A psychobiographical analysis of Empress Dowager Cixi: exploring the femininity castrated complex.

In Chinese culture, there is a widely circulated phrase, 'A hen crows in the morning'. This phrase is used to humiliate women who steal power and engage in the political field. It demonstrates the complicated relationship between women and power in the context of Chinese culture. Women are not completely excluded from the politics, but women in power are often stigmatised. This study explores the life of Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), the last female dominator in Chinese history, takes psychobiography as the research method, and attempts to understand the complicated relationship between women and power in Chinese culture through analysing Cixi's life from the perspective of complex and cultural complex theory which originated with C.G. Jung and analytical theory. The research findings show that humiliating and suppressing women with political talent can trigger their complexes, both personal and cultural. This study attempts to propose the femininity castrated complex to better describe the conscious and unconscious psychological dynamics impacting on women within patriarchal, political Chinese culture. This complex further relates to (1) denying her biological sex in order to avoid accusations of superego and, (2) the relationship with her son who is not only her son, but also her enemy regarding (political) power.

Towards Gender Harmony Dataset: Gender Beliefs and Gender Stereotypes in 62 Countries.

The Towards Gender Harmony (TGH) project began in September 2018 with over 160 scholars who formed an international consortium to collect data from 62 countries across six continents. Our overarching goal was to analyze contemporary perceptions of masculinity and femininity using quantitative and qualitative methods, marking a groundbreaking effort in social science research. The data collection took place between January 2018 and February 2020, and involved undergraduate students who completed a series of randomized scales and the data was collected through the SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics platforms, with paper surveys being used in rare cases. All the measures used in the project were translated into 22 languages. The dataset contains 33,313 observations and 286 variables, including contemporary measures of gendered self-views, attitudes, and stereotypes, as well as relevant demographic data. The TGH dataset, linked with accessible country-level data, provides valuable insights into the dynamics of gender relations worldwide, allowing for multilevel analyses and examination of how gendered self-views and attitudes are linked to behavioral intentions and demographic variables.

Beauty is in the nose of the beholder: Fragrance modulates attractiveness, confidence and femininity ratings and neural responses to faces of self and others.

Previous research investigated cross-modal influence of olfactory stimuli on perception and evaluation of faces. However, little is known about the neural dynamics underpinning this multisensory perception, and no research examined perception for images of oneself, and others, in presence of fragrances. This study investigated the neural mechanisms of olfactory-visual processing using electroencephalography (EEG) and subjective evaluations of self- and other-images. 22 female participants evaluated images of female actors and themselves while being exposed to the fragrance of a commercially available body wash or clean air delivered via olfactometer. Participants rated faces for attractiveness, femininity, confidence and glamorousness on visual analogue scales. EEG data was recorded and event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with onset of face stimuli were analysed to consider effects of fragrance presence on face processing, and interactions between fragrance and self-other image-type. Subjective ratings of confidence, attractiveness and femininity were increased for both image-types in pleasant fragrance relative to clean air condition. ERP components covering early-to-late stages of face processing were modulated by the presence of fragrance. Findings also revealed a cross-modal fragrance-face interaction, with pleasant fragrance particularly affecting ERPs to self-images in mid-latency ERP components. Results showed that the pleasant fragrance of the commercially available body wash impacted how participants perceived faces of self and others. Self- and other-image faces were subjectively rated as more attractive, confident and feminine in the presence of the pleasant fragrance compared to an un-fragranced control. The pleasant fragrance also modulated underlying electrophysiological activity. For the first time, an effect of pleasant fragrance on face perception was observed in the N1 component, suggesting impact within 100 ms. Pleasant fragrance also demonstrated greater impact on subsequent neural processing for self, relative to other-faces. The findings have implications for understanding multisensory integration during evaluations of oneself and others.

Exploring differences between gender expressions in exercise self-efficacy and outcome expectations for exercise in individuals with stroke.

