Tan Lined Gender

Someone wrote…

I feel more gendered by my tan lines than by my breasts. My breasts are part of MY body. My tan lines are signs of what my society incorrectly thinks about that body.

What’s your experience?


And what are you thinking about gender right now?


Posted by on August 22nd, 2011 at 08:00 am

Category: your voice 9 comments »

9 Responses to “Tan Lined Gender”

  1. Fizz

    Huh. It took me a second to wrap my head around this, but now I see what you mean and it annoys me too.

    [Reply]

  2. Anonymous

    It took me a moment to understand this, too, but now I totally get what you’re saying and I agree! I feel the same way, and I really wish it wasn’t so. I was thinking about this when I was at a lake yesterday.

    [Reply]

  3. Anonymous

    Conversely I long to have those tan lines, to make a statement about my gender that no one sees.

    [Reply]

  4. Anonymous

    My experience is that I have tan lines now. I choose the society I live in and I choose the clothing I wear. And until I choose differently, I will have tan lines.

    [Reply]

  5. radical/rebel

    I have looked a lot at my chest and thought the same thing. My tan lines are problematic. My body, less so (or even, not at all.) I <3 bodies!

    [Reply]

  6. ian c.

    even if nobody sees besides me, being tan all across my shoulders really helps me feel better about my body. slightly odd… but I have realized I have to grab on to whatever glimmering pebble trails of good body feeling that I can find. so I quell the voice inside of me that says that it’s vain or trivial, and get to work on that tan… :)

    [Reply]

  7. Jess

    Oh to have tan lines. I work all the time and the odd moment I get in the sun I’m slathered in sunscreen, because I never get to be in the sun just a little bit. They say that a good tan is becoming a sign of affluence. That is sad.

    [Reply]

  8. Anonymous

    Both my body and my tan lines say to me who I am, though most of society would interpret them as opposites.

    [Reply]

  9. Doc

    That\’s a mold-beraker. Great thinking!

    [Reply]


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