The origin of Gender, examples from the movie "My life in Pink" and reading of "X: A Fabulous Child's Story".

Essay by icelimitUniversity, Master'sB+, April 2003

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As human beings, we instinctively have questions about anything and everything; one of these questions is about the origin of gender. According to The American Heritage Dictionary, the word gender is defined as the condition of being female or male. In this essay, gender is defined by the characteristics of a person and their sexual identity in relation to society. With the definition being clarified, one may ask whether gender is instilled into us by society or naturally defined in our genes. This question separates us into two groups, where one group's belief contradicts the other.

The Essentialists believe that gender is predefined during birth; if one was born a male then he will naturally be masculine and vice-versa. The Constructionalists believe in the contrary; they believe that gender is molded and perfected by the society in which we live. In the movie "Ma Vie en Rose" directed by Alain Berliner and the reading "X: A Fabulous Child's Story" by Lois Gould, both groups were represented and ultimately suggests that gender is born to us as a natural phenomenon and "shaped" by the society in which we live.

One would agree that gender is constructed by society simply because of the obvious; there exists people who are attracted to the same sex. This basic idea is built on top of the theory that if gender is a natural given, then the world in which we thrive would only consist of those who are certain of their sexuality; boys will take interest in sports and G.I. Joe figures, and girls will take interest in playing "house" and Barbie dolls. No longer will there be boys like Ludovic and girls like Christina, as portrayed in the movie "Ma Vie en Rose," who has been naturally blessed with the proper, male...