If Butler is correct and gender is always evolving and in flux, then it seems that some of the acts that are happening in the medical world are taking things a bit far.
A doctor at the Children's Hospital Boston has launched a new drug that delays puberty so that children can decide if they want to have a male or
female body. http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=62010
Dr. Norman Spack created the drug so that you could alter the body earlier and therefore more successfully, but do twelve year old children really know enough about themselves to be able to make that choice? Dr. Spack also previous acknowledged that only about 20% of children that are gender confused in childhood continue those feelings into adulthood. If gender is always changing... then what happens when medical steps are taken to permanently change or alter the physical appearance of the body.
Another area in which our view of gender has changed is simply in what we find attractive. Fifty years ago- the looks that were favored where more traditionally 'classic' in the idea of males and females. Burt Lancaster has the classic square jaw, strong forehead, and Roman nose, while Grace Kelly is facially much more delicate with higher cheekbones and lower eyebrows. Today in Hollywood, these classic facial features are becoming much more interchangeable- with these male and female facial features being reversed. As our ideals of what make a male male or female female evolve- it would seem our perception and attraction levels to what is 'beautiful' are also changing.
1 comment:
That's really interesting what you told us about the doctor who made a drug to delay puberty. I would like to see the article written about that, if you could post it or reply to me with it, that'd be great. I remember when there was a story on the news (probably multiple times) that said eating a specific hormone found in food (I remember chicken being the prime example) was causing young girls to develop faster (maybe boys too). Possibly this hormone should be taken out of our food in order to prevent us from maturing at a quicker pace (this may already have been done, or we have been given the choice not to eat food with the hormone found in it) or, if that can't be done for whatever reason, possibly the doctor can use his drug to slow down the maturation caused by this hormone, balancing the effects of both the drug and the hormone.
I agree with you when you say children probably aren't ready to choose which sex to be, male or female, at such an early age. I think each person decides whether or not they are happy with themselves at their own rate and the idea of changing sexes (physically at least) is still a pretty new thing. Adding another complicated issue into prepubescent children is going to magnify all of the issues they already are facing.
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