midst of a welcome flurry of new singles, videos, entire albums (Frank, come on, fam) and stunning performances, Monday saw the release of both of Rihanna’s music videos for her rhythmic iffiancehall single, Work.

By Katie Barnes • 9 years ago

On contemporary sports culture: “protecting” women by policing them

Sexism operates under three assumptions: there are only two biological sexes, biological sex determines gender identity, and gender identity determines gender expression. Sports culture cultivates all three assumptions in a type of cultural maintenance.

By Maya Dusenbery • 10 years ago

A comic on gender roles

In this great comic from The Robinhead, an alien is confronted with our culture’s strangely stubborn investment in the concept of a gender binary. As the poor confused creature notes, “What I’m not understanding, however, is why I feel hatred and anger coming off of you at the idea of anyone living outside of your imaginary boxes.” Great question.

Read the rest here.

By Sesali B. • 10 years ago

Elle magazine examines gendered anxiety in men without thinking critically about gender

Elle magazine had a great opportunity to talk about how patriarchy and assumed gender roles hurt men. But they didn’t take it. Luckily, I have no problem doing it for them.

Vogue is usually the only magazine I read every month. But I was drunk on a Sunday afternoon (completely normal on the DC brunch scene) and I picked up the February 2014 copy of Elle magazine for my monthly dose of “shit I can’t afford.” Let me be clear, I don’t read fashion magazine for feminist theory. But if you are going to try to take a stab at gender analysis, don’t half ass it.

But that’s exactly what Elle did in “The Anxiety Closet.” I should have known something ...

Elle magazine had a great opportunity to talk about how patriarchy and assumed gender roles hurt men. But they didn’t take it. Luckily, I have no problem doing it for them.

Vogue is usually the only magazine I read ...

By Verónica Bayetti Flores • 11 years ago

Gynecologists who treat men risk losing board certification

In a surprisingly regressive move, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology has declared that OB/GYNs must only treat women if they plan on keeping board certification.

By Maya Dusenbery • 11 years ago

Quote of the Day: “Motherhood and fatherhood are not binaries”

I really love this piece by Jennifer Finney Boylan, who has spent six years parenting her children as a dad, followed by 12 years as a mom after her transition. I was especially moved by this section:

I understand the reluctance many people have to play down the importance of gender, or for that matter, biology, in parenting; a world in which male and female are not fixed poles but points in a spectrum is a world that feels unstable, unreal. And yet to accept the wondrous scope of gender is to affirm the potential of life, in all its messy beauty. Motherhood and fatherhood are not binaries. And that, I’d argue, is a good thing.

Only a small percentage ...

By Samhita • 11 years ago

What can we do about feminism’s brand problem?

According to a new study at the Huffington Post (with YouGov) there is a major disparity between people that believe in equality “between the sexes” and identify as feminist. The study found that only 20% of Americans identify as feminist whereas 82% believe that “men and women should be social, political, and economic equals.” Equality between men and women is the most commonly accepted, mainstream definition of feminism. It’s not the only one — and certainly not the one that we adhere to at Feministing (as it relies too wholeheartedly on the gender binary and ignores all the other forms of difference we think are as important as gender oppression) — but it is what most people ...