I’m going to try my hardest to share facts (with sources) not just opinions. WARNING: this post is not for anyone who may be triggered by difficult conversations around gender identity.
I wanted to write a post about masculinity as I know men are worried right now and are attacking women, homosexuals, and trans people for ruining masculinity and causing a crisis amongst young men. However, I didn’t think I was the right person to write about this. And so, I chose to talk about my gender identity and thoughts on gender in general. I did however touch on Masculinity a bit more directly as an issue in this blog post, if you scroll down to the Masculinity Issue heading. There’s no point repeating myself and there’s some resources on masculinity in that post.
Here we go…
Gender ideals across history
Many cultures across centuries have believed in and celebrated more than one gender, recognised in Hindu scriptures for example dating back 2000 years, so this isn’t anything new. It’s not a modern, “woke”, far-left idea at all. It’s an old, traditional, sacred belief across the world (more on this later). The distinction between “sex” and “gender” became established in the 20th century. Colonisation and Christianity seem to have had the greatest effect on gender binaries in other cultures, which once celebrated and recognised more than two (source 1). 20 countries across the world legally recognised a third gender:
In 2013, Bangladesh recognised the hija as a third gender. In 2014, India did the same. But difficulties – hate, violence, and colonial ideas – still pursue in these countries. In Albania, there is the Burrenshas who traditionally were women who took on the roles of men to change their social status, but this norm has disappeared as gender norms have changed overtime.
Some historians and scholars note that gender politics and recognition of women’s history is complicated because it was understudied and under-published for so long. Restrictions of freedoms for women in the West may have led to a poor understanding of gender as a whole now.(2)
QUOTED FROM National Library of Medicine study: The concept of a “third gender” or an identity that cannot be placed within the generally accepted “male” or “female” identifiers is not new. From the earliest records, figures such as the Greek God Hermaphroditus (Grimal, Kershaw, & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1990) and the Sumerian Gala Priests of ancient Mesopotamian cities (Suter, 2008) have represented individuals who are not easily identified as “male” or “female.”
Philosophers and some early Christian leaders actively promoted androgyny as the original and ideal state for a human (Cobb, 1993)
In pre-Columbus America, there are historical reports of many tribes holding the belief that there were, in fact, four genders – “male,” “masculine,” “feminine,” and “female,”
The advent of Christianity saw many cultures adhere to strict binary “male” and “female” roles imposed upon them by the religion. However, fashion has often had periods when androgyny is en vogue, such as the 1920s, 1960s, and the current day (Townson, 2016).(3)
“Anthropologists have long documented cultures around the world that acknowledge more than two genders. There are examples going back 3,000 years to the Iron Age, and even further back to the Copper Age.
Fa’afafine are people who identify themselves as a third-gender in Samoa, American Samoa and the Samoan diaspora. A recognized gender identity/gender role since at least the early 20th century in Samoan society.
Even in the heart of Catholic Italy, in Naples, there is a centuries-old phenomenon of femminielli, those assigned male at birth who dress and behave as women. They are respected figures and traditionally believed to bring good luck; a cultural tradition that may date back to pagan rituals of crossdressing, or eunuch priests.”(4)
Sources and further reading:
(1) https://www.clasp.org/blog/the-intersection-of-colonialism-and-trans-oppression/
(2) https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/growth-gender-and-womens-history
(3) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6830980/
(4) https://link.ucop.edu/2019/10/14/exploring-the-history-of-gender-expression/ (also works for my next point on cultures)
https://www.lgbthistoryuk.org/wiki/Timeline_of_UK_Transgender_History (interesting timeline, though I can’t speak to how factual)
Gender ideals across continents and cultures
There are cultures/communities around the world where it is normal to not think about gender as strict binaries. These are called the Hijra in Hindu culture; the Calalai, Calabai, and Bissu in South Sulawesi in Indonesia; Muxe in Mexico; Sekrata indigenous to Madagascar; Two-Spirit in Native American/Indigenous cultures; and Bakla in the Philippines. In fact, for some of these cultures, it’s colonial rule which led to a criticism and disrespect towards these people who were once revered members of their society. Colonial rule has caused shame to breed in these communities where they once loved and held these people sacred.
