Another interesting finding from Paechter’s study is that, although adults tend to see girls as “tomboys” or “girlie”, children themselves have a more fluid approach to categorisation. Some of the girls she interviewed thought of themselves as being tomboyish some of the time and girlie at other times. It was adults who seemed to feel the need to attach rigid labels.
The truth is that tomboyishness, like most things in life, comes on a spectrum. At the very end of the spectrum it’s actually a disorder, a condition known as gender identity dysfunction in which little girls refuse to believe they really are female, or little boys refuse to believe they’re male. But that disorder is rare: far more common is what Miranda has, which is a deep-seated – and often entirely rational – belief that life for boys just seems like a lot more fun.
hnmm. this bit is interesting. it's interesting that kids have a "fluid approach", are comfortable not putting each other in these gender-types; interesting as well that the author goes on from praising that to reinforcing the idea that transgendered people are "dysfunctional" (it's implied here that the dysfunction is that they "refuse to believe" they are the gender we tell them they are, when i would say the dysfunction is that we refuse to accept that they are the gender they insist they are)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2007-08-07 05:25 am (UTC)The truth is that tomboyishness, like most things in life, comes on a spectrum. At the very end of the spectrum it’s actually a disorder, a condition known as gender identity dysfunction in which little girls refuse to believe they really are female, or little boys refuse to believe they’re male. But that disorder is rare: far more common is what Miranda has, which is a deep-seated – and often entirely rational – belief that life for boys just seems like a lot more fun.
hnmm. this bit is interesting. it's interesting that kids have a "fluid approach", are comfortable not putting each other in these gender-types; interesting as well that the author goes on from praising that to reinforcing the idea that transgendered people are "dysfunctional" (it's implied here that the dysfunction is that they "refuse to believe" they are the gender we tell them they are, when i would say the dysfunction is that we refuse to accept that they are the gender they insist they are)