-
Essay / Understanding the concept of queer theory and its examples in popular culture
During class discussions, we examined several approaches to sexuality and sexual practices. Queer theory is an extremely interesting but somewhat confusing topic to understand, but it is an important concept to understand. There are many queer theories, and various scholars are interested in queer theory and offer their perspectives on the notion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Queer theory has many definitions and it can mean something different to each individual. By definition, queer theory is a field of critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s from the fields of queer studies and women's studies. It includes both the theorization of homosexuality itself and queer readings of texts. Certain characteristics that unify most queer theories resist categorization of people and challenge the idea of essential identities. Queer theory is interested in breaking down the binaries that define the world as only being a specific way. This theory studies why some people are considered gender specific and why others are excluded. Queer theory also refers to questioning identity and therefore analyzes fixed identity categories such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and asexual. One scholar whose perspective was discussed in Queer: A Graphic History, with whom I agree, is Simon de Beauvoir. She was an existentialist at the beginning of the 20th century. His main statement centered on "existence precedes essence", which is the opposite of an essentialist's beliefs. This means that a person's personality is not created from a previously designed template but rather from the person engaging in the activity. As discussed in class, essentialism is the belief that humans have a fixed essence that anticipates the meanings we give ourselves from experience. Existentialists contrast this idea and believe in existentialism which is defined as the approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of will. De Beauvoir, being an existentialist, believes that the world and culture we are born into already has several meanings that restrict our freedom. She also points out that some people are always considered freer than others. I completely agree with his arguments because over time I realized that we should be free to choose and accept our sexual orientation, as well as the way we dress and look without judgment. She also wrote The Second Sex which focuses primarily on gender. De Beauvoir believes that gender is something we become rather than something we are. She also highlights the societal pressures placed on women to conform to society's notions of gender and become something for others and not for themselves. A second researcher profiled in the book was Jean-Paul Sartre. He was a 20th century Western philosopher and also an existentialist. He believed that we are in “bad faith” if we deceive ourselves into thinking that we must be a certain way because of social roles in a community or our biology. Bad faith refers to the adoption of false characteristics and values emanating from social forces, which overall leads to a lack of..