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It is almost comical to me that whenever we have a discussion in class something pops up about it in my life elsewhere. We were discussing the idea of gender and how it is a cultural construct. The other night I was watching the show "The Riches", which is wonderful btw, and one of the sons on the show enjoys wearing female shoes and a clip in his hair some of the time, but also likes wearing male clothes the other part of the time (I know there aren't "male" and "female" items per se, but I have to use the cultural constructs in my explaination). Anyways, his family is generally supportive, though when they have to go look at schools or go somewhere important they make him change into "normal" little boy clothes. At one point he and his mother are talking and she tells him that soon he is going to have to choose between being a little boy or being a little girl. He was really confused and didn't understand why he couldn't just be both and she told him that society wouldn't accept him if he didn't just choose. She went on to explain that she would accept him any way he was and with whatever choice he made. I must commend the show for even attempting to portray such a controvercial topic. It did bring an issue to light that is often overlooked by society. But it also made me wonder why do we have such rigid gender constructs? Do you think they are going to widen over time or just become more rigid?

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Erin Nevitt


Wed Apr 18, 2007 12:29 am
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I'm glad you mentioned this. I was completely unfamiliar with the show before your mention of it.

I think, as with all things that are socially constructed, we can slowly work our way toward a very different way of being.

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Gayle Turner


Thu Apr 19, 2007 12:15 pm
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That episode in general shows that we are slowly progressing. I can only think of a handful of televison programs that have shown that gender differentiation is not some mental process that one makes up as an adult, but rather you are born that way as a child. Great show by the way.

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Robert Chase Glenn


Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:17 pm
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