“Sex” and “gender” exist as a manifestation of assigned cultural meanings, social organization and the power of politics, simultaneously form an intricate web of multiple disproportionate strands of difference that is charged with “multifaceted narratives of domination and struggle” (Haraway, 1990:140). According to Garfinkel (1976), sex is the socially agreed upon biological criteria for classifying a person as either male or female at birth, which becomes a significant factor in the collective transformation of bodies to fit physically and psychology into gendered ideals of masculinity and femininity.
In the case of intersexed bodies, where a person’s genitalia, reproductive organs, or chromosomal patterns do not match the accepted medical definition of male or female, physicians are generally able to provide medical intervention and (re)construct the “right genitals” to compliment successful socialization. Gender ambiguities are “curable” and can be “remedied” to conform to the “culturally indisputable gender dichotomy” (Kessler, 1990:24), where the process of gendering is governed by the law, religion, science discourse and societal expectations (Lorber, 1994:46).
Heteronormativity pervades all social …show more content…
Despite the fact that testosterone levels are associated with strength and muscle size and therefore cannot be used to universally “rank” athletic capabilities across different individuals (Jordan-Young and Karkazis, 2012), the IOC still equates a “masculine appearance” with “maleness”. This cultural thinking endorses the persistent scrutiny of female athletes who do not conform to hegemonic standards of beauty and
In the case of intersexed bodies, where a person’s genitalia, reproductive organs, or chromosomal patterns do not match the accepted medical definition of male or female, physicians are generally able to provide medical intervention and (re)construct the “right genitals” to compliment successful socialization. Gender ambiguities are “curable” and can be “remedied” to conform to the “culturally indisputable gender dichotomy” (Kessler, 1990:24), where the process of gendering is governed by the law, religion, science discourse and societal expectations (Lorber, 1994:46).
Heteronormativity pervades all social …show more content…
Despite the fact that testosterone levels are associated with strength and muscle size and therefore cannot be used to universally “rank” athletic capabilities across different individuals (Jordan-Young and Karkazis, 2012), the IOC still equates a “masculine appearance” with “maleness”. This cultural thinking endorses the persistent scrutiny of female athletes who do not conform to hegemonic standards of beauty and