Literature Takeaways |
Ethnographic Findings |
Cosmetic surgery (beyond sex reassignment surgery) can be vital for a transitioning individual to confidently identify with a gender since having the appearance of what our society deems 'masculine' or 'feminine' results in positive social recognition. The books and articles we read all emphasize the importance of social recognition for the well-being and self-acceptance of individuals who transition.
Through our research, we found that the main force driving transitioning individuals to pursue cosmetic surgery is desirable social recognition, due to our society's recognition-based model of sex. As a result, surgeries have been developed that focus on altering the dimensions of very visible aspects of the body, such as the face, neck, and chest. The popularization of these cosmetic surgeries reflects our society's shift away from a genital-based definition of gender. Since interpretations of gender are heavily influenced by culture, what our society believes is ‘male’ and ‘female’ directly shapes the surgical procedures that seek to 'masculanize' or 'feminize' the body. |
Our interviewees pursuit of hyper-masculine/-feminine features, such as breast implantation and tattoo sleeves, reflects their need to attain the 'masculine' or 'feminine' features our society publicizes and popularizes in media the most.
Motivations for pursuing surgeries that aim to 'masculanize' or 'feminize' a body stem from the desire to feel accepted into society. As Sasha stated: "I really just wanted to stop having those awkward encounters with people where you can feel that they're tryna figure out if I'm a girl or boy. You just feel ... I don't know, I guess out-of-place." Our interviewees choice to pursue visible surgical interventions before pursuing genital reconstruction highlights the need these individuals feel to receive social acceptance in order to reach self-fulfillment. In other words, self-identification is highly dependent on social recognition.
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