Chapter 92 Gray: the middle color of gender

Is the distinction between the two genders of human beings absolutely precise and clear? In Greek mythology, Hermes, the god of messengers, and Aphrodite, the god of love, had a son named Hermaphrodites.The child of the god was so beautiful that he aroused the love of the water nymph Salmacis, but was rejected by him.Salmacis did not give up, and waited until Hermaphrodites was swimming in the water, got into his body, and prayed to the gods not to let them part.The gods consented, and their bodies were forever fused together, imbued with the characteristics of both sexes. In Plato's "Symposium", there is a fable compiled by Aristophanes. In ancient times, all human beings were intersex people, with a body like a ball, half male and half female. Split down the middle, so everyone is trying to find their other half to be whole again.

Myths and fables are intended to illustrate that, no matter in terms of physical attributes or in the spiritual realm, the sexes are not clearly distinct, but there are countless transitional colors like black and white. Why are we either male or female? "It is said that the scientific explanation is that no matter we look at it from a physiological or psychological point of view, organisms with clear male or female characters with unified physical and psychological sexual characteristics have always occupied an evolutionary advantage in vertebrates, and a few are destined to become heterogeneous."

But in recent years, psychologist Sandra Bem has proposed "androgynous temperament". She believes that "traditional culture regards masculinity and femininity as a dimension. People with high masculinity must have low femininity, and women People with high temperament must have low masculinity, and neutral people are regarded as neither male nor female." She believes that this habitual understanding puts masculinity and femininity in opposition, and she puts forward a new thinking: Masculinity and femininity are two separate dimensions.Depending on the masculinity and femininity scores, there can be a variety of temperament manifestations.Her findings have been widely endorsed, with some suggesting that "gender differences even disappear when the problems faced by both sexes are the same".

Another psychologist found through research on children that boys who are too masculine and girls who are too feminine have relatively one-sided development of intelligence, physical strength and character, and lower IQ and EQ.And those men and women with "facultative" characteristics develop more comprehensively and are more likely to succeed in the future.But I also suspect that this is just an ethical compensation and consolation, like the so-called more creative research results of left-handed people. The evolution of gender impressions and gender norms is not necessarily the result of the efforts of scientific research, but the result of the evolution of power. Therefore, traditional Chinese culture has detailed regulations on women's appearance and behavior, but gently let men go. In the ninth century, feminists fought for the right to wear trousers and endured cursing and mop-stones from men in the street.

Men and women with androgynous temperament may not generally be better and more creative, but the best-looking layer of them often has a special and strange charm.Duras once said that the beauty of women is overflowing, while the beauty of men is shrinking, but bisexual temperament possesses the strengths of both kinds of beauty, and they set off each other, finally presenting a dangerous and strange beauty, and overflowing In this way, the pure beauty of the two genders does not have an aura. In "Alexander the Great", the beauty of the dancers, in "Faranelli", the beauty of the eunuchs in the eighteenth century, in "Mr. Butterfly", the beauty of the reverse performers, in "The Crying Game" , the kind of beauty that is as pungent as a wild rose, the kind of beauty that makes people willing to take their lives in "Soul Break Venice", as well as "Boys Don't Cry", "Kawashima Yoshiko", Li Yuchun and many "Super Girls", The controversial beauty of "Superman".

Is it just for beauty?No. In "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", Yu Xiulian selflessly presents to Yu Jiaolong the greatest feeling in her life of abiding by the rules: "At any time, you must be honest with yourself." The beautiful people in any group are very few people , Therefore, they are not only for beauty, but also for honesty.Treating yourself honestly is the biggest reaction against all norms and iron laws at any time. Virginia Woolf's novel "Orlando" is about honesty with herself, and Orlando freely chooses her sex: "In Orlando's choice, she may just be more Overtly manifesting...something that exists in most people but has not been so clearly manifested...Genders are different, but the sexes do mix. In everyone, gender is always between the poles Swaying, the masculine or feminine appearance, is often maintained only by the clothes that conceal the opposite sex underneath."

Among the many Orlando, some are not only beautiful, but also honest. They are not only "passive recipients of gender stereotypes, but also active shapers."And ultimately, it's a power struggle.