Gender and Sexual Studies - Essay Example

29 May Gender and sexual studies: Part Analysis of the character “Dexter” from a masculinity perspective: General consensus is that men are more criminogenic than women. This is just taken for granted and many studies of masculinities are based on this assumption. However, truth is that men who possess high level of masculinity and do not have socially acceptable outlets to release such high masculine power are more likely than other men to engage in violent crimes. The character of Dexter in the renowned show “Dexter” is very masculine. His build is typically shown as muscular, robust, and very tough. When he is consumed with the desire to take someone’s life and see the blood flowing out of someone’s body, he kills to assert his masculinity. Much research has been done to establish a connection between masculinity and crime. Some of the masculinity studies have shown that the factor of masculinity alone is not enough to predict the incidence or rate of violent crimes. Rather, as mentioned already, it is the combination of high masculinity and meagre acceptable options to assert masculinity which induce men to engage in violent incidents. Likewise, Dexter has a very fierce and relentless desire to kill people. However, he has no acceptable outlets to exercise his masculinity. Therefore, he lives a very secretive life to hide his real self from people around him. It is the combination, high masculinity and few acceptable outlets, which motivates Dexter to kill people in a highly discreet manner. Masculinity is considered a highly valuable construct to understand the nature of violence or crime. The tendency to resort to violence to solve conflicts is a central masculine trait. But, not all men have the same level of such masculine traits. For example, there are many other important male characters in the show Dexter aside from the main character, Dexter. However, only Dexter is shown to be exceedingly tough, brutal, and violent. Other men try to abide by the law, but Dexter due to his masculine identity uses violent tactics always. Another important thing worth mentioning here is that the reason men are likely to be more delinquent than women is because they are brought up that way. They are constantly fed male stereotypes like men should be rough and tough. They should not be afraid of anything and they should not cry ever. Likewise, if the character of Dexter is dissected, it can be clearly seen through the childhood flashbacks how his father continuously lays stress on Dexter to be rough and tough. He strongly advises him to always save himself without fearing anything. This is why Dexter always has a hard time releasing his feelings. If he had been taught that crying in highly stressful situations can help him feel normal, he might not have resorted to highly violent means to vent out his high masculinity as an adult. Analysis of the character “Dexter” from a radical feminist perspective: According to radical feminism, a dominant patriarchal system is to be blamed for female oppression in society. Men have control over women and so, the latter is manipulated by the former. If this perspective is applied on Dexter, it can be clearly appreciated how Dexter manipulates key women around him like his sister Debra, his wife Rita, and Lieutenant LaGuerta. There is no equality of genders in the show. For example, Debra is often consumed by this inferiority complex that her brother is smarter than her and in fact, she is always outsmarted by him. Dexter lures her into believing in other things even if she is right. Many times it is seen in the show that Debra has the right clue and is quite close to catching the real criminal because she is an intelligent woman. But, Dexter always attempts to distract Debra when she comes to him for advice to further his personal interests. He is manipulative and chivalrous in his dealing with women. When Lt. LaGuerta finally sees him for who he really is, a serial killer, he resorts to the option of oppressing her and getting her out of his way. In accordance with the philosophy of radical feminism, Dexter repeatedly attempts to bring LaGuerta down by setting up traps in her way. He does so because he has this blind confidence in himself that men can always control women and take their power away from them. This blind confidence is the result of a larger societal thinking which ensures the domination of patriarchy. According to the perspective of radical feminism, it is because of male domination in society that women have to deal with violence. In the same way, male dominance is to be blamed for the violence that LaGuerta suffers toward the end of the show. Dexter is a highly masculine dominant character. He is always seen using his dominance and chivalry to control women around him and make them act in ways which sit well with him. If a woman starts to act in a way which does not sit well with him like in case of LaGuerta, he thinks of brutal ways to get that woman out of his way. Debra also comes across as way inferior to Dexter in terms of intelligence and observation. Despite being highly intuitive and intelligent herself, she typically falls for his brother’s traps always. It is because of this highly masqueraded oppression that she has less confidence in herself and more confidence in his brother’s words. She always requires validation from Dexter instead of realizing her true potential. This is because of the way Dexter controls her due to male supremacy (Hodge). Part 2: Analysis of the character “Piper Chapman” from a masculinity perspective: Female masculinity seeks to explore what creates masculinity within individuals in society. For example, tomboy girls are known for exerting masculine qualities. Female masculinity studies attempt to show what constitutes masculinity within that girl. Now, Piper Chapman is a female character who is shown as the main anti-heroine in the show “Orange is the New Black.” She is seen performing masculinity when she attempts to carry a suitcase loaded with drug money to her ex-girlfriend. These kinds of offenses are typically committed by men and quite rarely, by women. Chapman’s