Gender expression may be associated with exercise self-efficacy and outcome expectations for exercise in the general population. Exercising for challenge and enjoyment are associated with the instrumental traits typically held by individuals with masculine gender expressions. Conversely, exercising for weight loss to receive validation from others are in line with the expressive traits most commonly held by individuals with feminine gender expressions. Moreover, possessing neither dominant nor expressive traits (undifferentiated gender expressions) have been linked to poorer psychological outcomes. Exercise is important after stroke, but gender differences in psychosocial factors for exercise in this population were unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore whether gender expression differences exist in exercise self-efficacy and outcome expectations for exercise post-stroke. Gender expression (masculine, feminine, androgynous, undifferentiated) was assessed using the Bem Sex-Role Inventory-12 (BSRI-12) in 67 individuals with stroke. Self-efficacy and outcomes expectations for exercise were assessed using the Self-Efficacy for Physical Activity Scale and Short Outcome Expectations for Exercise Scale, respectively. One-way analysis of covariance models were conducted, adjusting for biological sex, age, and time post-stroke. There were differences in exercise self-efficacy across the four gender expression groups (F(3,60) = 4.28, p<0.01), where individuals with masculine gender expressions had higher self-efficacy than those with undifferentiated gender expressions (adjusted mean: 3.56 [SE: 0.17] vs. 2.72 [SE:0.18], p<0.01). There were no differences in outcome expectations for exercise (F(3,57) = 1.08, p = 0.36) between gender expressions. In our pairwise comparisons, we found that individuals with masculine gender expressions had higher exercise self-efficacy than individuals possessing undifferentiated gender expressions. Strategies to enhance exercise self-efficacy after stroke are needed, particularly for individuals with undifferentiated gender expression. There were no associations between gender expression and outcome expectations for exercise after stroke. Clinicians may continue reinforcing the positive expectations towards exercise across all gender expressions.

'Just a colour?': Exploring women's relationship with pink alcohol brand marketing within their feminine identity making.

BACKGROUND: The pinking of alcohol products and marketing (i.e. the (over) use of the colour pink as a feminine aesthetic) is a form of gendered marketing that is used by the industry to target and appeal to the female market, and encourage sales and alcohol consumption. However, little is known about how women relate to and view such marketing, and how such products feature in their performance of femininities through drinking practice. METHODS: Semi-structured individual (N = 39) and group (N = 79) interviews with 117 women who drank alcohol and participated in the night time economy in the city of Liverpool in North West of England were conducted to gain insight into their attitudes towards the use of pink in alcohol product design and marketing content, and how this relates to their feminine identity making in intersectional ways. Interviews with individuals (N = 23) working in alcohol brand marketing locally, nationally and globally were also conducted to explore the use of pink marketing. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: The pinking of products and marketing was considered the most obvious form of female targeted marketing by both women and marketers. Discussion of pink drinks generated in depth discussions of the femininities and connotations attached to the colour. Reflecting a conventional and normative femininity, women conformed to, and/or rejected pink products and marketing, within their feminine identity making. Four themes are presented that draw attention to the similarities and differences between marketers and women's perspectives on pink marketing, and how women's relationship with pink marketing and products were nuanced, varied in relation to their feminist identities, and intersected with other social positions such as sexuality and class. CONCLUSION: The article makes an original and significant contribution to the field on gendered drinking practices and identity making and the influence of alcohol marketing on these processes, and is novel in addressing the usual omission of industry voice in discussions of marketing. It concludes that in the current context of contemporary feminism, in which (young) women are endorsing feminist identities, women's relationship with feminism influences their attitudes to marketing such as pinking, and their likelihood of consuming such products.

Beyond femininity or masculinity: gender typologies and healthy eating in early adulthood.

PURPOSE: In the field of health sciences gender is often confused with biological sex (male/female) or reduced to a dichotomous classification (masculinity/femininity). The concepts of sex and gender interact with each other, but they are not equivalent. According to Sandra Bem four gender typologies can be established (androgynous, masculine, feminine and undifferentiated). A relationship has been shown to exist between gender and health. Yet, there is little evidence as to the relationship between gender typologies and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The aim of this research is to evaluate the association between Bem's gender typologies and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. METHODS: Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) and Bem's gender typologies were the main variables. Sex, age, socioeconomic status (SES), body mass index (BMI) and obesity were analyzed as covariates. RESULTS: Multilevel multivariate analysis showed that androgynous typology was associated with increased adherence to Mediterranean diet (ß = 0.46 (SE 0.21), p = 0.033), adjusting by covariates, in a university population in Spain. Moreover, this was not the case with masculinity or femininity typologies. CONCLUSION: Thus, the results of this study suggest (1) that androgynous typology is not only associated with better mental health but also with healthy/healthier lifestyles, and (2) the complexity of the relationship between sex-gender and health would advise researchers avoid dichotomies such as male/female or masculinity/femininity.

