Gender bender: what is it and how does it transgress gender roles?

There are many people who break gender stereotypes through their aesthetics and behavior.

David Bowie, Lady Gaga, Prince... all of them are or were great professionals highly recognized worldwide for the quality of their songs. Likewise, they were also seen as eccentric due to their wardrobe or their pursuit of an androgynous appearance. They have the characteristics of gender bender people, a concept we are going to talk about.a concept that we are going to talk about in this article.

Gender bender: what is it?

The term of gender bender makes reference to that person which is revealed against the roles and stereotypes of gender and the binary system that these establish, being this rupture to show them.and this break with them is actively shown to the public.

The manifestation of such rebelliousness towards gender roles can be carried out in countless ways. One of the most common is to display roles and behaviors attributed by gender roles to the opposite sex. Another (and probably the most outwardly visible) way is to the use of a wardrobe or appearance that is either associated with the other sex or employs elements of both, achieving an androgynous look.androgynous look is achieved in the latter case. It is also common for both forms of expression to occur, such as drag queens or drag kings.

The gender bender may be trying to generate with his behavior a social change, as a movement or activism. However, it is important to keep in mind that gender bending does not have to be a radical activist stance, and can be merely a form of self-expression or even exploration to forge one's own identity independent of the opinion of others.

Gender bending as a social movement

Although not in all occasions, gender bending (being the trend itself and the gender bender the person who practices it) can be understood as a form of movement and social activism. a form of social movement and activism.

In this sense, it would be a protest against gender roles, excessively restricted and tending to the exclusion of those who do not circumscribe to them. It would be expressing a greater desire for freedom to be just as one wants to be, being able to be and express oneself freely without being constrained by patterns not chosen by oneself and without being discriminated against or socially criticized.

This activism usually acts in a vindictive but peaceful manner, sometimes using parody and theatricality to express the artificiality of the construct to express the artificiality of the gender construct. As we have indicated, elements associated with the other gender are usually used, although non-gender and androgeneity or the mixture of characteristics linked to each of the genders can also be sought.

It should also be taken into account that this type of activism occurs in societies with a binary system and gender roles like ours, but not in other cultures that even recognize a third sex or identity in a traditional way.

Differentiation from other concepts

Although gender bending is a type of reaction to gender stereotypes that is associated with the population of the is associated with the LGTBI populationThe gender bending concept is a type of reaction to gender stereotypes that is associated with the LGTBI population, due to the fact that this group has had to fight against discrimination and defends the right to sexual and identity freedom, but in reality it covers and is aimed at the entire population.

In fact, this relationship often leads to the identification of gender bending with other concepts that, although in some cases may have some connection, it would be incorrect to consider them as synonyms.

Confusion with sexual orientation

In the first place, gender bending should be considered as a reaction to stereotypes of sexual orientation. a reaction to gender stereotypesThis is independent of the sexual orientation of the person in question. Sexual orientation marks the sexual preference and attraction towards people of a certain sex.

Thus, although socially it has been considered linked to homosexuality or bisexuality, the truth is that a gender bender can have any type of sexual orientation, being in fact many of them heterosexual. Conversely, any person, regardless of their orientation, can follow or fulfill gender roles.

2. Transsexuality

Another aspect, with which in fact it is often identified when selling bender, is transsexuality. But here too, however, the the identification between the two concepts is not correct.

Transsexuality implies the presence of an identification with a sex that is not the one given to us by birth, not necessarily implying a rejection of gender roles (although most transsexuals have to face stigmas linked to these).

Likewise, gender bending does not necessarily imply feeling in the wrong body..

3. Transvestism: not always a means of gender bender expression

Finally, there is the concept of transvestism, perhaps the most socially linked to gender bender. It is true that one of the ways to express the rejection of gender roles and stereotypes is through the use of clothing, accessories and makeup linked to the opposite sex, or to mix styles typically considered male and female.

However, not all people who cross-dress do it as a sign of social activism or to break with stereotypes. can show their break with gender roles in other ways beyond their clothing (e.g. behaviorally). (e.g. at the behavioral level).

Appearance in multiple contexts

We have started this would be talking about different singers who have marked and been relevant in the collective imagination and who on more than one occasion have used androgynous looks as a mode of expression.

This is due to the fact that the world of music in general generates figures and icons easily recognizable by all. by everyone. But the gender bender does not only exist in this field: actors and actresses, writers or playwrights have introduced or represented this dispute or break with gender stereotypes.

In any case, it is worth noting that, partly due to the poor social consideration that until a few years ago, many people of this group have not been able to freely express their way of seeing themselves, in addition to being often the only ones who have been able to freely express their own way of seeing themselves. themselves, in addition to being often ignored, marginalized and even persecuted..

Although gender bending as a movement did not begin until the sixties, this does not mean that the concept behind it is not something that has been talked about for centuries.

And not only in reality, but also in many works of fiction can be seen cases of gender bending. It is said that even Shakespeare introduced in many of his characters some mention of gender stereotypes or roles or acting in a manner attributed to the opposite sex.

Bibliographical references:

• Butler, J. (1988). Performative Acts and Gender Construction: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory (PDF).
• Butler, J. (2006). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. 1st Edition. Routledge Classics.
• Lonc, C. (1974). Genderfuck and Its Delights. Gay Sunshine, 21.