Gender swapping

Sherry Turkle discusses virtual gender-swapping in “Tinysex and Gender Trouble.” Virtual worlds allow people to be fluid. People can virtually switch their genders and mentally become someone else. There are no strings attached with gender-swapping. You don’t need to shave your legs and beard or have a sex change operation to become a woman. Instead, you can just become one on virtual life. Gender-swapping gives people the ability to have the sense of a gender and identity without actually being that gender. Since you are living the other gender’s mindset, you can fully experience other genders without just observing. Gender-swapping gives you a scope on another gender. It allows you to communicate differently with people when you do this. By virtually becoming another gender, you talk and view things differently as well as using virtual gestures and actions differently.

By gender-swapping, you learn a lot. You learn about another gender and how people treat this gender. In addition, you can test your limits and discover a lot about yourself. Some things you may learn from gender-swapping can influence you to change your behavior. Gender-swapping allows people to express unexplored facets that can’t be expressed in real life. For example, transsexuals are not the mainstream of society. Some people who may be curious and want to experience being a transsexual without anyone knowing, can do this through gender-swapping on virtual life. Gender-swapping is extremely useful for people seriously considering gender change to see if it works for them without investing the money and energy.

When you first interact with someone on virtual life, the first question they generally ask you is your gender. Since many people gender-swap, people use communication clues and the way the other person acts to assume their gender. For example, if you’re a guy, you’ll act much differently than if you are a girl. Guys generally act more aggressive and vulgar than girls. People adjust how they’re acting or behaving to you based on your gender. Guys may cuss more around other guys, but generally not around girls. In addition, when you’re a girl, everyone on virtual life is trying to help you out. Also, girls always get harassed on virtual life.

Gender-swapping didn’t emerge just in the virtual worlds. It has been going on for decades. Many of Shakespeare’s plays are based on gender-swapping. In addition, many forms of media show stories about gender-swapping. One example I read about in this paper written by Amy Bruckman, discussed a Saturday Night Live episode in which the character Pat does not have a gender. People aren’t sure if Pat is Patrick or Patricia. Pat avoids giving out clues or information as to which gender they are. When Pat got a haircut, there was a sign at the shop that had different prices listed for men and women. However, Pat just left a large bill and told the shop owner to keep the change, so they didn‘t reveal their gender. People want to discover if Pat is a man or woman. Without Pat’s gender stated, people do not know how to communicate and act towards Pat. On some MUDs, people can also be gender neutral characters. Bruckman stated that she felt uneasy when she first interacted with a gender neutral character on virtual life. She wondered how she could relate to this person if she didn’t know their gender. After this, she wondered why the other person’s gender even mattered. The reason for this is because “gender structures human interactions,” (Bruckman). People react differently to people of certain genders. They change their expectations and how they are acting or behaving towards someone based on the person’s gender.

This was discussed in detail in Sherry Turkle‘s “Tinysex and Gender Trouble.” For example, when a supposed male finds out that a user is a female, they automatically assume that the female needs help. In addition, supposed males will make sexual advances to supposed females. However, if the “male” finds out that the “female” is a “male,” they will change their behavior and leave their discussion. Turkle explains how when she gender swapped to a male, she felt more free, less threatened, and more assertive. People’s expectations change based on gender. For example, if you are a girl in a virtual world, everyone will try to help you out, thinking you are incapable. The problem with this is that people are becoming so used to the notion that women need help, that they are starting to believe they need it, becoming incapable and not acquiring the skills they should.