Acca soror: Queer kinship, female homosociality, and the Amazon-huntress band in Latin literature.

Despite the modern association of ancient Amazons and Diana's huntresses with lesbianism, scholarly accounts of these groups as they appear in ancient Greek and Roman literature have rarely adverted to any hints of homoeroticism. This article re-examines several narratives concerning Amazons and huntresses in Latin literature (including Camilla in Vergil's Aeneid and Phaedra in Seneca's eponymous tragedy) from the perspective of queer kinship and female homosociality, demonstrating the ways in which these characters subvert traditional norms of kinship and femininity, replacing patriarchal control with female sodality, often imaged as a "sister" relationship. It suggests that, even if we do not interpret these intense homosocial bonds as erotic, we can nonetheless perceive a more radical rejection of social norms that transcends genital sexuality and merits the label of "queerness", insofar as queerness can be defined as a resistance to normativity.

"E Eu Não Sou Uma Mulher?" Confluências Entre a Psicanálise e a Mulher Negra / "And Am I Not a Woman?" Confluences Between Psychoanalysis and the Black Woman / "¿Y Yo No Soy Una Mujer?" Confluencias Entre el Psicoanálisis y la Mujer Negra

Este trabalho é um recorte de nossa pesquisa de mestrado, que se propôs a investigar, a partir de narrativas de mulheres negras, as percepções e significados de suas experiências enquanto mulheres, como também identificar os marcadores da diferença de suas vivências em torno da feminilidade e o que faz uma mulher negra experimentar a feminilidade de uma forma própria. Apoiamo-nos na perspectiva metodológica da pesquisa psicanalítica dos fenômenos sociais e políticos, por compreender que nossa questão advém de um impasse político-social, que foi examinado a partir da relação transferencial e da indissociabilidade entre teoria, clínica e pesquisa. Utilizamos o recurso de entrevistas enquanto instrumento para a produção do material de análise. Assim, entrevistamos três mulheres negras, convidadas a compartilhar suas histórias e experiências enquanto mulheres. A partir do debate teórico e do material levantado nas entrevistas, foi possível identificar as complexidades do processo de tornar-se mulher e negra, a partir dos marcadores difundidos no laço social, por possuir especificidades subjetivas. Para além disso, pensar no significado dos símbolos utilizados por mulheres negras e contar com uma outra mulher negra para apresentar esses elementos são direções que podem impactar a experiência da feminilidade dessas mulheres.

This work is part of our master's research, which has proposed to investigate, from narratives of black women, the perceptions and meanings of their experiences as women, as well as to identify the markers of the difference in their experiences around femininity and what makes a black woman experience femininity in her own way. We rely on the methodological perspective of psychoanalytic research on social and political phenomena, understanding that our issue stems from a political-social impasse, which has been examined from the transferential relationship and the inseparability between theory, clinic and research. We have used the interview resource as an instrument for the production of analysis material. Thus, we have interviewed three black women, which were invited to share their stories and experiences as women. From the theoretical debate and from the material that have raised in the interviews, it was possible to identify the complexities of the process of becoming woman and black, from the markers scattered through the social bond, as it has subjective specificities. Furthermore, thinking about the meaning of the symbols used by black women and relying on another black woman to present these elements are directions that can impact these women's experience of femininity.

