Androgyny is a person’s demonstration of both feminine and masculine characteristics, not necessarily equivalent to one another. This phenomenon reveals itself both in the physical aspect, when the feminine and masculine are combined in the physical appearance, and in the psychological aspect, when a significant coefficient of femininity and masculinity, individual female characteristics and masculine ones are manifested at the same time. The concept of androgyny is an indicator of an individual’s gender role, and is not characterized by being naturally female or male. Androgyne is an individual whose gender role designation does not fit the unambiguous definition of either femininity or masculinity.
What it is
The term itself can be translated as “man-woman”. Androgyne is an individual who simultaneously demonstrates feminine and masculine characteristics or does not demonstrate gender at all. Some representatives themselves say this about themselves, but I’m not sure that this can be true. Still, the human race knows two genders, and at least one of them or both will make themselves felt. There can be no emptiness.
Androgyny is a combination of feminine and masculine principles in one person. But not in the form that it is in every person, but a reduction of both to the average. This is a variant of a person's gender identification.
Androgyny manifests itself:
- in appearance: short hair for a girl or long hair for a boy;
- clothing of the same size and unisex style;
- physique, for example, athletic physique in girls;
- behavior, choice of social roles.
Initially, androgynes were young men who outwardly demonstrated their belonging to the female gender. In the modern understanding, the same can be said about girls demonstrating masculinity, and a person of any gender who denies role stereotypes. For example, that boys should be strong and rude, and girls should be weak and obedient.
So-called social androgyny is indeed more common. It is preceded by the struggle for gender equality and women's passion for their careers. And it's not so bad. Men can be gentle with their beloved woman and children, while women can be decisive in work matters. This is necessary for full self-realization. But at the same time, other features characteristic of gender outweigh.
I am also against stereotypical upbringing; every person should have psychological and gender flexibility. But sometimes sexual disorientation is added to psychological androgyny. Losing sexual identity is a problem.
Androgyny theory
There is an ancient Greek myth about androgynous people. The philosopher Plato described them as ideal bisexual creatures who had the audacity to encroach on the power of the gods and in order to protect themselves from the attacks of androgens, Zeus separated them into different parts. This is how a woman and a man appeared in the world, and they will not be able to feel complete until they find their soul mate.
Psychologist Sandra Bem is considered to be the founder of the theory of androgyny, although Carl Jung was interested in this issue before her. According to Jung's works, the human psyche is androgynous by nature. The idea of the unity of anima and animus, the feminine in the masculine and the masculine in the feminine, was key in the archetypal view of psychological bisexuality. The “anima-animus” archetype is manifested in the unlived, repressed qualities and traits of an individual, which have significant energy and potential for personal self-realization. Awareness of the inner man by the woman, and by the man of the inner woman, is an important step towards a full harmonious life and personal quality growth.
Sandra Bem insisted that androgyny improves the chances of full adaptation in the social world. In 1970, a psychologist developed the concept of androgyny, which challenged beliefs about the opposition and mutual exclusivity of gender roles. S. Bem developed a questionnaire to diagnose people according to their gender role functions. Individuals with androgyny have a significant coefficient of masculine and feminine properties. “Feminine” individuals have more feminine traits and fewer masculine ones, “masculine” ones have more masculine characteristics and fewer feminine ones, those who have equally low femininity and masculinity coefficients are called “undifferentiated.”
According to this theory, Bem emphasized the importance of coordinating masculine and feminine indicators for the full socialization of the individual. Masculinity and femininity do not confront each other, but are equally important and attractive to the public environment. And a person who has the characteristics only of his natural sex seems less adapted to life. Over time, S. Bem agreed that the theory of androgyny is imperfect and not entirely adequate to reality. Since the problem of androgyny is not so much a change in individual characteristics as in social ones.
Causes
Psychiatrist Carl Jung adhered to the theory that every person has feminine and masculine principles, but in the process of socialization a person becomes one person and, for the sake of harmony, subsequently seeks a person of the opposite sex.
