To redefine something means to reexamine or reevaluate especially with a view to change. In the case of Janet Mock she is redefining the beliefs of transgender women. She is staying away from society's belief and judgments about what's real and accepted versus what's not. The question of “realness” is the main theme of the memoir by Janet Mock. “To embody ''realness," rather than performing and competing "realness" enables trans women to enter spaces with a lower risk of being rebutted or questioned, policed or attacked. "Realness" is a pathway to survival, and the heaviness of these truths were a lot for a thirteen-year-old to carry" (116). Over time, for Janet being “real” means living in her truth, participating in loving relationships, …show more content…
Redefining realness by Janet Mock is a memoir in which Janet discusses essential aspects about her life and her path to womanhood. “I felt I had endured enough. From some cavernous place, I reached inside myself and grabbed the courage to take a long trip back to a place I never thought I’d revisit” (Mock 11). A young Hawaiian girl by the name Marilyn who Mock …show more content…
"Gender is such a familiar part of daily life that it usually takes a deliberate disruption of our expectations of how women and men are supposed to act to pay attention to how it is produced"(The Social Construction of Gender 65). This tells us that once someone does something out of the "norm" then we start to conceive ideas of what gender is and how it is produced. Once something is done out of what we were taught and perceived to believe is right we then frown upon these actions. Our genitalia is often used as an indicator of which sex we belong to. The reading also talks about gender stratification and how it ranks men above women. Men are often seen or treated better and of more importance than women. Looking at most businesses men are the ones that are the head. Many women are not seen as capable of doing certain jobs or are not allowed to do certain jobs. I heard a statement before that stated that a women cannot run a country because she is more emotional and will make emotional decisions unlike
The past couple of decades has brought about huge changes in the way certain groups have been viewed in society, particularly women. In the book, Rubyfrtui Jungle by Rita Mae Brown, the main character, Molly Bolt, is a queer woman navigating her life. Molly Bolt isn’t ashamed to be queer or a woman despite the challenges she faces because of this. The novel tackles how both the LGBT community and women are treated due to their existence. The 1960s, probably around when Brown started writing her novel, was a huge explosion of activism.
In the story “Who Am I With Out Him?” by Sharon Flake, the narrator gave me a specific feeling that made me think that she was a real person. The way the narrator expressed her feelings made me feel she was telling them to me, she made me feel like I was on the same bus with her, when she chased a group of good girls till she got in a fight with Raheem. When the narrator got in the bus and saw that Raheem was kissing one of the good girls she started yelling “STOP THE BUS,STOP IT!” After all of that she still decides to stay with Raheem and pretend like she never saw anything.
She discusses misrepresentation with a list of “ten enlightened sexism…pretense of simple, depicting reality.” (198) which reinforces these pop culture into own ideals of what gender roles should be in our society.
The author Janet Mock discusses in her memoir “Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More” she explores many different positives and negatives about the body and how it is looked upon in society. Janet basically just gives us the story that made her the women she is today. Janet starts off her memoir describing a guy named Arron who she had met. Arron was so open to telling her everything about him, which then made her feel comfortable, but at the same time uncomfortable.
The Impact of Culture and Gender Roles Heather Richardson-Barker Drexel University Society has clearly defined boundaries between what is considered to be male or female. The development of an individual’s gender role is formed by interactions with those in close proximity. Society constantly tells us how we should look, act and live based on gender, as well as the influence of family, friends and the media have a tremendous impact on how these roles are formed and the expected behavior of each gender role. The term Gender, as defined by the United Nations, includes the psychological, social, cultural, and behavioral characteristics associated with being female or male. It further defines acceptable
Although miscegenation is not a new topic, the effects that this phenomenon has on people’s lives has been the source of inspiration for many literary works. “Miscegenation” by Natasha Trethewey is an autobiographical poem that expresses the difficulty that mixed-race people face in accepting their identity in a society that discriminates people who are different. That is, this poem expresses how racial discrimination can affect the identity of those people who do not identify as white or black. Besides, in this poem, Trethewey narrates her origin, as well as how her parents were victims of a society that did not accept their relationship. Therefore, the speaker starts by saying “In 1965 my parents broke two laws of Mississippi” (Trethewey 1); those two laws that broke the Trethewey’s parents were that they were married and had a daughter.
Instead of becoming what they really wanted to be, she meant” Rebecca Stead wrote
“ But who was I now-woman or man? I fought long and hard to be included as a woman amoung woman, but I had always felt so excluded by my differences. I hadn;t just believed passing would hide me. I hoped it would allow the part of myself that didn’t seem like a woman.
One will eventually come across the day where they are able to figure out who they truly are as a person. A discovery like this will lead to new chapters of life and start new beginnings. Although finding one 's identity can be difficult to understand and accept, it is crucial in life to discover oneself. In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, a teenage girl, who had to overcome and deal with an awful tragedy, takes readers on the long journey she walked before finding meaning and value in who she is as a person.
The movie “Real Women Have Curves” tells the story of Ana Garcia, a high school graduate on her way to pursuit the American dream. Ana lives in barrio in Eastern Los Angeles, she is a brilliant student whom teacher really admire. Although she wants to go to college, her family, especially her mother, Carmen, tells her not to. In her mother’s eyes, Ana is a spoiled child who only thinks of herself. As the movie rolls along, the conflict between Ana and Carmen grows larger and Carmen turns into Ana’s biggest obstacle in achieving her American dream.
I identified with her soul-shaking experience when she profoundly realized, “It is a strange feeling to grow up defining yourself as something when you don’t know if that something is actually true.” I struggled in an introductory composition course at Virginia State University (VSU), and after giving each assignment my all, still
Both the play Real Women Have Curves by Josefina Lopez and the movie adaptation make an attempt to communicate the message of female empowerment through their respective protagonists, Estela and Ana. Men resolve most of Ana’s problems, whereas Estela relies on herself and other women. The play conveys the theme of female empowerment because it is female-centric, successfully addresses the issues of body image, and focuses on women’s independence and self-validation. Lopez’s play serves as an example of what can happen when women uplift and depend on each other, as opposed to men.
Gender is something that is brought to the attention of people well before people are even brought into the world. Take for instance, when a woman finds out that she is pregnant and is about to have a child. The first question that that women is asked is “What are you having?” In doing this we are automatically emphasizing the importance of being able to identify whether or not to buy “boy” things or “girl” things. As a society we deem it important for each sex to practice a set of “norms” of how to behave via that sex.
Her willingness to confront the truth about her actions and accept responsibility for the consequences not only changes her perspective on life but also inspires others around her to be more honest and courageous in the face of adversity (McManus 253). By choosing to embrace authenticity and face the ramifications of her choices, Bronwyn evolves from being driven by external validation to someone guided by her principles and values. This transformation serves as a powerful reminder of the profound impact that secrets can have on one's personal development, and how embracing the truth, no matter how difficult, can lead to growth and self-discovery (McManus 281). Through her journey, Bronwyn becomes a symbol of resilience and authenticity, demonstrating that true personal growth lies in the courage to confront and address the secrets that shape our
In the article, “What Makes a Woman?” , American journalist, Elinor Burkett, addresses the topic of transgender females and natural females, along with their contrasting views. The article argues that transgender women can not transition and automatically generalize the entire female population. The purpose is to show that there is more to a woman than just her physical anatomy which is accomplished by Burkett. The rhetorical feature that influences the audience the most is pathos, such as when she talks about the struggles of changing from a young lady into a woman, and how a transgender can never truly understand this transformation.