Gender identity.
Are you familiar with butch and femme as gender identities? These are designations primarily in the queer community that describe how "masculine" or "feminine" one is, or perceives oneself to be. They exist on a spectrum with many gradations, and it is extremely important to some people to identify at one specific point on the spectrum, and not much or at all to others.
Earlier this week, I had a conversation with a colleague, who identifies as a lesbian and who also identifies as femme, about the implications of holding a particular identity - or not holding one - along the butch/femme spectrum. She said that for her, claiming a femme identity means reclaiming and revaluing certain aspects of femininity that are devalued in the general society, but especially historically devalued in lesbian culture, or that make lesbian identity invisible. This femme identity extends even into her spiritual life, as she is drawn to female-affirming religious practices and pagan systems that celebrate certain things, like childbirth and domestic activities, traditionally associated with feminine energy.
On the other hand, it can be argued that that traditional association of gender with certain activities, energies, and traits can be seen as having evolved from patriarchy and to claim them is somehow complicit with oppression. Certainly that argument was popular during the 70's, at which time "butch" and "femme" identities were rejected in favor of a conscientious androgyny. I struggle with this a lot - I do a lot of activities and dress in ways that make people assume that I identify as femme, but I adamantly do not, and for some reason am sensitive about it. Why is it so important to me to reject a femme identity? What does it mean to reject it? That's a question I revisit frequently, usually without a satisfying answer.
I realize that if you're straight and of unambiguous physical gender, a question of gender identity may not have come up in quite this way. But what do you make of the butch/femme spectrum? Has it come up for you? Do you hold a gender identity that goes beyond your body parts? Do you feel at all genderqueer? Was this identity-formation something intuitive or natural, or did you choose it consciously? How do you feel this affects your life? What do you think might be different if you identified differently (or, what challenges do you think face people who identify differently)? What does it mean to hold a gender identity or to reject identifying as one particular "notch" on a gender-related spectrum? What are you really accepting or rejecting?
Big questions. Maybe you can tackle at least one part of them.
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For the record, and I'll answer my own question in more detail later, I don't "not identify," either, most of the time. I identify as "andro," as I feel that psychologically I fall towards the middle of the gender spectrum. Which is confusing and invisible, too. But more on this later.
Posted by: house9 on December 16, 2004 09:44 AM |
Personally I see nothing gained by women, straight or lesbian, emulating male culture. In other words, I'm not a feminist so I can become a man. Elevating the female spirit in society to an equal level with the dominating male spirit is what feminism is actually about. The genders are not the same and never will be. Equality doesn't mean sameness, it means same treatment under the law. Same respect within society. Equal opportunities.
That being said, butch identities may call out louder and stronger (emulating a man's voice) and gain more attention in society. But a Butch identity is certainly not MORE lesbian, or superior to a femme identity. It just is what it is.
I dress and act in a way that I think is androgynous leaning toward butch, but some people tell me that they think I dress/come across as femme. I don't think they're telling me that I identify as femme; I don't think they care about that; they only care about how I appear to them. I also think that these people see anything other than full male drag on a woman as femme.
When I do dress femme, I feel like I am in drag. It's not a matter of consciously rejecting anything - it feels like the way oil and water naturally separate, presumably without hostile feelings toward each other. :-)
I wouldn't say my gender identity "goes beyond" my body parts. I identify as a woman and comfortably have a female body, but I believe that a specific gender is less important in my list of self-identities than it is for many people. And there's the above business about feeling that "femme" clothing isn't my clothing; if that is genderqueer, then I am. This is all natural to me; the only part I had to consciously work on is to understand that not identifying as "femme" doesn't mean there's something wrong with my gender identity. I also had to work on deciding that people who do identify as, and appear, "femme" aren't harming me and aren't somehow buying into the patriarchy.
I'm not sure how this affects my life. I suspect it reduces the number of men who are attracted to me, and may increase the number of women who are, but I can't do a controlled study. :-)
Posted by: Stef on December 16, 2004 03:38 PM |
Is WHB dead?
Posted by: Subversity on January 15, 2005 08:22 PM |
Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina.
"Feminine energy"? Gimme a break.
Posted by: hazard on January 23, 2005 05:00 AM |
I have really struggled with this myself - I have recently been doing research on fairy tales and feminism/post feminism for a story I am writing and the more I study the angrier I get at society for the brainwashing it does and at woman for their part in accepting it.
Recently, I have questioned a lot of what I do. I felt guilty every time I put makeup on because I am buying into the media hype that says I have to look a certain way. What I eventually decided was that I needed to look at why I do things. Why do I wear makeup or heels or hose or skirts? Then once I had figured that out - I rejected all of the things I was doing because someone else told me I needed to. Now, for the most part, I wear what I want to wear. I like a lot of clothes that society finds acceptable and for work I stick with that... at home and hanging out with friends I wear what whatever I want. If you change who you are - even if it is just your physical appearance - to fit into a certain niche then you aren't being true to yourself. I think the real challenge is to be true to yourself and to not let society (whether mainstream, lesbian, or other) tell you who you have to be. Find out who you are underneath all the programming and accept and make peace with it.
Sarongs are comfy so I wear those - but so are boxers and bear skin so I go around in those a lot also. I have just signed up for kung fu lessons but I also enjoy ballroom dancing. Sometimes I like to be dominant in sex and sometimes I like to be passive. I am all over the traditional gender spectrum but I don't really care. I am happy and proud of who I am and what I have accomplished in my life. I fit into a category of one - I am just me. If others can't classify me I don't really care because I can.
I think your question is more about personal identity than gender identity - about labels and stereotypes - maybe you should just respond to those who label you femme that you don't really personally identify with that and leave things there... If you have to put a label on yourself find something nice and vague that tells something but not the specifics (like the equivalent of being agnostic to religion - I don't like any of the available labels for religion and saying I agnostic has saved me a lot of grief from Catholic co-workers who don't object to my ideas as much as they might a label such as pagan) and then if people want to know more they can ask for specifics. This will at least lead to a discussion about the right things rather than having to back track to get rid of preconceived notions associated with specific labels.
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