How is contemporary media addressing gender and sexuality myths? How have we anthropologically debunked those myths?What it means for future generations to live free of gender and sexuality norms? What sources of information do they have today? How can we make media educationally accurate as well as entertaining?

1. How contemporary media
is busting gender and
sexuality myths!
“Gender and sexuality, like eating, have biological components. But cultures, over time, have
erected complex and elaborate edifices around them [.] … We experience gender and
sexuality largely through the prism of the culture or cultures to which we have been exposed”
(Mukhopadhyay, 2).

2. •Biological sex pertains to
chromosome combination +
presence or absence of the
corresponding genitals
•Gender is the identity that an
individual might embody either by
choice or forced upon by society
“Gender may not even be an “identity” in a
psychological sense but, rather, a social role one
assumes in a particular social context just as one
moves between being a student, a daughter, an
employee, a wife or husband, president of the
bicycle club, and a musician” (Mukhopadhyay &
Blumenfield, 10)
Sex vs. Gender

3. Gender Roles
● Ascribed social functions and expectations - blue vs. pink
● Differs with time, place and culture
● India - “hijras”
● Samba, New Guinea - households of married couples
● Limitations on relationships, sexuality, professions, safety
● Motherhood - breast milk (Van Esterik)
“Sometimes male-female distinctions pervade virtually all aspects of life,
structuring space, work, social life, communication, body decoration, and
expressive forms such as music.” (Mukhopadhyay & Blumenfield, 6)

4. Anthropological
Context - Historical,
Cultural & Social
● Creation stories
● “Man the Hunter” vs. “Woman the
Gatherer”
● Legitimizing ideologies
○ Perpetuates systems of
inequalities
○ Cultural emphasis
○ Questioning its universality
● Unfounded 19th century theories
reified
○ Corrected by education and
conversation
“Much of what has been defined as “biological” is actually
cultural, so the possibilities for transformation and change are
nearly endless! That can be liberating, especially when we are
young and want to create identities that fit our particular
configuration of abilities and preferences. It can also be upsetting
to people who have deeply internalized and who want to maintain
the old gender ideology.” (Mukhopadhyay & Blumenfield, 4)

5. Sexuality● Language - intercourse
● Parties involved
○ Heterosexual
○ Penetration
● Birth control
● Egg and Sperm
○ Correlation to vaginas and
penises, rather than
reproductive organs
○ Biology in cultural terms
“The more common picture-egg as damsel
in distress, shielded only by her sacred
garments; sperm as heroic warrior to the
rescue-cannot be proved to be dictated by
the biology of these events.” (Martin, 491)

6. Heteronormativity ● Virginity
○ Male focussed - pleasure and
penetration
○ heterosexual
● Childbirth
○ Desire and responsibility
● Family structure
○ Patriarchy
○ LGBTQ+ families
● Shame
“Heteronormativity is a term coined by French
philosopher Michel Foucault to refer to the often-
unnoticed system of rights and privileges that
accompany normative sexual choices and family
formation.” (Mukhopadhyay & Blumenfield, 33)

7. Takeaways
● Intersectionality- important to consider how performance of gender might
change and get more complex to understand when other identities are taken
into consideration
● What we think we know as “facts” are often cultural interpretations or
ideologies. Challenging them is essential from grassroot level
● Contemporary media is questioning these norms and facilitating open dialogue
through engaging content - access to accurate information is important
● How to make this change more rapid? Beyond the bounds of feminist theory