Gender Theory

"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman." - Simone De Beauvoir. This quote is getting across that people are not categorized as being a woman, or a man, until that person does something worthy of gaining that title. It is the events and amount of life that a woman goes through that others measure. But what is the real definition of a woman? Three main words take on different meaning on what a woman is - sex, gender, and sexuality.

In my opinion, sex is the true biological classification of what makes up a woman or a man. It is the reproductive body parts that we are born with that determines if we are male or female. There really isn't a way to persuade one person or the other that you are what you are because your body build doesn't lie. When referring to gender, I believe this term has evolved to mean the sex a specific person chooses to believe they are and the roles they think they should have. The world has grouped us into the man versus woman gender roles. Men are to careers as women are to stay-at-home moms. Gender can be a choice, and it can be an actual, physical change. For example, Chaz on the the youtube video that we watched in class. I would not have known he was born with the female reproductive parts if the media had not become obessed with the issue. And as far as sexuality goes, I define it as being the gender a person is attracted to - men to women, men to men, women to women, etc.

These are all possible meanings that the quote can reference to, but I believe Simone De Beauvoir meant it in status kind of way. What is it that a woman did to deserve to be called a woman? I define a being a woman as someone who is independent, responsible, and caring. She can make it through life with or without a significant other, and she is confindent in her own ways. Once a girl achieves theses characteristics it is then that she makes the transition into becoming a woman.

-Haley Daniel