Reading Analysis #7: Authority and Ideals- Lived Experiences

The readings that were assigned for the week looked at the broad topic of “Authority and Ideals”, with a more narrowed focus on “Lived Experiences”. Each article that was assigned pertained to the topic of “Lived Experiences”, however, each article had different focuses relating to lived experiences, such as gender and sexuality issues in primary schools, the topic of cosmetic surgery and how it is linked with health and gender, and finally, queer subculture in Winnipeg and its influence on the individual and society.

In Anika Stafford’s article, “‘I Feel Like a Girl Inside’: Possibilities for Gender and Sexual Diversity in Early Primary School”, she discusses children who accept and follow gender and sexuality norms, and “children who fail to live up to gender and sexuality norms run the risk of being labeled as somehow flawed and thus end up being socially isolated”[1]. Many children of primary school age were taught to differentiate between gendered roles and ideas, and there is also a main focus on homophobia and addressing this “issue” in classrooms. “Studies of primary schools have examined how gender norms in elementary education recapitulate male control: the threat of becoming ‘like a girl’ is used as a weapon against boys, signifying a loss of power, while the label ‘tomboy’ can be a point of pride for girls, accepted without risk of losing status to peers”[2]. “Throughout Canada’s public education history, gender and sexuality norms have been institutionally ingrained… [and] current anxieties regarding the plight of boys in public schools fail to acknowledge that such challenges stem not from feminism but, rather, from rigidly set standards of behaviour that have been in place”[3]. These gender and sexuality norms and “rules” in schools, socially constructed what boys and girls were supposed to act like and be portrayed as in society. “Even if a variety of genders and sexualities were accepted as part of everyday discussion in schools and were integrated into everyday classroom life, issues of homophobia and transphobia would still exist within the larger culture”[4]. Gender and sexuality made up a big part of the lives of young children in schools, they impacted and influenced their lives, and were integrated into the lived experiences of them. This article added to the topic of gender as well as giving us a better understanding of lived experiences and the issues of homophobia and gender and sexuality norms. In addition to this, this article gives us more information on the history of Canada in this time and how this topic was prominent in this time.

To continue, Tracy Penny Light’s article, “From Fixing to Enhancing Bodies: Shifting Ideals of Health and Gender on the Medical Discourse on Cosmetic Surgery in Twentieth-Century Canada”, she talks about cosmetic surgery and how this reflects shifting ideas of what is health and gender. It is noted that “our society places a great deal of emphasis on two things- a certain level of physical conformity, and youth”[5], and cosmetic surgery would be able to succeed in helping people achieve those two things. Cosmetic surgery links both to health and gender, and states that “the history of cosmetic surgery is linked not only to the history of medicine in general and to surgery in particular, but also to the history of identity formation for women and men”[6]. It is evident to see that cosmetic surgery was a way for an individual to change their appearance, to transform and restore their body into the ideal of both healthy body standards and gender norms. “Given the constructions of masculine and feminine citizenship, doctors were interested in finding ways to ensure that both men and women were healthy so that they could perform appropriately in society”[7]. Cosmetic surgery was used for many reasons including, fixing abnormalities and the opposite of healthy bodies, and fixing and enhancing bodies due to making the appearance of the person more appealing and accepted in society. Overall, cosmetic surgery attempted to “normalize” the person in both health and gender roles. This article gives us a better understanding of health and gender with the topic of cosmetic surgery. It allowed us to link health and gender to surgical procedures and to see the relationship between them. In addition to this, this article on cosmetic surgery gives us a better understanding as well as an example of lived experiences in Canadian history.