If we consider the phenomenon of androgyny from this point of view, taking into account cases not related to bisexuality, transgender people or other characteristics of sexual self-perception, then we can consider this as the norm.
Androgynes themselves say that they perceive themselves as a cross between a man and a woman, while they choose people of the opposite sex as partners. Often with the same mental androgyny.
There is a more original theory, which states that there are neutral souls that are accidentally imprisoned in the human body. I don’t believe in mystical ideas and prefer to look for a rational explanation. And by and large it is one thing: a person was not able to go through the stage of sexual identification, the peak of which occurs in adolescence.
Reasons for impaired self-identification:
- physical or psychological absence of one of the parents;
- non-acceptance of oneself;
- psychological trauma;
- parental overprotection of boys;
- demanding education of girls.
Feminine men and masculine women are not uncommon in society. Not everyone has this reflected in their appearance, but it is often found in their behavior. And this is a manifestation of androgyny.
Girls who did not have a father or a strong shoulder nearby become like this themselves. Those who have been raped block their femininity and weakness. And boys, whom their mother forbade to show independence, turn into gentle and timid “girls.”
How to accept yourself as you are?
Often, even in our time, a person with a “middle-sex” appearance causes bewilderment, ridicule and gossip in society. In this case, it’s worth paying attention to very famous models who have exactly these appearance features, conquering not only magazine covers, but also the hearts of fans. Today, one of the most famous is the androgyne Andrej Pejic, a native of Australia who has Serbian and Croatian roots. Being a tall man and having an athletic figure, his face looks incredibly feminine and gentle. Repeatedly he appeared as a standard model on the catwalk in order to present the next masterpiece of one of the world's designers. And it’s worth saying that Andrey always showed exclusively women’s collections. Among the androgynous models there are also girls who, on the contrary, have a boyish appearance and sometimes even a figure.
Diagnostics
The first major study of androgyny was that of Sandra Bem. She identified three psychological genders: masculinity, femininity and androgyny. The author even developed a test to diagnose the condition.
Try the diagnostics too. Answer “yes” or “no” to the following statements (to the extent that they are true for you):
- I'm confident.
- I can make concessions.
- I know how to help.
- I know how to defend my opinion.
- I'm cheerful.
- I'm gloomy.
- I'm independent.
- I'm shy.
- I'm conscientious.
- I have an athletic build.
- I can be gentle.
- I have good acting skills.
- I can be persistent.
- Sometimes I give in to flattery.
- Luck is with me.
- I can call myself a strong personality.
- If I'm passionate about something, I'm committed to it.
- Unpredictability is my second “I”.
- I am strong.
- I can be feminine.
- You can rely on me.
- I can analyze.
- I know what empathy is, I can show it.
- I'm jealous.
- I am a leader.
- I can take care of someone.
- I am straightforward and truthful.
- I like to take risks.
- I understand others.
- I'm secretive.
- I can make quick decisions.
- I know what compassion is, I can show it.
- I try to be sincere.
- I rely only on myself.
- I am able to console.
- I'm vain.
- I love power.
- I have a quiet voice.
- I'm attractive.
- I'm courageous.
- I'm cordial.
- I'm important.
- I always have my own position.
- I'm soft.
- I know how to make friends.
- I am often aggressive.
- Too trusting.
- I'm not very productive.
- I can lead.
- Prone to infantilism.
- I easily adapt to new conditions.
- I am an individualist.
- I don't like to swear.
- I'm not systematic.
- I have a competitive spirit.
- I like kids.
- I'm tactful.
- I'm ambitious.
- I am calm.
- I am prone to formalities, maintaining conventions.
Now compare the answers with the key:
- Masculinity (“Yes”): questions 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 43, 46, 49, 52, 55, 58.
- Femininity (“Yes”): questions 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41, 44, 47, 50, 53, 56, 59.