“Hijras often leave home to join groups that educate new initiates in spirituality. Hijras assume a religious role in Hindu culture, celebrating rituals like weddings and births. Many believe hijras possess the power to bless or curse others.”(1)
“Calalai refers to people who have female sexual characteristics but present in traditionally masculine ways, often cutting their hair short and dressing in men’s fashions. Calabai are people who have male sexual characteristics but occupy a role like that traditionally occupied by women. Bissu, another gender, embodies the totality of masculinity and femininity. Bugis people believe that bissu surpasses other genders, encapsulating a spiritual role.”
“Muxe are those who typically have male sexual characteristics but embrace a feminine identity. The muxe identity is embedded within the culture of the Indigenous Zapotec people, who live mainly in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Though Zapotec culture respects muxepeople, muxes still endure certain restrictions: they are usually prohibited from living with their intimate partners or leaving their family homes.”
“Sekrata people have male sexual characteristics, but after displaying behavior viewed as feminine during childhood, they are raised as girls by their families. As adults, they inhabit a unique niche: they do not occupy traditionally male roles, like soldiering; instead, they undertake other responsibilities, like performing in ceremonies. The sekrata are widely accepted within Sakalava society. They are viewed as both sacred and protected by supernatural powers.”
“Two-Spirit are people who are believed to embody both a male spirit and a female spirit…seen as being uniquely able to see life from both male and female perspectives and to bridge the differences between them.”
“Bakla refers to people who possess male sexual characteristics but identify with femininity and often express their gender through feminine dress and behavior. Historically, bakla were considered to encompass aspects of both masculinity and femininity, and they often served as leaders of their communities.” (1)
There is also the “third gender” or “sacred gender” in India. These people are respected and seem to hold the power to bless or curse. That in Indian mythology and scripture, gender has always been fluid, and there are “20-28 genders”.
There’s the “brother-boy” of Australian aborigine peoples, someone born with female characteristics but has a masculine spirit. Then “sister-girls” who are people born with male characteristics but has a female spirit.
This is not even to mention that expressions of femininity and masculinity simply vary across cultures by nature anyway, never mind there being more than two genders. Some cultures involve women wearing headscarves, and this is a part of their womanhood. Some cultures involve women doing more work than women. Even in the animal kingdom, for example, lionesses are the ones who go out to hunt and provide for the family, not the males. What about the traditional kilt in Scottish culture? This is a sort of skirt, which is usually viewed as feminine, yet it’s a strong symbol of masculinity and traditional Scottish heritage for them.
Similarly, names! I work for a university processing applications from students overseas, so I come across all sorts of unfamiliar names. Some of these names seem “feminine” to me, only for me to discover that they are male. This is only because in my country, the norm isn’t for masculine names to sound like that. But that’s me thinking and judging from a preconceived assumption, a conditioned mind from experiences of my own societal norms. Not anything that’s wrong about the person’s name, which could be completely normal in their country!
Context, culture, and place matters, it seems, to what we view as the norm. Doesn’t this, in itself, prove gender fluidity and the concept of gender (and masculine and feminine) being a social and cultural construct?
Sources and further reading:
(1) https://www.britannica.com/list/6-cultures-that-recognize-more-than-two-genders
https://www.authorsden.com/categories/article_top.asp?catid=62&id=46603
https://nonbinary.wiki/wiki/Gender-variant_identities_worldwide
https://juliaschwabtherapy.com/blog/cultures-with-multiple-genders/
Gender ideals as a weapon of control
I am a feminine woman, yet I burp and fart and swear and pick my nose and please myself and boast and get muddy knees and write crude stuff sometimes. For centuries, femininity seemed to be about restriction. Keeping women small; well-behaved. If you didn’t adhere to these rules, you weren’t ladylike. You weren’t feminine.
This is a patriarchal means of suppression and control. Why else would being a “good girl” be about suppressing very natural tendencies. There seemed to be this obsession with keeping boys and girls very separate. Being a boy is this list of things and being a girl is this other list, and don’t you dare cross the boundaries!
This is what fairy tales were for; they are cautionary tales and a guide for children on how not to behave. They are closely linked to Christianity, too. As previously mentioned, European colonialisation of other continents led to the growing shame around third or more genders. Western ideals were forced on non-western countries, to a devastating effect.
Gender wars
I’d also like to touch on feminism.