Lastly, in Valerie Korinek’s article, “‘We’re the girls of the pansy parade’: Historicizing Winnipeg’s Queer Subcultures, 1930s-1970”, she looks at the “queer” populated parts of Winnipeg. It is noted that, “first the [queer] subculture became larger and increasingly visible as more men found [queer] venues and as the lesbian presence became visible in the 1950s… Secondly, this era would witness a transformation as queer subcultural practices receded into the background and gay and lesbian communities emerged”[8]. In addition to this, some people were “no longer content merely to participate in a range of queer activities, [but] increasing numbers of Winnipeg residents began to identify themselves, personally as to other, as gay or lesbian”[9]. This coming out and portrayal of their gendered identities influenced this era in Canadian history. It states in the article that, “the adoption and use of those labels, as well as the later establishment of organizations and social venues explicitly for gay and lesbian Winnipeggers, politically transformed social and gender relations”[10]. It is evident to see that gender and sexuality decisions were quite prominent in this time, and which were feared due to the socially constructed terms of gay and lesbian, as well as, not being able to fulfill the role of their perceived gender. This topic of queer subculture and how different it was compared to the current society give us a better understanding of gender and its influences on the individual and society’s view of the person. In addition to this, it connects to our overall topic of lived experiences, which allows us to further grasp this concept that we will be discussing. Not only does this article give us information about gender and lived experiences but also information on Canadian history in this period.

All three articles discussed the topic of lived experiences. The first article looked at gender and sexuality issues in primary schools and how this relates to homophobia and gendered roles and norms. The second article discussed cosmetic surgery and how it helps to fix and enhance the body and how it links to healthy bodies and gender. Finally, the third article talked about queer subculture in Winnipeg and how it relates to coming out and labeling oneself as gay or lesbian, and how this influences the individual and society. These articles discuss similar topics, but also different, however, they all related back to the main topic of lived experiences and give us a better understanding of gender and health in Canadian history.

 

Endnotes:

[1] Anika Stafford, “‘I Feel Like a Girl Inside’: Possibilities for Gender and Sexual Diversity in Early Primary School,” BC Studies, No. 189 (Spring 2016): 10.

[2] Ibid., 12.

[3] Ibid., 29.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Tracy Penny Light, “From Fixing to Enhancing Bodies: Shifting Ideals of Health and Gender in the Medical Discourse on Cosmetic Surgery in Twentieth-Century Canada,” in Penny Light, et al. Bodily Subjects: Essays on Gender and Health, 1800-2000, Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2015: 319.

[6] Ibid., 320.

[7] Ibid., 324.

[8] Valerie Korinek, “‘We’re the girl’s of the pansy parade’: Historicizing Winnipeg’s Queer Subcultures, 1930s-1970,” Histoire Sociale/Social History, Vol. 45, No. 89 (May 2012): 119.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

 

Bibliography:

Korinek, Valerie. “‘We’re the girl’s of the pansy parade’: Historicizing Winnipeg’s Queer Subcultures, 1930s-1970.” Histoire Sociale/Social History, Vol. 45, No. 89 (May 2012): 117-155.

Penny Light, Tracy. “From Fixing to Enhancing Bodies: Shifting Ideals of Health and Gender in the Medical Discourse on Cosmetic Surgery in Twentieth-Century Canada.” In Penny Light, et al. Bodily Subjects: Essays on Gender and Health, 1800-2000. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2015: 319-346.

Stafford, Anika. “‘I Feel Like a Girl Inside’: Possibilities for Gender and Sexual Diversity in Early Primary School.” BC Studies, No. 189 (Spring 2016): 9-29.

 

Reflection:

I decided to incorporate this reading analysis into my ePortfolio because it looked at some of the points of my main argument of this ePortfolio. This reading analysis discussed experts who focused on health and gender amongst children, but mainly looked at what is the proper gender for the sex you are. In addition to this, this reading analysis also looked at cosmetic surgery which greatly focuses on medical experts and their opinions. The experts in this example are able to use their opinions and expertise to fix someone for either health reasons or personal reasons of the individual. This reading analysis touches on the topic of medical experts and helps me to show how influential they are, which is used as evidence for my main argument of my ePortfolio.