Gender-neutral stick figures
Jul. 2nd, 2013 02:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jackI've been playing a lot of draw something[1] and this has led to drawing lots of stick figures.
And I realise that I fell into the traditional trap of using an unadorned stick-figure for for a generic person, but also for "man", and using a stick figure with a skirt for "woman", because those are the most recognisable.
And I really don't like doing that. What SHOULD I do?
One thing is to find some way of indicating "male stick figure", even if it's still gender-stereotypical, eg a hat. That way, at least I'm not contributing to the assumption that generic stick figures are men, even if I'm not fighting it.
Another would be always draw a stick figure with a gender marker, so at least I send a message of "stick-figure world contains people of all genders". But in some ways that makes it worse, making it look as if (a) gender were important for stick figures and (b) there were only two genders of stick-figures.
Probably the best would be to draw stick figures with a coloured rectangle instead of a line for a body, because that way you can vary the drawing a bit without being ostentatious about it. But I'm worried that it stretches my art skills too far :)
Is there a "right" way of drawing stick figures?
I also find it difficult to draw vikings without drawing helmets with horns on them, but I'm sure most people I know know the truth of the viking helmets, so I'm not perpetuating misinformation (and even if I am, it probably doesn't matter as much).
[1] As "cartesiandaemon". Anyone else want to play, tell me your username!
And I realise that I fell into the traditional trap of using an unadorned stick-figure for for a generic person, but also for "man", and using a stick figure with a skirt for "woman", because those are the most recognisable.
And I really don't like doing that. What SHOULD I do?
One thing is to find some way of indicating "male stick figure", even if it's still gender-stereotypical, eg a hat. That way, at least I'm not contributing to the assumption that generic stick figures are men, even if I'm not fighting it.
Another would be always draw a stick figure with a gender marker, so at least I send a message of "stick-figure world contains people of all genders". But in some ways that makes it worse, making it look as if (a) gender were important for stick figures and (b) there were only two genders of stick-figures.
Probably the best would be to draw stick figures with a coloured rectangle instead of a line for a body, because that way you can vary the drawing a bit without being ostentatious about it. But I'm worried that it stretches my art skills too far :)
Is there a "right" way of drawing stick figures?
I also find it difficult to draw vikings without drawing helmets with horns on them, but I'm sure most people I know know the truth of the viking helmets, so I'm not perpetuating misinformation (and even if I am, it probably doesn't matter as much).
[1] As "cartesiandaemon". Anyone else want to play, tell me your username!
no subject
Date: 2013-07-03 11:23 am (UTC)But then that won't work for drawing child stick figures.
no subject
Date: 2013-07-03 07:53 pm (UTC)Just No.
You do not get to gender me based on your perceptions of my biology.
no subject
Date: 2013-07-04 03:02 am (UTC)I know Generally-Reguarded-As-Male persons who could not grow a beard to save their life, and I know Generally-Reguarded-As-Female persons who at the end of the day have a 5-o-clock shadow to contend with. The presence, absence, or quantity of hair growing from a person's body does not count as an actual reliable gender marker, even if one sticks to the binary categories.
no subject
Date: 2013-07-04 09:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-07-04 11:13 pm (UTC)I strongly suggest you do some more reading before you keep talking about this topic. Relevant keywords include "biological essentialism", "binarism", and "cissexism". Julia Serano's blog is excellent, as is CN Lester's. You should also consider reading disability rights activism blogs - for example, the archives at FWD/Feminists With Disabilities - because seriously, I cannot believe you thought it was acceptable to pull that out as ~stunning counterargument~.