The text I have analyzed is “What is a Girl? What is a Boy?” by Stephanie Waxman, written in hopes to help children and their parents understand sexual identities. Attitudes on gender and sex have dramatically changed since 1976 when this book was written. It was the social norm then to categorize people as strictly female or strictly male, however we have since discovered that the terms gender and sex differ greatly and each lie on more of a spectrum. This text has a variety of examples attempting to portray the idea that the set norms for either boys or girls aren’t always correct, however it is quite outdated. This text needs to include definitions of gender and sex and examples comparing the two. Making this difference clearer would help
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What is a Boy?” needs major improvements in order to help parents and children correctly understand the difference between gender and sex. First, I believe it should begin with explaining that the term sex refers to a person’s reproductive organs, while gender is how you express yourself regardless of your body (OBOS ebook pg. 247). Next, the book should use graphic models similar to the ones in “Intersex Genitalia Illustrated and Explained” (WH pgs. 98-106) to show children that there are a variety of body types and all should be accepted. Because society “imposes two absolute categories of male and female,” (WH pg. 98) it is important for children to understand that this is not always the case. After the diagrams, the book should include the examples of gender expression that it currently has, but omit phrases that categorize people as girl or boy. Some examples of this include “a baby is either a girl or a boy” and “if the baby is a girl she will always be a girl,” because this is not always the case. Allowing children to see that sexual organs don’t determine if you are the socially categorized “girl” or “boy” is important for helping them discover who they are. Instead of saying these phrases, the book could use language such as “a boy baby can grow up to be a boy,” “a girl baby can grow up to be a girl,” “some boys grow up to be a girl,” and “some girls grow up to be a boy.” Another point that would be important to include is “some babies grow up to be
What is a Boy?” needs major improvements in order to help parents and children correctly understand the difference between gender and sex. First, I believe it should begin with explaining that the term sex refers to a person’s reproductive organs, while gender is how you express yourself regardless of your body (OBOS ebook pg. 247). Next, the book should use graphic models similar to the ones in “Intersex Genitalia Illustrated and Explained” (WH pgs. 98-106) to show children that there are a variety of body types and all should be accepted. Because society “imposes two absolute categories of male and female,” (WH pg. 98) it is important for children to understand that this is not always the case. After the diagrams, the book should include the examples of gender expression that it currently has, but omit phrases that categorize people as girl or boy. Some examples of this include “a baby is either a girl or a boy” and “if the baby is a girl she will always be a girl,” because this is not always the case. Allowing children to see that sexual organs don’t determine if you are the socially categorized “girl” or “boy” is important for helping them discover who they are. Instead of saying these phrases, the book could use language such as “a boy baby can grow up to be a boy,” “a girl baby can grow up to be a girl,” “some boys grow up to be a girl,” and “some girls grow up to be a boy.” Another point that would be important to include is “some babies grow up to be