Gender as a Language of the Body
Gender is the language by which we communicate our sex in and to the culture in which we live.
By Lara Ryd
How would you define the relationship between “man” and “masculinity”? What about “woman” and “femininity”? Is one determined, and the other choice? Is one a biological reality and the other a social construct? Are they linked inherently or superficially?
The question of the relationship between sex and gender has contemporary culture in knots. Ever since the second-wave feminists of the early 1960s attempted to sever the two in an effort to liberate women from feminine social roles, the connection between sex and gender has been on tenuous footing. Sixty years later, we’ve reached a point where many are denying the significance of biological sex altogether and claiming that gender is all that there is—and it is whatever you want it to be.
Yet even while many attempt to dispel the notion of a gender binary, we cannot escape relating gender to the twofold nature of sex. In order to be intelligible, transgenderism itself must make use of the notion of a gender binary, since transitioning or passing as someone of the opposite gender requires a person to adhere to traditional masculine or feminine gender expressions. To many people today, the terms “femme” and “butch” are more authentic descriptors than “male” and “female,” and yet they still abide by the same basic gender binary.
In a culture that continues to undermine the meaning of biological sex and make gender the supreme consideration, it’s essential that we understand the connection between sex and gender. If we cannot articulate how these two things relate to one another, we risk either conflating the two or discrediting the significance of one or the other.
What is Sex?
We learn in Genesis that sex is given to us by God. Of all of the bodily distinctions that could have been mentioned, we are told that humans are created “male and female” (Gen 1:27). The categories of male and female are the only categories within the human family that God gives us here at the beginning of things. Man and woman are alike in their humanity, but differentiated by their maleness and femaleness.
Sex is determined at conception and revealed by the body. The distinction of sex is so crucial to our identities as embodied beings that it is established in our DNA. Within six weeks of conception, the body begins to show its sex through the development of testes in males and ovaries in females. As the human body matures, the male and female sexual distinctions become more pronounced. Female bodies grow rounder and softer and prepare for the work of childbearing; male bodies grow larger and stronger. Even under rare intersex conditions in which genitalia is ambiguous, a person’s sex is still coded at the level of DNA and the body matures accordingly. The distinction of sex, determined by the body’s DNA, is permanent and essential to our bodies.
What is Gender?
Gender is the language by which we communicate our sex in and to the culture in which we live. Gender is rooted in the reality of the body: men’s bodies are inherently masculine by virtue of having X and Y chromosomes, while women’s bodies are inherently feminine by virtue of having two X chromosomes. We communicate these biological truths by means of gender. Usually we tell adult men and women apart by the shape and size of their bodies, the pitch of their voices, and the way in which they move. These are all bodily realities that communicate and affirm a person’s biological sex.
But while rooted in the body, gender, much like language, is also shaped by culture. We express our sex not only through our bodies, but also through our names, clothing, and social roles. These are all gendered aspects of culture that are extrinsic to our bodies but nevertheless serve as necessary signs that help communicate who we are to those around us. Just as clear and effective language is necessary for social order, so are gender norms that affirm—and do not conceal or distort—our biological sex.
Because gender expression bears this cultural component, we should be wary of seeking out a fixed masculine or feminine form that transcends history and culture. We ought not scrutinize the gender norms of other cultures and times based on those of our cultural moment; rather, the only true test is whether or not our gender norms affirm and communicate the truth of our bodies as God has made them, male and female.
When Gender Becomes Unintelligible
Today, it’s popular to conceive of gender as being nothing more than a mental construct which one can fashion at will. Gender, we’re told, is a matter of self-actualization—though in such a way that it all boils down to pronouns and lifestyle preferences. If a man feels particularly feminine, he is invited to participate in society as a woman would. If a woman feels masculine, she is invited to express that in whatever way she chooses. We are willing to bend the language of gender to fit whatever we are feeling. Gender is a mood.
Yet by uprooting gender from the body, this understanding of gender renders it unintelligible. If a person can identify as one gender on a given day and another gender the next, gender’s purpose as a mode of communication breaks down. If we need to be told what people’s pronouns are because their identities have become so obscured by their gender expression, then gender has become as useless as a private language.
The Persistent Truth of the Body
And yet, no matter how eagerly one tries to conceal or distort his or her biological sex, the reality of the body—and its inherent masculinity or femininity—persists. A woman can go to great lengths to stifle her femininity by dressing a certain way, going on testosterone, and undergoing surgery, but she will never be able to rid herself entirely of the signs natural to her sex. She will always have to work to keep up the masculine disguise; male hormones will never become natural to her body. This is because sex is not a superficial characteristic that can be altered by cosmetic or hormonal treatment. Whether you affirm or deny it, the truth remains true.
Because it is both rooted in the reality of the body and shaped by culture, gender requires cultivation. This task, as with other elements of a person’s development, is primarily the task of parents. We learn gender norms first and foremost by watching our parents act as men and women and interact as husband and wife. More often than our culture wants to admit, gender confusion springs from childhood abuse or trauma caused by the absence of a father or mother. Children who grow up without both parents demonstrating the complementary nature of masculinity and femininity will seek for examples outside of the home. Like other forms of communication, gender is the product of both nature and nurture—and perhaps this is a topic that deserves an essay of its own.
As the subject of the human body grows increasingly absent from gender ideology, it’s essential that we remember a fundamental truth: There is no such thing as disembodied gender. As an expression of the body’s sex, gender communicates through and with the body. To divorce the linguistic function of gender from the body utterly disregards the fact that the human body is inherently expressive. From smiling, to laughing, to yawning, to crying in pain, we are constantly communicating with our bodies long before we gain the capacity for speech. Whether we use gender to affirm the sex given to us by our Creator or to deny it, our bodies will continue to bear witness to God’s wisdom and design.
Lara is a graduate of Hillsdale College and a cofounder of Perishable Goods.