Binaries limit people into thinking that they can only be one of two things; either a man or a woman. These traditional binaries say that only girls can like pink and play with dolls or that only boys can like blue and play with cars. These binaries have been created by what society thinks is the proper and ideal way one of the supposed two traditional binaries (man or woman) should act. Colonial narratives say that men are strong, born leaders, and women are weak. None of these binaries are true. What about those who identify as non-binary? People who identify as non-binary live life and express themselves outside of the traditional binaries (Vox, 2016). What about all the other forms of gender expression that do not fit into traditional binaries? They too live and express themselves outside of the traditional binaries.
I identify as the gender I was assigned at birth, which makes me a woman. This does not mean that I fit all the traditional binaries that a woman is supposed to have though. I do not like the colour pink, I do not like dresses, and I do not like “girly” things. I like sports and playing them, I like the colour blue, and I like to dress in things that I am comfortable in (hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts).
There are also traditional binaries for names; there are “boy” names and “girl” names. Names are a huge part of how a person expresses themself. A name should just be a name, it should not determine a person’s gender expression. Names have become a huge controversy today because “boy” names make girls be able to be seen as masculine; which goes against gender binaries (Pinsker, 2018). There is a difference associated between whose name is socially appropriate today and whose is not. According to an article written about boy’s names and girls names, “it’s considered perfectly fine for a girl to exhibit traits associated with masculinity, yet a “serious problem” when men or boys reveal “even a whiff of femininity” (Pinsker, 2018). Yet when a girl shows more “masculine” attribute, they are told it isn’t right just like when a boy shows more “feminine” attributes, they are also told it is not right. Why is it bad for typical gender roles to switch? Why does society think that everyone fits in one specific binary? Why do these binaries even exist?
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