How do various societies construct gender identities,sexual practices and gendered bodies - Essay Example

How Various Societies Construct Gender Identity, Sexual Practices and Gendered Bodies Anthropologists are primarily concerned with finding solutions to human problems. They eventually have to create a body of knowledge so as to be better placed to tackle human problems and devise appropriate solutions. Anthropologists are usually trained in one of four areas, one of which is socio-cultural anthropology. This area of interest explores social patterns coupled with cultural practices. When one dives into the mechanics of society workings, certain features are common to each and every community. In connection to this, there also exist differences in characteristics, traditions and customs. This article will endeavor to expound on such differences, however, the focus will be on gender identities, sexual practices and gendered bodies. With this goal in mind, five articles will be analyzed so as to quench the thirst on these three factors. Analysis Gender identity is the classification of one as either male or female. It is how an individual sees himself or herself. It is the apparent manifestations that result from the personality of an individual. It has the ability to reflect on ones gender identity. Gender identity is self identified and results from intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Many at times gender identity can be confused with gender roles. The latter denotes behavior manifested by factors acquired through observation; this can be exemplified by behavior and appearance. Thus, the gender role is often an outward expression of a person’s gender identity. In order to grasp the concept of gender identity, definitions of related issues must be clarified and emphasized for understanding. In the physiological sense, there exists a clear distinction between sex and gender of an individual. The sex of an individual is the result of both anatomic and physiological constraints. It can be described as the genetic build of a person, which is predetermined by nature’s own forces. On the other hand, a person’s gender is in the broad sense, the conclusion arrived at by an individual when both gender identity and gender roles are intertwined and harmonized into one. It comes as a result of self expression of both gender roles and identity. Many physical sports are considered the bed play for men. As such, men view sports as a male’s only endeavor. This ought to be regarded as male chauvinism (Eugenides, n.p.). The American society best exemplifies this by aligning sports with the male sex. Society has accepted the notion that the brazen nature of male dominated sports is proof enough that it should not be associated with women in any sense. This stereotypical approach has also been adopted by advertisers. A close look at the transformation of the advertisement from a decade ago gives elaboration on this issue. Society has, since the dawn of time, associated sports with the consumption of alcohol. There apparently seems to be something about the adrenalin that comes out of watching contact sports that stimulate the consumption of alcohol. To give assumptions why this is the case will be to indulge into the creation of conjectures without content. As such, this writer will refrain from such endeavors such wild endeavors. Advertisements created in the 1950s to 1960s depicted the consumption of alcohol to be a non bias activity, meaning that both male and female population was expected to partake in it equally. However, as time goes by it has emerged that sports and alcohol is now synonymous with the male gender. This clear alienation of women from the picture is quite a fact that the American society has adopted. Since the 1970s, alcohol has been regarded as the end reward of a day’s work (Messner 484). Apparently, women never perform a hard day’s work since men are the only ones who are worthy of this reward. The American male population seems to source their gender identity from the consumption of alcohol and watching of contact sports. To cement this fact, the men have and are willing to rest their gender identity on these two practices. The enormous amount of advertisements that the beer and liquor firms produce annually are primarily targeted for the male populace. This seems to be a clear demonstration that society expects all male individuals to partake in the consumption of beer and liquor. Thus, men are expected to view themselves in this perspective. Thus, this becomes a source of their gender identity. Aside from how different societies shape the gender identities, there is also some variation in the sexual practices adopted by different societies. Some believe it unethical to engage in sexual activities that are not in line with male to female interaction. They view sex as an act to be engaged by one male and one female, anything else that does not adhere to this precise definition and expectations considered taboo and punishment, either physically or emotionally, should be administered to the offenders. However, other societies are not so strict on this natural act. They adopt a rather casual approach to sexual practices. This casual approach can be exemplified by the Nacirema. In the article “Ritualized Homosexuality in a Nacirema Subculture”, by Michael S. Kimmel, he cites a number of cultures that, like Nacirema, have adopted a casual approach to sexual acts. To find this cultures and subcultures odd will be limiting the mind by not appreciating the elements of diversity in the world. The recent legalization of gay marriages in the United States has elicited mixed reactions among the general public and people in power. This illustrates that the American society is unwilling to accept the existence of sexual diversity in their midst. The Nacirema subcultures are renowned for their brazen acts of homosexuality which is deep rooted in their culture. As a consequence of this, they regard women in low esteem as men become aware of heterosexuality once they get married. Prior to marriage, men spend their life time engaging in sexual acts with other men. The remarkable fact is that men do not view these acts as homosexual in any way. They give spurious justifications that cannot pass the eye of reason. The Nacirema is not alone in this context. In Papua New Guinea, there is a society that strangely believes that boys need and must ingest semen in order to grow. Thus, before maturing into teenage-hood, boys spend their time ingesting sperms from the older men in the society. As such, almost all men have had a homosexual experience that culminated into orgasm (Kimmel, 175). Strangely enough, the men do not view this interaction as a homosexual act. Just as with the Nacirema, here women are also regarded in low esteem. It appears that, in societies where men are allowed to have sex with other men, women have to take the back seat. Thus, the construction of sexual practices in such societies is made up of a combination of both homosexual and heterosexual interactions. Men and women are expected to build their bodies differently. This arises from different biological and psychological makeup that characterizes both genders. As such, different societies construct gendered bodies using a number of different avenues. It is the way a society expects its male and females to behave and conduct themselves. Take, for example, the Israeli society; every citizen is expected to pass through the military. Though, women are expected to serve a shorter period in the military as compared to men. The training they receive prepares them for the later years. Some often choose to stick to military life and pursue it as a lifelong career. Those who do are valued in high esteem in the society. This is exemplified in the article the Military as a Second Bar Mitzvah, when the author, Danny Kaplan researches the life of Nir, a gay soldier (Kaplan, 130). Though gay, his friends see him as “the man” owing to his military service. Nir is living according to society expectations of the ideal man. The military is playing a vital role in fashioning a gendered body out of him. This is irrespective of him being gay. The construction of gendered bodies results in admiration. Individuals who are able to fashion themselves in a way, become the center of attraction in their respective societies. This can best be exemplified in the article by Christa Salamandra, The Muhannad effect. She writes of Noor, a well built handsome actor who touched and melted the hearts of many Arab women. The actor epitomized the concept of gendered bodies; that was previously rarely seen. As such, his popularity and fame grew exponentially; a characteristic of individuals with gendered bodies. In the context of Noor, a gendered body entailed being athletic, beautiful and rich. This construction of gendered bodies is distinctively dissimilar to the mode via which Israelites construct gendered bodies. Conclusion Societies build themselves up in many different ways. As such, the cultures and traditions they choose to adopt cannot be hinged on what another society chooses. This distinct difference creates a diversity that should be embraced. It seems clear that societies use different means of constructing their gender identity, sexual practices and gendered bodies. Work Cited Eugenides, Jeffrey. Middlesex: A Novel. New York: Picador. 2003. Print. Kaplan, Danny. The Military as a Second Bar Mitzvah-Combat Service as Initiation to Zionist. N.d. Print. Masculinity. London: Oxford University Press Print. 2002. Print. Kimmel, Michael. Ritualized Homosexuality in a Nacirema Subculture. New York: Johns and Sons Publishers Print. 2005. Print. Messner, M. A., and M. De Oca. The Male Consumer as Loser: Beer and Liquor Ads in Mega Sports. Media Events Print. 2003. Print. Salamandra, Christa. The Muhannad Effect: Media Panic, Melodrama, and the Arab Female Gaze. City University of New York: Lehman College. 2000. Print. Read More