Este trabajo forma parte de nuestra investigación de maestría, que se propuso indagar, a partir de narrativas de mujeres negras, las percepciones y significados de sus experiencias como mujeres, así como identificar los marcadores de la diferencia en sus experiencias en torno a la feminidad y que le permita experimentar la feminidad a su manera. Nos apoyamos en la perspectiva metodológica de la investigación psicoanalítica sobre los fenómenos sociales y políticos, entendiendo que nuestro problema surge de un impasse político-social, que fue examinado desde la relación transferencial y la inseparabilidad entre teoría, clínica e investigación. Utilizamos el recurso de la entrevista como instrumento para la producción de material de análisis. Así, entrevistamos a tres mujeres negras, invitadas a compartir sus historias y experiencias como mujeres. A partir del debate teórico y del material levantado en las entrevistas, fue posible identificar las complejidades del proceso de hacerse mujer y negra, a partir de los marcadores difundidos en el vínculo social, ya que tiene especificidades subjetivas. Además, pensar en el significado de los símbolos utilizados por las mujeres negras y confiar en otra mujer negra para presentar estos elementos son direcciones que pueden impactar la experiencia de la feminidad de estas mujeres.

Long-term exposure to exogenous phthalate, masculinity and femininity trait, and gender identity in children: a Chinese 3-year longitudinal cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Phthalate esters (PAEs) are known to have hormone-like properties, and there is a growing trend of children expressing a gender identity different from assigned sex. However, there has been limited research in the potential links between PAEs exposure and gender identity. METHODS: A total of 571 children (278 boys) completed the follow-up from Oct 2017 to Oct 2020 in Childhood Blood Pressure and Environmental Factors (CBPEF) cohort in Xiamen, China. Urinary PAE metabolites were measured at three time of visits using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The Children's Sex Role Inventory scale was used to assess gender identity (masculinity, femininity, androgyny and undifferentiated), and Tanner definition was used to define puberty timing. Generalized linear models and log-binomial regression were used to assess the relationships between PAEs exposure, gender trait scores and gender identity. RESULTS: Overall, the concentration of most PAEs in more than 90% of participants was above the limit of detection values. In visit 1, there were 10.1% boys with femininity and 11.3% girls with masculinity; while these figures increased to 10.8% and 12.3% during follow-up, respectively. Early puberty onset accounted for 24.8% and 25.6% among boys and girls. Long-term exposure to mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) (ß = 1.20, 95%CI = 0.13, 2.28), mono-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl phthalate (MEHHP) (ß = 1.25, 95%CI = 0.22, 2.28) and mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalate (MEOHP) (ß = 1.40, 95%CI = 0.24, 2.56) was associated with the increased differences of femininity trait scores in boys who enter puberty earlier, prolonged exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) might also have such a positive impact (ß = 1.38, 95%CI = 0.36, 2.41). For gender identity, persistent exposure to low molecular weight phthalates (LMWP) was negatively associated with undifferentiated type among boys entering puberty earlier (RR = 0.18, 95%CI = 0.05, 0.75, P < 0.05), and most of the PAE metabolites exposures showed risk ratios > 1 for their femininity. CONCLUSION: Long-term exposure to PAEs increase the femininity trait scores in boys with early onset of puberty. Although the mechanisms remain to be determined, environmental pollution might have subtle, yet measurable effects on childhood gender identity. Reducing these chemicals exposure has important public implications on gender development.

Effects of masculinity vs. femininity on competence judgement of politician faces and election outcome prediction.

First impressions of politician faces can be effective in predicting election outcomes, based on perceived competence from candidate photographs. However, it remains unclear whether such effects arose from facial features or other non-facial information present in the photographs (e.g. hairstyles, clothes, or poses). In four pre-registered studies, participants completed two tasks in a counter-balanced order: rating competence of individually presented faces and predicting election outcome of each pair of winner and runner-up faces. We examined competence judgment and election outcome prediction on faces from male politicians depicted on original portraits (Experiment 1), or on computer-generated faces with facial features extracted from the portraits (Experiment 2). The faces were then either masculinized or feminized (Experiments 3 and 4). We found that competence ratings were significantly higher for winners than runners-up and that winners were more likely predicted to win the elections than runners-up in all but Experiment 4, where faces of the winners were feminized and faces of the runners-up were masculinized. Regardless of facial feature changes, correlations were found between competence ratings and election outcome prediction. These findings suggest that facial features are critical for evaluating competence and predicting election outcome, and that masculine features may enhance stereotypical leadership impressions.

On Becoming And Being A Subject Of Sexual Desire.