A lot of women think it’s against feminism and the progress of womanhood to be a sex worker, for example, or sell your body in any way (e.g. Only Fans or sexier social media accounts). Sex sells, that’s a fact, and is that even our fault? Is it okay to take advantage of something that was once used against us? Is it a reclamation or a step backwards into patriarchy? Do some women believe in the patriarchy as the natural order of things? Should we criticise them for thinking this way?
Then there’s the rise of the trend “Trad Wife” which I had to do some research on to fully understand without assumption. It is for women or men? Does it help women progress or go backwards? Does it further divide women?
What about muscle mommies? Book girlies? Hot girl summers? Divine feminine? There are trendy words for all expressions of femininity now, and are we here for it, or only creating further labels and categories for us to fight each other over? It used to be about the Tom Boy! Androgynous dress of girls. I used to think I would get married in a white tracksuit! Now there are hundreds of subcategories of what it means to be female and a war seems to be breaking out between us who identify as female.
Further reading on feminism:
https://www.womenshistory.org/exhibits/feminism-first-wave-0
https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/second-wave-feminism-history-main-ideas-impact/
https://www.britannica.com/event/womens-movement
Gender ideals in philosophy and religion
This post is getting quite long so I’ll try to hurry on a bit!
You can’t have a conversation about patriarchy and control without mentioning religion, sadly. I will mostly speak about Christianity, the religion I’m most familiar with. Many people quote the Bible and religious texts as a weapon against LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms. However, as with any text, the Bible is open to interpretation. The individual reading it will come to their own conclusions. Let’s bear that in mind when thinking our God told us one thing or another definitively.
More in this post here from a Christian themselves: https://www.christianity.org.uk/article/gender-identity
Yin and yang, in Chinese philosophy, teaches us that there are feminine and masculine energies within us all.
That Yang/masculine means:
- Sun
- Light
- Motion / Activity
- Hot
- Hard / Firm
- Fire
And Yin/Feminine means:
- Moon
- Dark
- Rest
- Stillness
- Soft
- Cold
- Water
These may seem like binaries but whoever has seen the symbol knows that they exist within and around one another. They are not separate, they work symbiotically. This is also taught in yoga philosophy. That we each have both energies which can be in and out of balance, dominant and non-dominant within us throughout our lives, dictating how we behave and perform.
Gender and sex in biological terms
As stated briefly above, masculine and feminine energies aren’t necessarily opposites. And this is a biological fact too. We all have both oestrogen and testosterone levels in our bodies. People simply have more of one or the other.
PCOS is a condition affecting woman which means they have higher levels of testosterone. Are these women therefore less feminine? Should they change gender? Is something not woman enough about them? No, no, and no.
As a society, we seem to equate testosterone and a penis with masculinity; and oestrogen and a vagina with femininity.
Masculine = man, male, penis, testosterone
Feminine = woman, female, vagina, ovaries, womb, oestrogen
But I’m not so sure. I know women who are very masculine in their characteristics but identify with being a woman. Love their womanhood. May wear traditional clothing for femininity. Does having a masculine nature stop them from being feminine? From being a woman? Does having a vagina mean they can never open up to their masculinity?
Let’s be more biological here.
Higher Testosterone levels can mean:
- Increase in facial hair and thickness of hair in general
- Higher levels of movement
- Increase in strength and muscle size
- Increase in sex drive
- Mood swings
- Bone growth
- Deeper voice in puberty
“Men and women need the proper amount of testosterone to develop and function normally. However, the optimal amount of testosterone is far from clear.” Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/testosterone–what-it-does-and-doesnt-do
Higher levels of oestrogen can lead to:
- Increase in oxytocin
- Increase in emotional turbulence / Mood swings
- Ovulation
- Sex drive
Hormonal cycles of a person who menstruates can look like this:
This website also goes into great detail on our cycles’ affect on our behaviour and mood. Note the highs and lows of stress levels, movement, action-seeking, emotional lows, isolation versus social interaction, anxiety, increase in strength. All this within one person. Varying levels of testosterone and oestrogen throughout our cycle. Masculine and feminine energy seen here in our natural state.
Another thing people forget is a natural occurrence is intersex people / hermaphroditism. People born with both physical sex organs. Should they have to pick? They are naturally born biologically both male and female…so where do they belong in our binaries?
A lesson in linguistics?
Read the last part of this Gender essay here in part three: empathy and education.
Sincerely,
S. xx
S. R. Crawford 