23-10-2015, 11:47 PM
If we really had equality in this society it would be totally a non-issue for boys to wear whatever they want. Just like girls, they should be able to create an appearance that boosts their self-confidence and makes them look and feel really great – choosing the clothing, accessories, hairstyles and makeup that they like best.
But this is not the reality of today’s world. Although there has been some progress, we are still a long way from equality of the sexes in personal appearance. Despite a hundred years of feminist rhetoric on equality, it is still mostly one-way equality.
It should not be necessary for any male to justify their personal style choices while another social class freely exercises the same choices without being questioned. The implicit and often expressed requirement for justification is little more than a cover-up for a presumption that free choice for males is somehow abnormal.
No one should be considered transgendered merely because they do things supposedly reserved for another gender. If someone wants to change gender, that is their choice, but no one should be pressured to do so as a requirement for exercising free choice in how they present. Two or three generations ago, when females started wearing pants in western society, they came under the same pressure, but successfully argued that this did not mean they wanted to be male. They were merely asserting freedom of choice.
Today, males have not fared as well in asserting their freedom of choice. Instead, it seems, the latest generation of parents have taken feminism to heart and are fighting for their princess boys. This is the new front line of gender reform. Oddly, it is predominantly mothers who are behind this new wave of equality.
In Canada, where i live, there has been a string of recent legal cases pushed forward by the parents of gender non-conforming children, and these cases have already begun to transform the system. For instance, in British Columbia anyone can now change their gender marker in government records simply by making a formal election, much like in Argentina (except still with a gatekeeper in BC). There is currently another human rights case pending in BC that could eliminate gender completely from official documents (i’ll believe that when i see it though).
Here is a Ted Talk on YouTube describing this trend : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MUIYlaWVUk
So things are starting to change at a quicker pace now, but we still have a long way to go. It seems the trend is now heading more toward gender freedom and gender fluidity, and away from gender switching. The binary is being broken down. I wonder where that will leave previous generations who have taken a different approach in asserting their lifestyle choices?
But this is not the reality of today’s world. Although there has been some progress, we are still a long way from equality of the sexes in personal appearance. Despite a hundred years of feminist rhetoric on equality, it is still mostly one-way equality.
It should not be necessary for any male to justify their personal style choices while another social class freely exercises the same choices without being questioned. The implicit and often expressed requirement for justification is little more than a cover-up for a presumption that free choice for males is somehow abnormal.
No one should be considered transgendered merely because they do things supposedly reserved for another gender. If someone wants to change gender, that is their choice, but no one should be pressured to do so as a requirement for exercising free choice in how they present. Two or three generations ago, when females started wearing pants in western society, they came under the same pressure, but successfully argued that this did not mean they wanted to be male. They were merely asserting freedom of choice.
Today, males have not fared as well in asserting their freedom of choice. Instead, it seems, the latest generation of parents have taken feminism to heart and are fighting for their princess boys. This is the new front line of gender reform. Oddly, it is predominantly mothers who are behind this new wave of equality.
In Canada, where i live, there has been a string of recent legal cases pushed forward by the parents of gender non-conforming children, and these cases have already begun to transform the system. For instance, in British Columbia anyone can now change their gender marker in government records simply by making a formal election, much like in Argentina (except still with a gatekeeper in BC). There is currently another human rights case pending in BC that could eliminate gender completely from official documents (i’ll believe that when i see it though).
Here is a Ted Talk on YouTube describing this trend : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MUIYlaWVUk
So things are starting to change at a quicker pace now, but we still have a long way to go. It seems the trend is now heading more toward gender freedom and gender fluidity, and away from gender switching. The binary is being broken down. I wonder where that will leave previous generations who have taken a different approach in asserting their lifestyle choices?