engagement in crime like transportation of drug money shows that there is masculinity inside her. Such masculinity within a female body is not at all harmful at a young age. It is only threatening when the masculine tendencies grow and develop as the female child progresses in age. In case of Chapman too, it is clearly obvious that her masculine tendencies continued to develop as she grew because of which they became more threatening and caused her to land in jail consequently. Female gender deviance is the focus of female masculinity studies and if Chapman’s character is analysed, it shows that she is an example of this gender deviance. Tomboyism is not only about dressing up like men as some may typically assume. Rather, it is about women wanting to have all those liberties and mobilities which are traditionally enjoyed by men. It is about seeking independence and self-motivation (Halberstam 6). Likewise, Chapman being tomboyish makes such bad choices in life in her attempt to find independence and self-motivation. She does all the bad stuff to gain agency and control which are two things enjoyed by the male sex more than female sex. According to female masculinity studies, such women as Chapman who exert masculine qualities are afraid at heart and are typically unjoined. Chapman in the start is shown as an unjoined person. This status as unjoined marks her out for violence. Female masculinity is generally seen by all cultures as a pathological sign of maladjustment. It is also about a longing deep seated in some women for power and freedom which is always out of their reach and possessed by the male group. Similarly, Chapman has a longing for power. Many people have a longing for power and not always it has bad repercussions. But in Chapman’s case, this longing causes her to perform masculinity in a wrong way and make bad decisions in life. Analysis of the character “Piper Chapman” from a radical feminist perspective: The show and its anti-heroine, Piper Chapman, can be studies from a radical feminist perspective also. This is because Chapman is repeatedly oppressed by men like many other women in jail. She, like all other female inmates, is not in charge of anything. She does not even own her own body as is obvious from the scene in which she is against her will abruptly and brutally sexually touched by a guard during a pat-down. The act of frisking actually translates into sexual harassment of women. It is shown in that scene and through many other examples that women like Chapman are in control of nothing in their lives. They are severely oppressed and have no familiarity with the word autonomy. Though the show has many female characters besides Chapman, there is no femininity to be seen. Despite having to serve time in jail, women should not be stripped off of their femininity. This is exactly what is stressed by radical feminists also who opinion that our law enforcement and justice system is designed in a way to address the needs of the powerful social group which is the male group of course. By forcing women to be oppressed by purely unsympathetic jail wardens and not facilitating them in any possible way, they are made more vulnerable than they already are. Piper is a victim of this oppression also which weakens her position and makes her powerless. Analysis of Chapman who lives within the closed world of prison from a radical feminist perspective reveals troubling aspects of dominant patriarchy. All female inmates who advance to protest against oppression and challenge the state, which is influenced by the male groups, are subjected to solitary confinement and they never become a part of the general prison population again. No justification is given by the state to these poor inmates. Chapman only becomes able to avoid detention under inhumane conditions because of the advantage of hailing from upper middle class. The show makes it obvious how the state is embodied by men due to which Chapman along with many other female inmates are monitored by men. This monitoring process completely rips off these poor and defenceless women of their most basic human rights. Through Chapman it is shown how protest against oppression is silenced by inhumane punishments and how women are supposed to take sexual harassment without any complain. There is no support provided to female convicts in jail, emotional or moral. All are at mercy of men who are in charge of them. How the analyses in Part 1 and Part 2 compare and contrast overall? The analysis in part 1 shows how Dexter manipulates women to control them. The analysis in part 2 shows how women are manipulated and controlled by dominant male groups to reinforce the benefits enjoyed by them. By making the women more vulnerable and defenceless, they present less and less threat to men. This is the concept upon which the whole system of dominance of patriarchy operates. The analysis in part 1 also shows that Dexter is highly masculine and has no acceptable options to vent out his murderous energy. This is why he resorts to maintain a double-face and deceiving people all the time. He does not engage in crime to amass power or attain freedom. Both of these things he already has because of the fact that he is a male. These are his special prerogatives already. He only commits murders because he is a violent person actually and is born with a need to kill. In contrast, Chapman’s analysis in part 2 shows that she associates with masculinity and exerts masculine qualities because she has a deep-seated longing for power and independence. She is unable to completely identify with any gender which makes her slightly tomboyish and unwanted. In this dilemma of gender association and quest for more freedom, she is unjoined. This status renders her to the receiving end of violence as is obvious from the treatment she experiences when in jail. She is sexually harassed by guards and jail wardens because of her defenceless position. This shows how women are oppressed. Works cited: Halberstam, Judith. Female Masculinity. Duke University Press, 1998. Print. Hodge, Jarrah. “Dexter and Feminism.” gender-focus.com, 29 Sep. 2010. Web. 30 May. 2014. Read More