Monday 17 October 2011

Initial Ideas - The Third Gender

 "We live in the Flower Boy Generation. Boys celebrated for being more beautiful then flowers."
- Korean Television Host

Yeah, I lied.
Prostitutes are my second favourite. My first are ladyboys.


Ladyboys - also referred to as the "third gender" - have also been a large part of history. Still popular today in mostly Asian countries (such as Thailand, India and Japan) they play a significant part in Asian culture, stretching from prostitution to fashion and media.

In Thailand, ladyboys (known as "Kathoey" in Thai) have become a tourist attraction. Its common for young men to change genders, and is the most common plastic-surgery performed in Thailand. Thai surgeons are the best in the world at gender-reassignment surgery, mostly due to how frequently they are paid to do it.
There are beauty pageants held each year, and there are even schools and universities strictly for Kathoey. 


The Hijra of India are probably the most well known and populous third sex type in the modern world. These are most commonly men who act and dress like women, or very feminine men. In Buddhism, gender is completely unessential, as Buddhists believe the body is simply a shell to store the soul. The Hijra view themselves as neither male nor female, and thus most don't physically change their gender.



In Japan, beautiful or feminine men are referred to as "Bishōnen," which basically translates to "Pretty Boy." Many Japanese actors and band members are Bishōnen, and it is a very popular trait in the Japanese media. Many stars and "idols" would also dress as females either for photo-sessions, or to play a character either in a show or as a gimic for their bands.



Although ladyboys are popular in Asia, we have our share in the west too. Just look at my class for example ~ you lot aren't exactly a buffet of manliness.
We have old classics like Lou Reed and David Bowie, but even after the 80's cooled off, we still have our flower boys.
The best example I can think of is the new Jean-Paul Gaultier model, Andrej Pejic. This Serbian, Croatian, Australian model was scouted just before his 17th birthday, and now is Gaultier's favourite model, mostly because of his androgynous appearance. 


Anywho, another idea to throw into my palace of sin and beauty. Lets see how this goes.

2 comments:

  1. 'you lot aren't exactly a buffet of manliness' oh Sai, you do make me laff

    ReplyDelete
  2. Of course. My wit is all I have >:)

    ReplyDelete