Modern and Ancient Constructions of Masculinity and Femininity

 Masculinity or and Femininity?

    In today's world, the question of masculinity and femininity ties into the progressive and often developing views of gender and sexuality. The focus has shifted from a binary understanding to one that denies such an opposition. Identity is generally believed to be more fluid.

Photo: PsychologyToday


    Discussions of gender have shifted to acknowledge the possibility that gender and sex are not only unique but that neither truly means anything without cultural expectations. Theorists like Judith Butler have put this theory in motion, specifically by proposing the significance of gender performativity. 

    It has become common to acknowledge the ways in which the concept of "true masculinity" benefits nobody. Men and women both suffer under the patriarchal scrutiny, and it affects all aspects of personhood. The binary that is reflected in countless civilizations including and especially in ancient Greece are understood to be ineffective and insufficient ways of understanding gender and sexuality. Gender performativity has opened up the conversation in order to question the sources of these beliefs and assumptions. Various media such as movies, TV shows, and books have taken on this question of toxic masculinity and attempted to unravel it as a norm. The discussions that result are not only fascinating but apparently necessary for moving forward. 

                                    Photo: the binary view of sexuality according to Rubarth (2013)


 Not only is modern culture shifting to adapt to the understanding of gender as more fluid and less dependent on a binary, but it is also encouraging people to look back on historical figures and examine the influence that such a binary played in the formation of their identities. For example, I've personally conducted close readings and research on various pieces of criticism that aimed to explain how Shakespeare has complicated a binary with many of his characters. Women who dress as men are very common, and while this seems to lead to a conversation about agency, it can also mean blurring the lines between gender expression and cultural expectation. Even Lady Macbeth, who dresses as the expected feminine throughout the play, exhibits personality traits and behaviors that are typically understood to be more historically "masculine."



Photo: Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

    Where does this conversation lead us? Clearly, the deconstruction of a binary is necessary for a deeper understanding of what gender truly means and what aspects of societal/cultural expectations lie behind it. More than that, if modern society begins to force the binary to the background, larger conversations about certain norms come to light. As an example, if the sources sited on this blog related to ancient Greek culture inform us of the gender and sexuality norms in antiquity, and many of those align with modern society's expectations, what does that mean for the traits that underlie these assumptions? What does it mean for different cultures and for human beings on an individual level?

Photo: CNN


    The ancient Greeks provide perspective regarding the origin of many beliefs and norms inherent to their civilization. Certain norms persisted, while others became taboo before Foucault - among others - brought those ideas back into the conversation. What's the significance of the norms that remained the same? Of those that fell into the background for centuries and were simultaneously condemned by many cultures?

       These questions open the conversation regarding gender to explain why things have developed the way they have and what discussions will allow for Butler's theory to become a guideline for understanding gender? Gender performativity explains much of the cultural influences of gender expression, as do many of the ancient Greek sources that outline what that culture expected of ideal men and of women, so how does this expand the conversation of gender into something conceptually malleable?

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