Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity by Julia Serano
Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity
by Julia Serano
Seal Press, 2007
ISBN: 978-1580051545
408 p.p.
Whipping Girl: A Transexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity by Julia Serano is a collection of personal essays that reveal how misogyny frames popular assumptions about femininity, and shapes many of the myths and misconceptions people have about trans women. It has been used as a teaching material in gender studies, queer/LGBTQ studies, sociology, psychology, and human sexuality courses in colleges across North America.
Serano writes about living as a trans woman in today’s society. She talks about the challenges she is faced with on a daily basis by those in the trans community, and the inability of femininity to rise above the inferior status placed upon it by masculinity. Serano does an amazing job of explaining transsexuality and detailing the stereotypes that are often used against the trans community.
The author separates herself from others in the field by carefully noting how the negative perceptions afforded to trans women illustrate the wide-range of misogynistic and pro-masculine attitudes that are still held in American culture. Trans women are discriminated against and treated as sub-human by much of society. They are constantly ridiculed and attacked in the media and are at much higher risk of being a target of violence. She explains that the preference for trans men over trans women is but one example of our society’s preference for masculinity over femininity. Serano does an incredible job of using her own life story to educate those who do not know about transsexuality.
Serano challenges traditional sexism which is the belief that maleness/masculinity are superior to femaleness/femininity as well as oppositional sexism which is the belief that female and male are rigid, mutually exclusive categories. This allows for people to understand the different types of sexisms that exist and how they are seen and applied by society. She also addresses the stereotypes of transsexuals, especially those stereotypes propagated by the media. The media plays a huge role in how the public see trans people through misguided TV shows and films. For many, this is the only portrayal they have of trans people, therefore having misinformation about them is detrimental as this is all the information they obtain and feel is true.
I found Serano’s book to be a very interesting read. She brought up many strong points and made several connections between the resentment felt toward trans women and the existence of traditional and oppositional sexism in our society. She challenges her readers to think outside the box and become more accepting of people who stand on the margins of society. She also discussed gender entitlement as being the next roadblock to achieving gender and sexual freedom which is a very interesting argument that challenges people to take a step toward a world where all people can choose their gender and sexuality without feeling coerced by others.
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Julia Serano is a writer, performer, activist, musician, and biologist. She is best known for her book Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity. Additional work has appeared in queer, feminist, and pop-culture magazines, including Bitch, Clamor, Kitchen Sink, LiP, make/shift, and Transgender Tapestry. Excerpts of her work have appeared in The Believer and The San Francisco Chronicle, and on NPR. Based on her insights into gender, Serano has been invited to speak about transgender and trans-women’s issues at numerous universities, often at queer-, feminist-, psychology-, and philosophy-themed conferences. Her writings have also been used in teaching materials in gender studies courses across the United States.
