Scapegoating of femininity?

[Nero]

Okay. I know I have a lot of time on my hands, obviously... but
I've read just a bit of Julia Serano, and I'm exploring the 'scapegoating of femininity'.
So...
In what ways is femininity scapegoated?
Why is femininity scapegoated?
What are possible reasons femininity is scapegoated?

I'm not at all well acquainted with gender studies, but humour me.

[melissa90299]

I just finished the book, you can read the first few pages here, you will probably want to read the book, it is excellent.


Source

"This scapegoating of those who express femininity can be seen not only in the male-centered mainstream, but in the queer community, where 'effeminate' gay men have been accused of holding back the gay rights movement, and where femme dykes have been accused of being the 'Uncle Toms' of the lesbian movement. Even many feminists buy into traditionally sexist notions about femininity."

[Shana A]

I've been reading Julia's book, I'm at around 100 pages so far. Her analysis and breakdown of all the aspects of sexism, transphobia, trans misogyny, scapegoating, etc are absolutely brilliant! I think this is a must read for anyone in the transgender community. We've all internalized aspects of negative societal attitudes against transpeople, and need to discard these off to be completely and truly ourselves.

At the moment I'm particularly fascinated by the section in which she states that the binary system isn't necessarily the problem, but instead the strict adherence to certain behaviors as masculine or feminine. As someone who identifies as a gender outside the binary, I'm finding her interpretation to be very empowering of being who I am.

zythyra

[melissa90299]

It absolutely is brilliant and a must read for all transpeople and feminists. Serano's book made me realize that I don't have a gender problem at all. But those who don't get it have the problem.

Some may have noticed that I correct the term "opposite sex" every time it is used here. There is no such thing as opposite sex. Everyone has male and female traits.

Yes, the book made me feel empowered as well. I checked the book out from the library but will have to buy a copy. I can't wait for her next book especially when she writes about her post-op experiences. (Ms Serano is currently pre-op)

[Shana A]

It absolutely is brilliant and a must read for all transpeople and feminists. Serano's book made me realize that I don't have a gender problem at all. But those who don't get it have the problem.

Some may have noticed that I correct the term "opposite sex" every time it is used here. There is no such thing as opposite sex. Everyone has male and female traits.

Yes, the book made me feel empowered as well. I checked the book out from the library but will have to buy a copy. I can't wait for her next book especially when she writes about her post-op experiences. (Ms Serano is currently pre-op)

I live in a rural New England town, my local library didn't have it  I was happy to buy it though, I'm sure I'll want to reread various chapters.

I've always believed that I wasn't the one with a gender problem, it's society that has the problem. Still, I have to live in society, otherwise hide in my hermit cave. Ms Serano articulates the issues quite eloquently and with multiple points to back up her statements. I'm gaining deeper understanding with each chapter.

It's really good to see discussion of this book here. I'd been thinking of starting a thread about it when I finished the book.

zythyra

[Renate]

Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity (2007) - Julia Serano * Amazon * WorldCat

It's one of my all-time favorite books.
The essay about why she might choose an MTF as a partner brought tears to my eyes.

Ask a librarian about Inter-Library Loan if your library doesn't have it.

Renate

[Veronica Secret]

I just finished it. Brilliant!

[Schala]

I've read a bit over half, and I'll have to say I agree with a lot of what she has to say. I'll admit I bought her book both for the raving reviews about how great the presentation of the topic was - and the promise of a rebuke to MWMF-like policies (I post on their board) as I find it's almost impossible not to get flamed, even knowing what you're saying, if you defend trans or intersex women assigned male at birth. Let's say it's a bit of a self-defense and maybe I could help others with that knowledge as well.

[ChloeDharma]

I'm bumping this up because i have this book (i've not finished reading it yet though) and wanted to bring it to more peoples attention.

I particularly relate to the description of transwomen who "pass" as wolves in sheeps clothing. It's quite depressing to know that rather than just accept you as you, once people know they will often see your appearance and presentation as synthetic or some kind of illusion and not the "real" you.

[Tanya W]

I too have read and benefited from 'Whipping Girl'. It can be a dense read, but taken slowly and in moderation, many of Serano's insights have been profoundly helpful for me. I believe, in fact, this was the first book in which found myself actually 'recognizing' myself in what was being offered. A milestone!

The scapegoating of femininity thread she returns to again and again was particularly resonant. What does this term mean? One could also, I believe, use the words, 'denigration of femininity' and it is a phenomena I have truly struggled with.

I will for instance, be out with a group of cis-women. The context is not particularly significant. When a relatively/conventionally 'feminine' (and I use this term in quotes, with a grain of salt) woman comes into the situation, she is often quietly - and not so quietly - denigrated by this group. 'Look at that dress!' 'Why is she wearing heels?' 'It's demeaning to wear makeup' and so on... When, on the other hand, a relatively/conventionally masculine (but not too masculine!) woman appears - 'Good on her for that haircut!' 'You can tell she doesn't buy into all that feminine crap!' and so on...

This, to my mind, is one example of scapegoating/denigrating femininity. It is yet another way of elevating what we view as 'masculine' and putting down that considered 'feminine'. And far from being limited to the cis-women I have spent time with, this is a societal phenomena - men and women, old and young, straight and queer. One woman I know, for example, get's a lot of flack for being a 'femme' lesbian. 'People tell me I am letting the tribe down!' she reports.

I mentioned earlier this is a dynamic I so struggle with. How so? I sit there silent as this sort of thing unfolds feeling ashamed in a double edged way - first for wanting to be a woman in the first place, second for wanting to be that sort of woman! Bad enough I want to let my tribe down in this way, but to then lean toward heels and dresses and well done hair? I sit there silent, as I said, slowly shrinking inside that I cannot even get this right.

Serano's insights have been so helpful to me - both in helping me see a bit more clearly the social values this culture holds and in helping me understand how these values affect my own experience of self.

What can I say? I'm a fan!   

[Kaelin]

Disclaimer: I haven't read these books, but here's an idea that may pertain to this topic.

Many efforts to bring women on par with men in society's institutions come more from women becoming more "masculine" rather than men and women embracing characteristics according to their merit.  It corresponds to a society where "masculinity" remains the default higher-status expression/behavior, regardless of its prudence, and femininity is to be ridiculed in men and as looked upon as quaint in women.  The trend isn't purely in this direction, and quite often values that perhaps aren't so "masculine" are dressed up in masculinity to make them more "appealing" (sometimes even as caricature as a wink/nod).  This isn't to say that men really win out either in general, because while they tend to have the greatest successes (run nearly all the biggest businesses and hold most of the political offices), they tend to have more of the failures (dropping out of high school, living on the streets, ending up in the criminal system).

The whole thing's pretty male-centric.

[Tanya W]

Many efforts to bring women on par with men in society's institutions come more from women becoming more "masculine" rather than men and women embracing characteristics according to their merit.  It corresponds to a society where "masculinity" remains the default higher-status expression/behavior, regardless of its prudence, and femininity is to be ridiculed in men and as looked upon as quaint in women.

This is a nicely worded passage - and very right on, in my opinion. I especially like the notion of 'men and women embracing characteristics according to their merit.' As a trans person who finds myself somewhere on a gender spectrum as opposed to allied with one or another gender poles, they have tremendous resonance. This seems my life task, after all, to embrace characteristics according to their appropriateness at given times and situations.

And yes, the whole thing is very male-centric. Even the either/or mindset that pits masculine and feminine against one another rises from this perspective - one of hierarchy, dominance, and relative valuation..