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zevinboots.livejournal.comdisclaimer: I don't mean to imply that there is only one "MTF experience" and only one "FTM experience." I'm just looking for discussion that might find some common ground, but that might also point to differences that we might learn from them.
( Read more... )
Anyway, about starting some discussion on the topic at hand, one question in particular that springs to mind is the possible similarity between wearing a gaff and wearing a binder.
From a recent post on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
boyinvictus' journal:
Why am I so dysphoric about my breasts, and hardly at all about my genitals? Perhaps if I had to walk around all day with my genitals protruding through my clothing signifying me as a woman, they would bother me. It's been theorized (Kessler & McKenna) that being female is often seen more as being "not male," or more specifically that the lack of the penis may be noticed before the presence of a vagina.
I don't know if that's the case, but I would certainly argue that the condition of having breasts is more significant than that of possessing a male chest; that a male chest is often seen as simply "not having breasts." In terms of signifiers, breasts can be to a woman's sexuality what a penis is to a man's. For whatever reason, in western society, "outies" - breasts and penises - get noticed, and count for more than "innies." I've often wondered if this might explain why some symptoms of my breast dysphoria can so closely mirror the penis dysphoria experienced by some transsexual women. [c.f. Venus Envy webcomic, whose site happens to be down, or I would post a more specific link to a few strips in a recent storyline.]
What do you folks think? Let's get some discussion going!
( Read more... )
Anyway, about starting some discussion on the topic at hand, one question in particular that springs to mind is the possible similarity between wearing a gaff and wearing a binder.
From a recent post on
boyinvictus' journal:Why am I so dysphoric about my breasts, and hardly at all about my genitals? Perhaps if I had to walk around all day with my genitals protruding through my clothing signifying me as a woman, they would bother me. It's been theorized (Kessler & McKenna) that being female is often seen more as being "not male," or more specifically that the lack of the penis may be noticed before the presence of a vagina.
I don't know if that's the case, but I would certainly argue that the condition of having breasts is more significant than that of possessing a male chest; that a male chest is often seen as simply "not having breasts." In terms of signifiers, breasts can be to a woman's sexuality what a penis is to a man's. For whatever reason, in western society, "outies" - breasts and penises - get noticed, and count for more than "innies." I've often wondered if this might explain why some symptoms of my breast dysphoria can so closely mirror the penis dysphoria experienced by some transsexual women. [c.f. Venus Envy webcomic, whose site happens to be down, or I would post a more specific link to a few strips in a recent storyline.]
What do you folks think? Let's get some discussion going!
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