Travestis and the Berdache

Term Paper # 103105

Gender and Sexuality > Homosexuality

A discussion of sexual norms in relation to the travesties in Brazil and the berdaches in North America.

1,385 words () | 2 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how travesties of Brazil reproduce and reinforce gender and sexual norms of Brazilian society even as they transgress them. It takes a look at how they reflect dominant ideas about men and women, masculinity and femininity. The paper also compares travesties to the berdache of native North America in order to show how sexual "others" in different cultures, even though historically and geographically distant. The paper concludes that both reveal the culturally constructed nature of sex and gender and even emphasize it as they reflect locally meaningful social norms.

From the Paper:

"Travestis did not only adopt and reproduced the female image, they have also reinforced it. They are in a constant competition with Brazilian woman. This includes body shape, fashion and behavior. Thus travestis are generally better dressed, better maintained, have better lovers (Kulick, 1998). In order to feel feminine when you do not (or are not), the formula to follow is described above. Relating it only reinforces the prescribed feminine image in the eyes of observers. This application shows that it is an accepted way of being a "female". Making it something close to competition places additional weight on this socially constructed perception of a woman."

Sample of Sources Used:

Callender, Charles and Lee M. Kochems. (1983). "North American Berdache." Current Anthropology 24(4): 443-470.
Kulick, Don. "Travesti" Chicago: The Chicago University Press, 1998.