Margaret Chung and Stereotypes

Last class's discussion on Margaret Chung piqued my interest, especially since Emma brought up Chung's possible genderqueer identity. In the context of the Judy Wu article, this possibility did not seem to be discussed at all. Instead, Wu analyzed Chung's cross-dressing and adoption of a masculine name only as an attempt at assimilation. As such, the article only gives a one-sided perspective on Chung's reasons for cross-dressing. It is impossible to know what Chung's exact reasons were for cross-dressing short of asking her directly (which does not seem to be a feasible action to take); however, to discuss the cross-dressing as merely a tool for assimilation and to only include evidence in support of that assertion skews the readers' evaluation of Chung's actions in relation to her personal gender identity. To not even mention the possibility of this alternate personal conception of self on Chung's part is a huge omission within the analysis of the article.

I have also been thinking about the discussion on the difference between "breaking" gender stereotype and "crossing" gender stereotypes. I believe I was personally uncomfortable with any assertion that Margaret Chung "broke" gender and racial stereotypes, because that phrase suggests that gender stereotypes were somehow changed, or even rendered non-existent, due to her actions. I think the article argues convincingly was not the case. Nonetheless, I definitely do agree that Margaret Chung challenged and crossed gender stereotypes first and foremost by opting to enter the masculine profession of surgeons and also by choosing to present herself in a masculine dress despite the obvious social pressures against doing so.

Within that framework, there is also the question of whether or not stereotypes can be "broken" in any sense of the word, which I think is another point that was briefly mentioned during class. I do not know if all stereotypes can be dissolved, but I do firmly believe that stereotypes can undergo the changes that would "break" them. Since stereotypes reside in the collective consciousness and are perpetuated through repetition, any "breaking" of a stereotype must happen on a mass scale. As such, even if Margaret Chung were trying to "break" stereotypes, she could never have been the sole perpetrator of such a change. She may have been a catalyst, but she would have had to have a critical mass of complicit participants to truly have any effect.

To a certain extent, "breakage" of stereotypes may always be imperfect. Many stereotypes that are not necessarily completely salient within the mass consciousness often still appear as historical artifacts that affect other assumptions. For instance, the belief in (and most of the major barriers to) women's ability to take on certain types of professions has been largely debunked in the American popular consciousness. However, women are still not equally represented in a variety of professions. In part, many pressures related to the original stereotype that set up indirect barriers (such as the belief that women are more suited to - both in the sense that they are more suited than men and more suited to be doing - domestic work) still exist. In addition, other stereotypes have been "broken" only because other (contradictory) stereotypes have usurped them. For example, the late-19th to early 20th presumption of the Asian (Chinese in particular) man as a sexually-threatening laborer has been replaced by the impotent nerd.

As stated previously, neither of these outcomes are ideal, and, in my eternal optimism, I believe that other "breakages" of stereotypes can occur outside of these two possibilities that can result in lasting positive changes. Right now, I can't think of any historical examples of a stereotype that has been disappeared without leaving any blemishes on the collective consciousness, and I won't necessarily spout any nonsense about universal acceptance and love of all human beings as the solution to the problem (mainly because I believe those models are also flawed in their own ways), but work against these stereotypes and the harm they bring is a large part of the feminist, anti-racist, anti-classist, etc. project. As such, it's always better to believe that the goal is achievable.