A Reflection on The Class on Gender and Sexuality

Since this was the first class about gender and sexuality, almost everything I learned was new to me. Something that I thought was very exciting during this class was that for all the topics we discussed I could compare them to how they are similar or different from home in Europe. It was really interesting to learn so much about topics like feminism and the LGTBQ+ community. I had a basic concept of what they meant but through this class I got to know a more detailed and elaborated view on these topics. Especially, the discussion posts were a real asset to learning more about gender and sexuality because I saw the same topic from so many different sides and opinions.

The first text I thought was very insightful and interesting to read was Feminism is For Everybody by bell hooks. This text was definitely compelling to me since I barely knew anything about feminism before reading this book. The only thing I kind of knew about it was that these women demonstrate and are against men being the oppressing gender. This is exactly what hooks mentioned in her book as well. She talks about how in the beginning of the feminist movement it was seen for a large part as an anti-male movement and many women who became feminist were angry because of bad experiences with men in their relationships. Additionally, there were groups of men that were anti-feminist, these men formed kind of a feminist movement but then the male version. A fascinating point that was pointed out by hooks was mentioning what the feminist movement can do internally to help men feel less attacked and understand the importance of feminism. Hooks argues this idea of a man’s lack of identity due to society and states that the feminist movement must broaden their vision. She thinks that a “feminist vision which embraces feminine masculinity, which loves boys and men; and demands on their behalf every right we want for girls and women” is needed (hooks, 71). These pieces combined show that men aren’t a problem within feminism but rather society.

The next text is probably one of my favorite texts of the semester. It had a large impact on me, but not because it changed my vision on this topic, it established my thought. The text is “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory” by Judith Butler. I liked how she talked about philosophical standpoints on gender and sexuality and how she used several quotes from Beauvoir that were on target. According to Butler, Beauvoir states that “gender is no way a stable identity or locus of agency from which various acts proceed; rather it is an identity tenuously constituted in time – an identity instituted through a stylized repetition of acts” (519). Another claim made by Beauvoir is: “Any gender is an historical situation rather than a natural fact” (Butler, 520). In my opinion, these are statements that are spot on and factual, however in my experience I know that there are many people that don’t agree with these statements. Butler’s essay corresponds greatly with another topic discussed in class: drag culture. In the article “Learning from Drag Queens” they talk about how “Drag performances challenge the biological basis of gender and the fixed nature of sexual identity” (Taylor and Rupp, 12). Drag queens are the example that prove Beauvoir’s statements. How one becomes a woman or man is based on one’s acts not on physical characteristics. Additionally, one’s identity is not decided when one was born, but it formed through out one’s life. Identity is formed through behavior, acting and decisions. Drag queens are examples of people that are formed by historical situation rather than by natural facts.

The next text is the fictional text The Handmaid’s Tale which was different but very enjoyable since I saw similar topics from another perspective. Even though this text was fictional, it made a huge impact on me because I know that there are parts in the world where society’s cultures are similar to the one in the book. The part I liked the most about The Handmaid’s Tale was looking at the resistance shown by the handmaids. The fact that resistance might not always be as obvious and clear but when looking deeper into the text several signs are shown. In the passage when Offred asks the Commander about the Latin sentence in her room: “nolites de bastardas carborundorum which stands for “don’t let the bastards grind you down”, Offred realizes that a previous handmaid must have carved this sentence into the wooden floor showing resistance against the patriarchal and totalitarian society. Offred’s resistance is not as noticeable because she resists more by working in a secret way instead of being straight up and confrontational. Others reading the novel might think Offred is not really resisting because she obeys her oppressors and therefore willingly participates. On the other hand, Offred does resist her oppressors in the small ways that are offered to her. She preserves her own life and autonomy as an individual through her thoughts, reflections and descriptions on what she sees and experiences. Offred resists against becoming an reproductive object as society sees her.

The Handmaid’s Tale made me think of the #MeToo movement which I see as the more modern version of resistance compared to the resistance shown in the book since social media is the main tool that makes this movement so successful. The article “#MeToo and the Promise and Pitfalls of Challenging Rape Culture Through Digital Feminist Activism” by Mendes talks about activism through social media. Social media helped women of the #MeToo movement to be brave enough to speak up. Because of one woman that started the movement by sharing her story, other women who probably don’t even know her, got triggered to speak up as well. Through social media their voices were heard and things did actually change. As mentioned in the article “Although #MeToo is perhaps one of the most high-profile examples of digital feminist activism we have yet encountered, it follows a growing trend of the public’s willingness to engage with resistance and challenges to sexism, patriarchy and other forms of oppression via feminist uptake of digital communication” (Mendes et al, 236-237). This shows that activism and resistance through social media impacts the world immensely.

From the book Colonize This! I chose the text “Dutiful Hijas: Dependency, Power, and Guilt” because it’s about a culture very different from mine and it’s interesting to read about their principles and experiences. In the text, Martinez shares a story about the expected behavior in her culture. Women in her family are the ones who have to take care of everyone. Martinez is “one of many dutiful daughters” (152). Martinez’ family doesn’t give her a choice, in their culture the sons pursue their career and make money while the daughters take care of the family. Martinez mentions the word ‘Marianismo’, which means that women are not to make decisions for themselves. She obviously doesn’t support this statement and her parents don’t first-hand support it either. However, it’s still deeply rooted into the dynamics of her family. One of the things Marianismo comes with is, “Do not be independent minded” (Martinez, 154). Martinez struggles majorly because she wants to strive towards her goals and explore but she’s being held back by her family and culture because what she wants doesn’t fit into their expectations. The same culture was also talked about by Sandra Cisneros in The House on Mango Street. She particularly talks about her father who wants her to be a weather girl on television or marry and have babies. He wants her to stay at their house until she gets married; however, Cisneros doesn’t want to follow her culture’s principles and rules so she follows her own path by moving out of the house and going to study. Even though she pursuits her own career and keeps doing what she likes to do, she always feels a little guilty towards her parents. Martinez also feels this guilt. Cisneros mentions: “I feel like a bad daughter ignoring my father, but I feel worse when I don’t write. Either way, I never feel completely happy” (xix). This shows that Cisneros follows her own path but still feels a little guilty towards her family because she loves them.

Altogether, I enjoyed this class a lot. I am a science major and an international student so this class definitely opened up my view on many topics and issues that are going on in society in the United States. I hope I was able to open up other people’s perspectives and views on various topics as well.