The tendency of Western culture to reinforce the gender binary, whether knowingly or unknowingly, is deeply rooted in the historical development of language and knowledge. Popularly recognized experts and modes of communication have evolved throughout time and have worked to shape widely accepted knowledge and constitute the ways individuals talk about socially constructed concepts, such as gender. Scholars of gender studies, such as Elizabeth Reis, have illustrated how society’s perceptions of gender are influenced by the narratives that have been relayed throughout history. In her article, “Impossible Hermaphrodites: Intersex in America, 1620-1960”, Reis covers 340 years of gender history, focusing specifically on intersex individuals and how society scrutinized them. Reis emphasizes how trust in experts, vocabulary and modes of communication have framed assumptions regarding gender within the Western world. Activist, Riki Wilchins, similarly highlights the influence of language and knowledge to the construction of gender norms in her chapters, “Queerer Bodies” and “Changing the Subject”. Recognizing that perceptions and descriptions of gender are shaped by particular voices and carefully chosen vocabulary is essential to understanding gender as a socially constructed concept. Through acknowledging gender as abstract, we, as a society, can work towards expanding the gender binary and embracing the complexity of human bodies.
Discussions and debates surrounding gender are limited to a culture’s vocabulary, allowing language to play an influential role in how understandings of the world are constructed. Wilchins begins to unpack how, as a culture, we seek out ‘Truth’ and ‘Realness’. Through deciding that there are universal Truths that cannot be debated, we are able to organize the complexity of the world into ways that can be easily understood. However, through this organization, we begin to marginalize the individuals that do not perfectly fit into a category. Wilchins shows how our language is imperative in protecting assumed Truths and how our words often fail us in discussing complex concepts, such as gender. Through claiming that male and female are universal and inclusive Truths, we force individuals to condense their unique complexity into a single category. While I believe we need to expand our recognition of gender past the male/female binary, Wilchins point out the difficulty in doing so. Because no two bodies are alike, it is challenging to establish a vocabulary that can be communicable across individual experiences. What is important is society’s willingness to encourage conversation surrounding gender in order to allow the endless possibilities of human experiences to be heard and accepted.
Experts, such as religious leaders, politicians and doctors, have occupied positions of power that have allowed them to dominate public opinions and perceptions of gender. Reis cites numerous medical journals and legal debates to illustrate our historical knowledge of intersex bodies, emphasizing how popularly accepted experts can shape our understanding of the world. Calling attention to the dominant voices of the past encourage us to think about who we currently trust to shape our perceptions of gender. In today’s culture, the legal system plays a large role in dictating how elements of gender are presented, ultimately shaping society's knowledge and assumptions. The transgender bathroom battle is a contemporary example of how the legal system continues to protect the gender binary as normative and further marginalize various individuals. While many politicians and activists are making an effort to challenge culturally constructed norms, we are still witnessing social anxieties surrounding gender become reflected in legal rights. By refusing transgendered individuals the freedom to choose their prefered bathroom, we are alienating them and further establishing anything other than strictly male/female as the socially accepted norm. We must begin to pay attention to which voices are the loudest and attempt to question their influence on public understandings.
Recent technological advancements have begun to establish new communication channels through which discussion can flow freely without restriction and which encourages us to expand and develop our knowledge of human bodies. The growth of social media, in particular, presents a unique approach to public discussion. An article in the Huffington Post (below) suggests that social media has made a positive impact on changing perceptions surrounding the gender binary. Celebrities and activists praise the internet for providing a space to host open dialogue. The article also introduces the hashtag “specific detriment” to illustrate how non-binary individuals are able to connect with each other and share their stories. Through simply applying the hashtag, individuals are able to take part in a movement that is impacting lives across the globe. Thinking back to Reis’s article, much of what we know about the history of intersex has not originated from an individual's personal story, but rather from medical professionals or court documents that have developed an outsider perception of what it means to be intersex. With the availability of social media, individuals can share their private experiences and work together to develop a new language through which to discuss gender.
Through closely examining how Western society has constructed gender ideals throughout history, we can begin to recognize the elements that have worked to establish our current assumptions and explore new ways to challenge perceptions of the ‘normative’ body. Thinking about whose voice is heard and how we use language to discuss something as complex as gender will lead us towards a more comprehensive understanding of the human body. We should take advantage of modern technology to establish new modes of communication in order to propel discussion surrounding gender forward. We need to recognize that gender is not a universal Truth and that society has the power to shape perceptions of various bodies. Social media allows us to connect with individuals across the world and invites a variety of different perspectives to be expressed. History has shown us that a strict male/female binary does not truly exist and that our language and knowledge are reflective of social anxieties. Breaking down the deeply ingrained gender binary will not only encourage us to embrace the endless variations of the human body, but will also guide us to think about other socially constructed concepts, such as race and class. We need to extend our knowledge past popularly recognized experts and common language to develop new ways of understanding the world in all its complexity.
"How Social Media is Changing Perceptions Around Gender":
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