Just because someone presents in a way that you might see as masculine does not mean that their gender is also masculine. Gender expression and gender identity are not the same thing. Like the comment I read earlier, a lot of people in the media speculate about his gender identity simply because he likes to wear dresses. And every time he does it, there are articles written about him. In today’s culture, Jaden Smith wearing a dress is shocking. And that’s because all of these things are objects that we project meaning and ideas onto. At one point in time, it was seen as masculine to wear makeup, dresses, and heels. It wasn’t until the 17th century when European women started wearing high heels after the trend was started by the Parisian Calvary. High heels kept the riders’ feet steady while in stirrups. Their initial design was for the purpose of horse riding – an activity that women were forbidden from participating in. High heeled shoes were created for men and worn as early as the 10th century. This includes gladiators who are still to this day a representation of hyper masculinity. On the subject of rank, Roman Emperors wore tunics, as did most men in Ancient Rome. This was done for many reasons – sometimes religious and sometimes as a sign of rank. In fact, men throughout history exhibited qualities that we would look at today as “feminine.” In ancient Egypt, it was customary for men to adorn their eyes with black kohl liner. But femininity and masculinity as we understand them today is socially constructed. I think that this comment perfectly summarizes how society shames men who present in a typically “feminine” way. It would be shirts either men or women could wear, pants regardless of sex. However, sexless clothes would not be a dress that women wear or a jockey strap that men wore. There is nothing wrong with having your own style. Although it seems like you’re traveling the route of wearing wigs, lipstick, makeup, having a boyfriend/husband, getting a sex change, and changing your name from Jaden to Jadena. One of the comments on a Hollywood Life article reads: However, there are certainly people who don’t seem to agree with me. He can often be found wearing what society has deemed as “women’s clothing.” He occasionally likes his dresses and his skirts – and in my opinion, he certainly pulls it off. Jaden Smith has recently been criticized in the media because of his fashion choices. And one of the most obvious ways we express gender is through our fashion. An easy way to boil it down is to say that sex is biological, while gender is mental and social.Ī central part of the social implications of gender is gender expression. If we were to make the mistake of saying that sex and gender were the same things and that gender is something that can be determined by the formation of chromosomes, there would be over 30 available genders.īut sex and gender aren’t the same thing. In fact, these lines aren’t even as black and white scientifically. See, having this idea of “male” or “female” and “man” or “woman” is extremely limiting to a lot of people who find themselves identifying outside of the gender binary. And while many cis people may never have an issue with that, some people do. And those people are what we like to call “cis.” And these people are cisgender because they identify with the gender that they were assigned at birth. If you’re born into the socially constructed idea of “male,” then the idea is that you’re going to grow up and become a “man.”Īnd for most people, this makes sense. When each of us is born into this world, before we can form words, we’re given a gender. This video is part of a series for Everyday Feminism, a website dedicated to helping you stand up to and break down everyday oppression.
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