Calculate the match score for each scale and calculate the overall index (IS) using the formula: (femininity - masculinity): 2.322.
Determine the result:
- from -1 to +1 – androgyny;
- less than -1 – masculinity;
- more than +1 – feminine.
Androgynes - who are they?
Androgynes are people who are endowed with external characteristics of both sexes or combine both sexes. Usually, androgynes, using their unusual qualities of appearance, are in demand in the fashion industry, since in appearance they can resemble both men and women. Androgynes are a kind of “unisex” for fashion designers. Not only men, but also girls can be androgynous. As a rule, women show strength, and men show femininity and beauty. Androgynes are not always LGBT representatives and have feelings for people of the same sex.
Bilal Hassani, Eurovision 2019 participant, androgynous. Source: internet
Afterword
Modern psychology believes that androgynes are universal soldiers. They achieve greater success in life, are more active, stronger, and more resilient than other people. They have more creative potential. However, they cannot always control the gender poles. Especially in moments of social pressure. This, in turn, results in anxiety, irritation, and depression.
And let me remind you that we are talking only about psychological, social androgyny as psychological flexibility, and not about sexual disorientation. If the duality of social roles does not prevent a person from working, building a family, or living, then androgyny is not a problem.
Who is guilty
Sometimes androgyny can be a pathology. It occurs more often in women. This depends on the level of male hormones - androgens. They affect the functioning of the reproductive system. Androgenic hormones are constantly present in the female body, but do not affect appearance in any way. When there is a hormonal imbalance, their level increases, which leads to androgyny. The following can tell about the pathology:
- change in character;
- hair loss;
- change in voice timbre;
- the appearance of hair on the chest and face;
- disorders in the reproductive system;
- disruption of the menstrual cycle;
- increased attraction to the opposite sex.
Also, with an increase in androgens, a woman experiences a depressive state. In this case, you need to contact a specialist. The process of androgenization can provoke:
- taking hormonal medications;
- liver dysfunction;
- lack of vitamins in the body.
First, the doctor eliminates the cause of the growth of male hormones, then begins treatment of androgenization.
General information
Androgyny in men and women is a demonstration of the origins of the opposite sex. In certain situations, a guy can demonstrate femininity, a girl - masculine qualities. This phenomenon can manifest itself both psychologically and physically. More recently, the concept of androgyny was considered as a synonym for androgyny. However, psychoanalysts have come to the conclusion that the second phenomenon is physiological, while the first affects the mental side of human life.
This deviation is associated with the definition of stereotypical behavior that is distinguishable among people of different sexes. Men are strong, girls are caring. The norms of human behavior can be influenced by various factors, stereotypes begin to mix, then difficulties arise in determining gender, due to which the psychological type of androgyny is formed, which subsequently manifests itself externally.
Any deviation from the norm was considered suspicious. Today, many men can be caring and women can be strong and independent. However, this manifestation is not a sign of androgyny, since outwardly these people are no different from other representatives of their gender.
The occurrence of androgyny may depend on upbringing, as well as on the social circle of an individual. Based on these facts, psychologist Bem was able to identify the following categories of people:
- masculine - individuals who have a pronounced masculinity;
- feminine - pronounced feminine principle;
- androgynous - individuals who combine behavioral traits of both sexes;
- undecided - individuals who cannot decide which type of behavior to use.
In the modern world, an individual can have both feminine and masculine traits, choose the behavior that suits him in a particular situation, while remaining normal from society. Today, this quality helps people adapt to different life circumstances.
It must be understood that transsexuality or homosexuality is not androgyny.
Depending on what exactly a particular person lacks, he adds the missing features to his image, practically becoming something in between. There is a concept of unisex, a situation where a guy and a girl look the same and have similar habits. It is important to consider that from a physical point of view they remain a representative of their gender.
A woman has to be assertive if she wants to succeed in life, a man has to be romantic if he wants to build a lasting relationship.
