Posts tagged gender binary

“Disney films, and to a lesser extent other animated films, have become the staple of movie fare for children, an institution we bring them up in and use to teach values. One only need to look as far as books such as The Family New Media Guide and The Movie Mom’s Guide to Family Movies to see the recommendation of Disney films for value lessons. The former title even goes on to point out that “Disney has almost become synonymous with wholesome family entertainment.” (p. 59) Neither of these books address the depictions of sexuality and gender role modeling that are an ever present subtext in Disney films.”

“Women are constantly depicted in sexually suggestive ways. Many of the human characters of animated films have suggestive mannerisms, dress or both. Aurora is flirtatious and coy. Pocahontas wears a low-cut dress with plenty of cleavage while Ariel wears nothing but a bikini top. Megara sashays her hips and her dress clings to her body like a second skin and Jasmine’s two-piece outfits are of the harem girl style rather than what real Arabic women wear. Chel dresses differently from every other woman in her tribe. And then there is Esmeralda, whose dance in The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a striptease in all but actually taking off her clothes. Esmeralda’s pole-twirling is straight out of that style. And these suggestive mannerisms are not just limited to the adult women. The little girl in The Jungle Bookis pre-teen, but has already mastered the coy mannerisms of suggestive sexuality to lure Mowgli back to the human village.  Male characters are never shown in this manner.”

http://animation.memory-motel.net/sexuality_american.html

As children, not only do you watch these movies, you see them over and over and over again.  As children your brain is developing, you’re learning about the world, what it’s like, how you fit in, what your position in society is etc.  More than likely children trust their parents completely, and so when they sit them in front of a movie, I don’t doubt that the child’s brain automatically assumes that everything they are seeing is an accurate depiction of the world. 

As far as the argument about knowing that magic etc. doesn’t exist and giving children credit… children can’t combat something they don’t even know is happening, or if they have never seen any alternative. 

i-am-the-lighthouse:

fuckyeahlgbt:

queerwatch:

[via]

Sex: characteristics (anatomical, genetic & hormonal) socially identified as male, female or intersex.
Gender: behaviors/norms socially assigned to males & females; masculinity & femininity.
Gender identity: internal sense of gender as man or woman, which may not conform to birth sex.
Gender expression: external signs of “femininity” or “masculinity” via clothing, comportment, etc…
Gender non-conformity: to reject assignment of distinct norms and behaviors to men & women
Genderqueer: freedom and openness of gender expression and sexual orientation, regardless of birth sex or societal norms/expectations. Often working actively to question and redefine established concepts and definitions of gender and sexual orientation.
Transgender: person who transcends behaviors/norms socially assigned to men & women; person who rejects gender binary; gender variant person; person whose gender identity/expression does not conform to birth sex.

Some of you have probably seen the various dating advice articles that yahoo puts on their front pages.  How perfectly they perpetuate our rape culture.  Teaching us to misread body language.  Completely disregarding cultural and personal differences.  I’ve met a few guys who like to claim they have a ‘gift’ for reading people.  I never knew what to say.  I personally always thought they were a little off (creepy) and they thought I was into them.  Now I know why they thought I liked them, because obviously they read stuff like this. 

5 signs she’s into you

By Chelsea Kaplan

(Better described as five signs Chelsea Kaplan is or isn’t into you.)

Five signs your date is into you…

1. She tilts her head

2. She takes a sip when you take a sip

3. She twirls her hair

4. She gets a glow

5. Her pupils dilate

…and five signs your date is not into you

1. She crosses her arms

2. She places her bag between you two

3. She speaks faster than an auctioneer

4. She offers you a chin-up smile

5. She strokes her neck

http://yahoo.match.com/y/article.aspx?articleid=8949&TrackingID=526103&BannerID=688255

My personal disclaimers.

1) I tilt my head when I’m confused, when it hurts, when I’m tired, when I’m looking at something or someone.  2) I do this with everybody. 3) I don’t have enough hair to twirl, and even when I did I don’t recall ever twirling it at all. 4) My glow… I get red in the face at the drop of a hat, don’t take it personally. 5) I have no idea what my pupils do.

1) I cross my arms to get cozy, be warm and whenever the hell I want. 2) I don’t have a ‘bag’. 3) If I’m talking, that’s a good sign.  Forgive me if I talk fast.  4) Smiles are far to complicated to even try going into this. 5) I like touching my neck… I do that a lot.