FEMINILITIES IN BODIES READ AS MALE AND FEMALE

THINKING THE BODY BASED ON GESTURES

Abstract

Femininity is imposed on a woman even before her birth. On the other hand, bodies[1] read as men must exercise masculinity as a trophy. Those who move away from this clan fall under the yoke of sexist violence in condemning such a body for blurring the norms seen as standards. Breaking the rules represents breaking the law and, consequently, being subject to punishment: exclusions, rejections and even death, after all, an effeminate male body is directly linked to gay sexual orientation. More than that, it is not just about being gay, but a passive gay, one who, in capitalist binarism, takes the place of the body understood as a woman. In this way, we seek to discuss the relations of repulsion towards femininity, especially when this femininity operates in bodies read as masculine. With this objective, first, we briefly discuss the ideological and discursive relations. To do so, we rely on Orlandi (2015; 2017) and on Pêcheux (2015). Furthermore, we deepen the discussions about gestures, effeminate bodies and human sexuality, having as references Murillo Nonato (2020), Javier Sáez and Sejo Carrascosa (2016), Jean-Claude Schmitt (1987), Judith Butler (2015), Paul Preciado (2014) ; 2018), among others.

[1] Our proposal to use having “read” is based on the idea of not emphasizing the technology of the genre that shapes speaking bodies. In other words, we try not to think from the point of view of biology that reduces sex/gender to the genitals. Therefore, to say that the body is “read” as male or female is not to agree directly with the binary biological theory.