Emergent erotic desire, it is proposed, becomes represented in the mind and body through identification with caregivers as subjects of desire. Here the focus within desire is on erotic desire for another person, both desire for and the wish to be desirable to particular others. Children are seen to identify with caregivers' modes of embodying erotic desire for others (including ways of moving, dressing, relating, and so on that they fantasize as expressing erotic desire for others) in order to represent, psychically and bodily, their emerging erotic desire. These identifications-desire identifications-have a role in representing desire for others that is comparable to the role played by gender identifications in the representation of gender. Embodiments of desire for others, it is argued, are distinguishable (momentarily) from embodiments of masculinity and femininity. These embodiments of desire are routinely characterized, erroneously, as masculinity or femininity by caregivers and culture, and this misrecognition of desire for others as gender is traumatic to the self in its formation as a subject of desire. An extended clinical case is presented to illustrate how desire identifications might arise in the analytic dyad, relationally, bodily, and erotically in the transference-countertransference.

The second empty nest: The lived experience of older women whose intensive 'grandmotherhood' has ended.

Grandmothers are the major nonparental unpaid source of childcare in Western societies. Intensive caring for grandchildren may pose challenges to some grandmothers, but also offers an opportunity to refill the 'empty nest' often experienced in mid-life. When grandmothers' intensive involvement in their grandchildren's care decreases significantly or ceases altogether, they may experience a recurrence of the empty nest syndrome. This may be particularly powerful in the familial and pro-natalist Israeli society, where caring for children is a central tenet of femininity. Despite the growing numbers of grandmothers whose intensive involvement in caring for their grandchildren has ended, this transition has been overlooked socially and rarely examined empirically. To fill this void, the present study examined the lived experience of these grandmothers and the relevance of the concept of the 'second empty nest' in this context. Within a phenomenological study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 Israeli women whose intensive 'grandmotherhood' (childcare occurring at least three times per week, for at least two hours each day, for a minimum of two years) has ended. These interviews were analyzed according to Moustakas' phenomenological analysis. The analysis revealed four themes: the circumstances of the cessation of intensive childcare involvement; difficulties and challenges experienced; positive aspects associated with it; and behavioral and cognitive strategies utilized to cope with the void in grandmothers' lives. The grandmothers' experiences reveal a significant similarity to that reported by mothers undergoing the empty nest syndrome. Hence, we offer the term 'the second empty nest' to represent the phenomenon of grandmothers' cessation of intensive childcare. Alongside the similarities between the two empty nests, the challenges of the second transition seem more intense than those posed by the first. This is due to the different locations of mothers and grandmothers across the lifespan and the intersection between sexism and ageism that underlies Western societies. Possible practices to assist grandmothers undergoing the second empty nest are suggested.

Women's Preferences for Masculinity in Male Faces Are Predicted by Material Scarcity, But Not Time or Psychological Scarcity.

Facial femininity in men is purportedly used as a cue by women as a signal of parental quality and willingness to provide resources. Accordingly, in contexts where choosing a partner that will provide resources is more beneficial (e.g., when resources are scarce), women have shown an increase preference for facial femininity in male faces. However, domains of scarcity often covary, and it is, therefore, unclear whether these contextual shifts in facial masculinity/femininity preferences are specific to material scarcity (as implied by previous theory), or due to an unrelated domain of scarcity (e.g., time or psychological scarcity). Here, a sample of 823 women completed the Perceived Scarcity Scale, which measures three separate domains of scarcity: material scarcity, time scarcity, and psychological scarcity. Participants also rated the attractiveness of 42 male faces, which were measured on objective sexual dimorphism and perceived masculinity. Consistent with theory, material scarcity, and not time or psychological scarcity, was associated with a decreased preference for objective sexual dimorphism (i.e., an increased preference for facial femininity). This study provides evidence that women use sexual dimorphism as a cue to material resource provisioning potential when assessing men as a mate.

Abolishing the Captivity of a Tyrannized Woman: Evidence of Bion's Concept of the Contact-Barrier as Manifested in Dreams.

