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Tina Vartanian
John Kubler
English 114B
1 April 2014
Reconstructing Our Society
Because there is neither an 'essence' that gender ex- presses or externalizes nor an
objective ideal to which gender aspires;... gender is not a fact, the various acts of gender create
the idea of gender, and without those acts, there would be no gender at all (Butler 242).
According to Judith Butler, an American philosopher and gender theorist, the idea of gender is
an allusion. In other words what society considers gender to be, is mainly caused by the
influence of the media. The media's portrayal of gender and sexuality has shaped our societies
culture to have certain outlooks on the subject. For example, when a woman announces that she
is pregnant with a baby girl, the color pink comes to mind and if it is a baby boy, the color blue.
Although this is a small diversion between genders, it shows the mentality of our society.
In our current society, we have different influential factors that lead us to a certain image
or perspective on gender identity, and we unconsciously follow their lead. One of the main
influences- especially in the younger generations- is the media. The media can be categorized
into many different sections from: advertisements, television shows, movies, radio and even
some articles or blogs. The media covers essentially all topics that are of current issue or
concern. In the past fifteen years the topic of gender identity has become very popular. This topic
has many different branches such as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transgender, drag,
pansexual and the list goes on and on. Recently, the transgender and drag community have been
receiving a lot of attention because of the way they are portrayed through the media. Even
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though the media is trying to expand our knowledge of different gender identities and sexual
orientations, shows such as RuPauls Fashion show or Fashion Police, have divided our society
into three groups: the supporters, the neutral, and the ones who are oppose to the idea of
change.
Although many people believe that gender identity is something that you are born with
and ones sexuality is either gay or straight, others believe that gender can be altered or
constructed and sexual identity goes beyond the two most common sexual orientations. When
it comes to reconstructing ones body to another sex, I am very skeptical of the idea. On one
hand, everyone should have the freedom to be happy and do whatever they want; however, since
society is not use to the idea of transgenders, drag queens, or even bisexuals it is difficult to
understand and accept them.
During the year 2002 the transgender community became greatly noticed due to Thomas
Beatie. Thomas was a female-to-male transgender, who became known as The Pregnant Man.
Due to the fact that this is so rare and uncommon, it received a lot of attention. Many people
were thrilled for Beatie and his family while others struggled to understand the logic. The media
was constantly checking up on Thomas and his pregnant wife. Beatie and his wife appeared on
several magazines, radio shows, and TV shows. During an interview on The Oprah Winfrey
show, Beatie and his wife opened up to the world the struggles they faced in order to get
pregnant. Beatie told the viewers that ... [They] got rejected by [their] first doctor because his
staff felt uncomfortable working with someone like [him] (0:13). This caused part of our
society to be introduced to the transgender community because if the intensity of the situation.
With the exposure, several groups of people became against the transgender
community. The issue they have with transgendered individuals is that they have the freedom to
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change back and forth among the two sexes. This can cause a lot of problems especially since
some people cannot identify whether someone is transgender or not. An example of how the
media has influenced society as well as the misunderstanding based on the topic of transgender is
the movie named The Gwen Araujo Story. Gwen Araujo, originally named Eddie, was a
transgender teenager who was born a male; however, changed her sex to female while attending
high school. Gwen was beaten to death by her former lovers who did not know that she was
really a male. When Gwen was found her body was wrapped in a shower curtain, there was dirt
on that and appeared to be soaked in blood. . . [There were]...marks on the ankles, wrists, and
around the neck. A black sock had been asserted into the mouth (0:14).The violence and hate
crime committed to Gwen is disturbing; however, this type of hatred among a group
unfortunately is common.
When I first heard of the transgendered population my immediate response was that it
was unnatural and unnecessary. After watching the Gwen Araujo Story my outlook on the topic
of transgenders has changed. Although I am still against the idea of changing ones sexual
identity, I am more open and accepting on the idea. If someone wants to change themselves to be
happy then they have every right to do so. I believe the main message of this film is to show the
audience the struggles that the transgender population deals with and to show a little patience
and compassion to them and everyone else.
Another group that is constantly under attack and victims of hate crimes are the
participants in the drag community. As stated in the essay, Performative Acts and Gender
Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory ...gender is what is put on,
invariably, under constraint, daily and incessantly, with anxiety and pleasure (Butler 531).
Many people in todays society struggle to find out their gender identities: whether they are
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straight, gay, bisexual, transgender, drag queens, etc Therefore, the gender one was born in
does not have to dictate the gender they want to be. In reference to the essay by Judith Butler,
gender is how one presents themselves. Towards the end of the movie To Wong Fu, Rita, a drag
queen, was told by her friend- who was very traditional- that she knew all along that she was a
male because ...women dont have Adams apples (1:36). She accepted the fact that Rita
was a drag queen based on her outer appearance rather than her body features.
Another example of the constant struggle drag queens face can be shown in the movie, To
Wong Fu. The three drag queens went on a journey to find acceptance. The culture they lived in
was so constrained that they were constantly harassed. When they went to the new town, they
felt the acceptance and love. Butlers idea on this is that ...the gendered body acts its part in a
culturally restricted corporeal space and enacts interpretations within the confines of already
existing directives (526). The way the individual acts in public is connected to the
surrounding. If they feel comfortable they are open with their sexuality or their decisions;
however, some surrounding tend to have different interpretations on the matter.
Throughout the novel Persepolis 2, Marji encounters different types of people such as
homosexuals. In the chapter, The Horse, she moves into a house with 8 homosexual men
(Satrapi 47). Although she was okay and comfortable living with them then it was not always
like that. In Iran, Marji was raised very conservative and grew up with a different mindset about
sexualities other than straight. However, Marji changed her views on sexuality when she became
more and more exposed to the subject. I believe that like Marji, our society needs to adapt to
things that make us uncomfortable and accept that they are not going to disappear.
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In all, gender is something that is caused by the influence of the media. The media leads
society to a certain perspective on what gender roles should be. Overall, I still do not know
whether or not I agree with the transgender and drag communities; however, I am leaning
towards letting them be free. As Judith Butler mentioned, gender does not have a real definition
to it nor does sexuality. Everyones mind works in different ways and it is not right to tell
someone how they should feel or act. They are entitled to their own decisions and happiness
regardless of what others may think. The media is the reason in which have changed my mind on
this topic and it will always be an influence on our society. As mentioned in Macklemores song,
Same Love, ...America the brave still fears what we dont know we are scared of change
(1:18). In order to change our views we must overcome our fears as a society and unfortunately
this takes time.
















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Works Cited
Butler, Judith. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and
Feminist Theory." JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
"A Girl Like Me The Gwen Araujo Story." YouTube. YouTube, 05 Mar. 2013. Web.2Mar. 2014.
""Same Love" Lyrics." MACKLEMORE LYRICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Satrapi, Marji. "Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return." Barnes & Noble. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb.-Mar.
2014.
"To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar." YouTube. YouTube, 30 Oct. 2013.
Web. 25 Mar. 2014.