Seidman discusses that sex and sexuality are simply biological, we are born the way that we are. Something that I found interesting that Seidman talks about is that are our identities are made to make a contrast. The example that he uses is the label woman which is made to contrast man. It is someone who does not show masculine traits. He says that if they do they still might be considered good women if she were straight. This is interesting because we are the ones that make the label to make us feel comfortable. People tend to relate to what gender is and what sexuality is. If you are a boy and do what people seem as ‘feminine’ then people assume that you are gay. That is because we as a society have made the sex male, associated with certain characteristics. …show more content…
He explains that the male sexuality is tied to physical sensations and the idea of what identity is. We see sexuality as part of our identity and that is why we want to put labels on it. We often associate what it is to be a man with certain qualities and if people don't fit into those they think that they are not a 'real man'. Stoltenberg says that we shouldn't focus on those things because there is no male sex, that is something that was created by society. Which I find interesting because yes we separate people based on what is between there legs and we place a certain expectation on how they should act but can we still say there is no male sex. Even though the expectation that society has put on the male sex on how to act should happen, they can act the way they want, should we take off that
He proposed a theory that people are different from one another, yet they strive to be the same. People have the desire to “fit in” or be “normal. This subconscious yearning to be like others causes people to betray their natural nature and to be untrue to their selves. What one considers the norm, pertaining to sex, another might not. Since the topic is rarely discussed, the idea of “normal” in society is ultimately a guess. We should not disregard our natural behaviors as humans to please others or to be accepted into a society or a culture. We have the freedom to make our own sexual decisions and possess our own values. This being said, it should be accepted and “normal” to express ourselves how we would like to without a second thought of what is important to
" That he speaks of homosexuals and heterosexuals is secondary to his idea that all men deserve to live openly, which involves expressing emotions. Men expressing themselves emotionally can be seen in plenty of other places. If one listens to the radio, they are bound to hear a number of songs about sex, and probably an equal number about love or other emotions. All sung by males. The same is true of other mediums of pop culture, such as movies and television.
In conclusion, what I learned from this article is that sex is much more complicated then I could have believed it to be. This article made me aware of many conflicts, issues, and disagreements that go along with what is or isn’t sex, and how there is no clear way to say, it’s really just a matter of opinion. For lesbians the simple use of a finger is enough, for gay men its anal sex. For some sex is innate and instinctive, while others believe it is learned. For some it’s based on love and pleasure, while for others it’s about domination. I highly doubt that there is anyone in this world that could come up with a universal meaning to sex which would please all parties. It is my conclusion that there is no right or wrong definition of sex; it is whatever
Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.
The text "Dueling Dualism" by Anne Fausto-Sterling claim is that sex and gender are constructed. Scientist construct gender and sex through their research and studies and this creates the way society views sex and gender. Sterling writes, "... human sexuality created by scholars in general and by biologists, in particular, are one component of political, social, and moral struggles about our cultures... At the same time... incorporated into our very physiological being... Biologists...in turn refashion our cultural environment"(Sterling,5). Sterling, sure enough, realizes how sexuality is viewed by biologist but also how it can change the perspectives of sexuality in a society. Biologist have "refashion our cultural environment" and are reshaping
Sex and gender make up one of the most basic functions in our society. Gender helps delineate tasks and how we refer to people, and is reinforced for us throughout our lives (Lorber 2006). Gender interacts with sex in varying ways (Disch 2006). Those who are not strictly heterosexual male or female are not readily accepted and face adversity as they bend gender and defy sex.
