When I read the excerpt “Beyond the Gender Binary” by Alok Vaid-Menon, it reminded me of a Disney movie called “The Greatest Showman.” This movie tells a story about the uprising of a man name P.T Barnum who’s basically lived in poverty his whole life, especially when he got older and had his own family. Yet, even though his family was happy, he always craved more. He first opens a museum, but it does not work out, turning it into a circus filled with “freaked” performers—one of these performer’s names is Lettie Lutz, the bearded lady. She is one of many characters in the film that portrays a voice about her rejection and being shunned by society. According to Alok, “It’s almost as if they move their definitions precisely to exclude us. We are both too much and never enough. We are always made out to be the problem. But maybe we aren’t the problem; maybe the whole gender system.” (Alok, 26-27) It brings light to the idea of abnormalities or even our sense of creativity that is never rewarded that makes us feel ashamed but must be embraced because the system of conformity will never reward it.

The snapshot that I am responding to is Genawang’s post. Gender is only separated into two categories, boy and girl. This is where the true problem lies because it is either one or the other. From the moment someone is born, and the gender is identified, there is already a division of what clothes they should wear, room decorations, and toys they should play with. It’s never a neutral movement where we let children and even adults explore and adapt to these different areas of genders. As you get older and become an adult, things would be easier, but they aren’t. It is harder because our jobs define how powerful we are, the way we dress, hobbies, and even the sports we play define our femininity and masculinity. It continues to push this idea of authority and what’s wrong with us. When people see things out of their comfort zone or even things they would normally see in their bubble or society, they pinpoint the negative and not the positive. It is lit up by fear that comes from the awareness of people’s decisions and flexibility to create diverse areas in gender.

When I was growing up, my mom and I always had a rough relationship because I wasn’t girly enough for her. I was one of these girls that liked to dress up with sneakers. You could always find me with a nice blouse and sneakers. Even when I did dress up in a dress or even a skirt, I wasn’t allowed to be myself because I wasn’t sitting ladylike or it wasn’t appropriate to play with boys my age. There was always a comparison between my cousin and me because she was very feminine compared to me. It was easier for her to get love and support from my mother than it was for me because I was a tomboy sometimes.

MeiQi Chen really drew out the main points of Bell Hooks, the author of “Feminist Politics: Where we stand.” Feminist Politics really discusses the breakdown of what feminism really is and what is the cause of it. Yet this author discusses the true predators of these women who advocate for their rights against the sexist. The author really emphasizes the issues of race, economic status, even sex. Sometimes, when we automatically think about feminism, we think about men harassing women or dominating men; they can be seen as angry women who despise men. But one’s own gender can be as cruel. I think, coming from my own personal experience, it’s always been a struggle to uphold power over men and still have those men respect you still. I played basketball in high school, and when you play a sport, guys tend to respect you in some shape or form, especially if you are good at it. Yet guys can feel intimidated by that because your better at something they are supposed to be dominant in, or they use terms like “you need to be more girly because it is not attractive anymore.” Even with my own sex, balancing the judgments and respect seems hard because females can disrespect another female just as badly as men do. Everyone has their own personality or characteristics that don’t uphold the male or female stereotypes. I think it’s hard to clearly see the lines of what you can and can’t be doing. There is so much uncertainty. Another big concept in this article about becoming a feminist is that they are created, not born. Being able to change one’s self begins the awakening of one our surroundings and perception. According to Hooks, “In many groups, a policy was in place which honored everyone’s voice.” (Hooks, 9) Communication is the key to valuing and discussing the true ideas of the unfair cruel treatment of any gender. A feminist can include people from different ranges of race, economic status, sexual orientation, or just any type of background. As a feminist, they can understand and breakdown the world for what can develop instead picking at the what it is. Recognizing that everyone has different needs and opportunities will create a well-desired outcome instead of trying to make everyone have the same amount of opportunities when everyone has different needs.