Are males born or made?
Before I read the article “how to build a man”, I don`t even think about that question. It is natural for me to think that men are born not made. It just comes to my mind without thinking about it. But now that article makes me change a little bit. Men could be made by certain surgeries (let us call them men so far), but at some point, actually they are not real man even though they have certain traits that all men have. They can pretend to be men, but it is painful for them because when it comes to compare to the real man. They are still not. What comes next? They may treated by other people differently or to be someone else. Also, it is unfair for them too. They don`t have choice. They are already made to be men no matter what they want to be or not because when they are baby, other people (parents) already make the decision for them. They just accept the result. It is similar as the example mentioned in the article. When a boy was born with less than 0.6 inches long penis, he will be made to be a female, just because medical practitioners think that kind of change may be good for the baby. But who knows? That will be nice to the baby. When “she” grows up, “she” may be a female (not real woman), which may hurt her feelings too. Or she still has the desire to be a man. What can she do next? Change back!?
As you discuss in your post, in general, we often do not think about how individuals become men or women, because we simply accept what we have been called/treated like since birth. Of course, what happens before birth or right after, as Fausto-Sterling describes in her article, is a different story. You write in your post that "Men could be made by certain surgeries (let us call them men so far), but at some point, actually they are not real man even though they have certain traits that all men have. They can pretend to be men, but it is painful for them because when it comes to compare to the real man. They are still not." What makes a 'real man'? What does it mean to "pretend to be [a man]...[by a man who is not a] real man"? If such a man pretends to be a real man and is successful at it- he convinces others that he is a man- what does this mean for 'real' men?
ReplyDeleteI just want to point out that men who have average to above average (size) phallus's aren't necceassirly absolute candidates for being a man. In today's standards, maturity is heralded as something to be acheived (settling down, sticking with a career, supporting a family) and once that stage has been reached only then can a person be considered of manhood and/or womanhood. For example, many law-abiding citizens see prisoners as people who never grew up, never learned, so in their (the citizens) eyes, the prisoners are not men and women but rather trapped in limbo. Respect and maturity are entwined inextricably to the definition of manhood. An individual born a woman but made a man by surgery can be a man in this society. That person just has to prove it by proving to others that he/she has control over her/his life.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to disagree because men are made, not born. Society is what makes men and women. When children are born, they don't even know the meaning of gender and what it is to be a boy or girl. However, as they grow up, society sets a standard upon a girl or boy as to how they should act, dress and talk. You say, "Men could be made by certain surgeries (let us call them men so far), but at some point, actually they are not real man even though they have certain traits that all men have. They can pretend to be men." What classifies a real man? Man can be made with surgery and if he/she feels like a man and has a penis then he is a man.
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