Mike Vinson's Gender Busting Assignment

Mike Vinson’s Gender Busting Assignment:

Activity Pre-action

The purpose of this exercise is to confront gender stereotypes by committing an “outrageous” act. The action will be out of character for my personality and comfort zone for this assignment. My outrageous act will be to appear in my UCF class wearing a woman’s dress and carrying a pink neon sign saying, “Support Women’s Rights Everywhere.” To accomplish this task, I will use the following online web graphics on the poster: Women’s Rights Worldwide symbol designed by Martina Fugazzotto and a US postage stamp Celebrating 100 Years of Women’s Progress created by the US Park Service. My graphics symbolize the equality for women everywhere. By using visual aids, I am confronting the stereotype that men are indifferent about women’s rights issue, I want to show that one can raise awareness of men’s interest for equal rights by temporarily wearing women’s clothing.

To reach my intended audience, there are six students (five female and one male) and one female UCF instructor in my class that will critique me. When my instructor and classmates see me, I perceive that they will smile, laugh, and give me compliments. Since I will be encountering people that I know, I feel this is a safe environment. As I pre-plan the activity, I feel uncomfortable because this action is outside my comfort zone and I am violating society’s traditional gender role of a man. I set aside my false pride and tell myself to enjoy the learning experience. Upon completion, I want to learn that trying something new is part of growing and that this action will broaden my awareness of women’s issues.

Activity Action:

On 26 May 2010, I commit my outrageous act. Borrowing rouge pigmented Chap Stick, an apron, and a black feather boa from my girlfriend, I use them with my neon pink poster to get attention in class. Before leaving my house, I smeared the rouge Chap Stick on my face to look like mascara. What I perceive as a mundane visit to a local department turns out to have some surprising twists.

Before attending my afternoon class, I stop at the K-Mart in Winter Park to purchase inexpensive large women’s clip-on earrings. While waiting for the female African American K-Mart cashier to ring up my purchase, I notice that my appearance is likely offending the cashier through her non-verbal body language. She crosses her arms, slightly angles her body away from me after giving me my change, and stares at the floor as I walk away. I feel the cashier was afraid to interact with me because of my appearance and perhaps a perceived threat. As I exit the store to walk back to the parking lot, a Caucasian male walking past me says, “You sure look sweet.” I responded, “Thank you.” The arrogant man then says, “You need to turn to Christ.” Since religion has no connection with my appearance or the school’s women’s studies course assignment, I ignore the arrogant man and nothing further happens in the K-Mart parking lot. By ignoring the Caucasian man, I avoid unnecessary conflict on a topic where both will have varied opinions.

When I stop at a local Subway in Winter Park to purchase a sandwich, chips, and a drink, the female African American cashier gives me a look of contempt for wearing women’s makeup and earrings when it is not Halloween. Since it is not Halloween, I am violating society’s expected male gender role of when they think it is appropriate for men to cross-dress. Although the cashier makes no verbal comments, I notice she quickly cleans the serving counter with antiseptic spray after I receive my change and leave.

Upon arriving at UCF, I go to the men’s restroom where I put on the apron, black feather boa, and smear more rouge Chap Stick on cheeks and lips. Afterwards, I snap a few photos of myself in the restroom mirror “dressed up” in my gender busting assignment holding my neon pink sign. I gather all my school supplies, check once more to ensure that I am leaving nothing behind, and then I proceed to class. I arrive about several minutes early for class. After I place my backpack and laptop next to my desk, I silently stand at the front of the classroom holding the pink neon sign. As Dr. Santana enters the classroom, her jaw drops when she sees me. When I see Dr. Santana smile at me, I have a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that I am effectively communicating a message. Three students smile at me, but said nothing. Only one student shows no response as she looks at me. When the non-responsive student ignores, I feel that I am not effectively communicating my assignment.

Activity Post Action

In hindsight, I assumed the temporary role of a cross dresser and saw the different reactions on and off the UCF campus. When I walked on the UCF campus, the students passing me showed no response; however, when in different department stores in Winter Park, people tended to avoid or ridicule me. Those people without a college education perceived me as a threat because I am not acting in society’s accepted traditional role of man because of my attire and appearance.

As for the lessons learned, I experienced firsthand how society is cruel towards someone who is perceived as gay or bisexual by ignoring them or trying to force “religious conversion” through proselytizing. By addressing the fear of homophobia and diversity through education at UCF, people have the opportunity to ask questions, hear different perspectives, and interact with those who are different than themselves.

Society needs to be educated to show tolerance for everyone regardless if one is heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. The UCF women’s studies program and political activists located off the UCF campus holding public rallies and demonstrations and the press’s coverage of the events will increase the public’s knowledge and awareness of society’s lack of tolerance. If someone chose to temporarily assume a role outside of traditional gender, then the individual may discover previously unknown societal prejudices that adversely affect those who have a non-traditional lifestyle.

Work Cited

100 Years of Women’s Progress. U.S. National Park Service. 28 Dec 2009. Web. 25 May 2010

Fugazzotto, Martina. Women’s Rights Everywhere. I Heart Daily. 2009. Web. 25 May 2010.