In reality, gender is not based on one’s genetic make-up or their reproductive organs. Expanding on this, an individual does not have any control over their assigned gender, but everyone has a gender identity, which is one’s internal sense of being male or female. From a sociocultural perspective, gender roles have the greatest influence on gender as a social construction. Gender roles are the attitudes, behaviors, rights, and responsibilities that particular cultural groups associate with each sex. In regards to gender, the social construction theory acknowledges the connection the topic has with power and meaning, and states that social interaction, or “language” controls how these things are portrayed to individuals. Similarly, sexuality is socially constructed in a sense that, one’s sexual orientation depends on what they are taught to be “socially acceptable”. For example, a person who is raised by homophobic parents would most likely be taught that every aspect of homosexuality is wrong, and therefore they would be influenced to be heterosexual. While many would like to believe that people are born with their sexual orientation, that is far from the truth. All in all, when looking at the big picture, it is clear that race, gender,
Ward (2014) says, “STR8 dudes view “gay” as a chosen identity that is not particularly linked to who is having sex, or what sexual acts are involved”. She concludes that we shouldn’t categorize so quickly and take each situation for what they are. “ Some men like to have sex with other men in the bathrooms of gay bars after dancing to techno music, others like to have sex while watching straight porn and talking about bitches”(Ward,2014). This reading is definitely sex positive because Ward (2014) does not believe it’s easy to determine what are straight and gay practices, instead she suggests that society views them as sociocultural categories. A basic concept sex positive has is there is no such
His theory as to why homosexuality is abnormal (because of humans misusing their body parts) may propose a weak argument at first; however he supports this aspect of his argument by giving an example unrelated to human sexuality. His example involves the use of our teeth, although we may not realize it, those who do not have teeth usually don’t enjoy consuming all of their food through a straw.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Gender theorists argue that gender is a social construct not a biological or genetic characteristics. There has been no agreed universal way to be a man or a woman. Scientists have argued that our ways of defining gender is shaped by social cues and influences. Gender is a label in society that also decides the behaviors about what it means to be either a male or female, and is often regarded in terms of masculine or feminine, respectively. David Gilmore, the author of “Manhood in the Making” (1991), sees internalized gender ideologies as collective representations that pressure men and women into acting in certain ways. These pressures are always present in society; however, they differ in the amount of intensity there is in the differences
Wilton, Tamsin. "Which One's the Man? The Heterosexualisation of Lesbain Sex." Gender, Sex, and Sexuality. New York: Oxford University, 2009. 157-70. Print.
In today’s society things are being expressed and experienced at younger ages, than ever before in our time. Children and teenagers are discovering their sexuality at very early ages. Sexuality is the discovering of who you are and what makes you different from everybody else.
Sex and gender are terms that are mixed up from day to day and seen as similarities rather than differences. Sex is what distinguishes people from being either male or female. It is the natural or biological variations between males and females (Browne, 1998). Some of these variations are genitals, body hair and internal and external organs. It is the make-up of chromosomes, men have one X and one Y chromosome and women have two X chromosomes, these are responsible for primary characteristics (Fulcher and Scott, 2003). Gender on the other hand refers to the sociological differences between male and female. This is teaching males and females to behave in various ways due to socialisation (Browne, 1998). Example: masculinity and femininity. Girls are supposed to show their femininity by being non-competitive, sensitive, dependent, attractive and placid. If and when some girls don’t succeed in keeping this image they will be referred to as a tomboy. On the other hand, boys show their masculinity through aggression, physical strength...
Gender and sexuality can be comprehended through social science. Social science is “the study of human society and of individual relationships in and to society” (free dictionary, 2009). The study of social science deals with different aspects of society such as politics, economics, and the social aspects of society. Gender identity is closely interlinked with social science as it is based on an identity of an individual in the society. Sexuality is “the condition of being characterized and distinguished by sex” (free dictionary, 2009). There are different gender identities such as male, female, gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual that exists all around the world. There is inequality in gender identities and dominance of a male regardless of which sexuality they fall under. The males are superior over the females and gays superior over the lesbians, however it different depending on the place and circumstances. This paper will look at the gender roles and stereotypes, social policy, and homosexuality from a modern and a traditional society perspective. The three different areas will be compared by the two different societies to understand how much changes has occurred and whether or not anything has really changed. In general a traditional society is more conservative where as a modern society is fundamentally liberal. This is to say that a traditional society lists certain roles depending on the gender and there are stereotypes that are connected with the genders. One must obey the one that is dominant and make decisions. On the other hand, a modern society is lenient, It accepts the individual’s identity and sexuality. There is no inequality and everyone in the society is to be seen as individuals not a part of a family unit...
‘Male Sexuality’ can be defined as an inclusion of ‘sexual identity, sexual health, sexual expression and individual choice’ (first reference). In addition to these attributes, one would also define ‘male sexuality’ as the masculine traits that males acquire or inherit from different environments, attributes that are given to them from their sex (biological) alone, and ones that they achieve through their own norms and values. In film, and recent film in particular; male sexuality as different types of masculinity is presented to us in many different forms and ways, dependent on the narrative of the film. Men, unlike women, often shy away from their emotions in film; due to the nature of their sexuality and the environment they are in, thus