Bion's notion of the contact-barrier formulates a semipermeable membrane responsible for preserving the distinction between the conscious and the unconscious. However, the question of how a newly established contact-barrier manifests itself in dreams remains unanswered. The author proposes that one such manifestation occurs when a patient sees themself asleep in a dream. A case of a severely traumatized woman who had difficulty thinking and being close to others is used to explore these clinical ideas. The author, in response to his reveries in a session, introduced a playful dream-like dialogue between a playwright and his reader. The nature of the communication, in functioning as a barrier, served to protect the patient from a tyrannizing reality: the therapist's sexuality. This intersubjective barrier helped the patient to contact dissociated and damaged parts of herself, and it also facilitated her ability to dream a sense of her own boundaries, femininity, and sexuality.

O psicanalista e sua inserção em uma instituição de saúde da gestante / El psicoanalista y sus intersecciones en una institución de salud de la gestante / The psychoanalyst and his/her insertion in a pregnant woman's health institution

Tem-se como objetivo investigar a necessidade da escuta subjetiva das gestantes em instituição de atenção à saúde da mulher, localizada em Minas Gerais, a partir da perspectiva psicanalítica. Ao se ater aos discursos que regem a instituição, este encontro possibilita a elaboração de novos saberes sob a ótica da hipótese do inconsciente. Após uma experiência institucional, identificou-se os impactos da perda de documentos, evidenciando uma lacuna em sua história. Compreende-se que os preceitos da micro-história enodados com a psicanálise aplicada podem nortear esta investigação, fazendo emergir memórias marginalizadas. Constata-se que o espaço da gestante na instituição se restringe ao acompanhamento obstétrico. Por fim, efetuou-se, a partir de elementos da psicanálise, a constatação da carência de uma escuta na instituição.

The objective is to investigate the need for subjective listening of pregnant women in an institution of women's health care, located in Minas Gerais, from the psychoanalytic perspective. By sticking to the discourses that govern the institution, this meeting enables the elaboration of new knowledge from the perspective of the hypothesis of the unconscious. After an institutional experience, the impacts of the loss of institutional documents were identified, evidencing a gap in its history. It is understood that the precepts of micro-history knotted with applied psychoanalysis can guide this investigation, bringing out marginalized memories It appears that the pregnant woman's space in the institution is restricted to obstetric follow-up. Finally, based on elements of psychoanalysis, the verification of the lack of listening in the institution was carried out.

Se tiene como objetivo investigar la necesidad de escucha subjetiva de las gestantes en institución de atención a la salud de la mujer, ubicada en Minas Gerais, a partir de la perspectiva psicoanalítica. Al atenerse a los discursos que rigen la institución este encuentro posibilita la elaboración de nuevos saberes bajo la óptica de la hipótesis del inconsciente. Después de una experiencia institucional, se identificó los impactos de la pérdida de documentos, evidenciando un déficit en su historia. Se comprende que los preceptos de la microhistoria enlazados con el psicoanálisis aplicada pueden nortear esta investigación, haciendo

Real Face Analysis of Masculinity-Femininity, Facial Ratios, and Attractiveness.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have evaluated the influence of facial features in determining male and female sex using prototypical renderings or artificially altered faces in relatively small sample sizes. Using a large set of human photographs and raters, this study hypothesized that certain anatomic facial ratios are associated with perceptions of masculinity/femininity, can interact to predict sex, and are associated with ratings of attractiveness differently in males and females. METHODS: Ratings of masculinity-femininity and binary self-identification (male or female) were compared with facial anatomic ratios from 827 frontal facial photographs. Ratios were used to characterize facial feature relativity, where higher ratio scores indicated relatively more facial feature representation. RESULTS: Femininity was associated with prominent middle third ratio, nose length, lip vermillion height, eye height, and eye width ratios; masculinity was associated with prominence of the upper and lower facial thirds, nose width, chin height, and philtrum height ratios (all P < 0.01). Subgroup analysis demonstrated many of these relationships persisted when evaluating masculinity in females and femininity in males. Misgendering in males was associated with greater middle third ratio and upper lip ratio, whereas misgendering in females was associated with increased nose width ratio. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates associations of femininity with increased horizontal middle third representation, and masculinity was associated with increased upper and lower horizontal representation. These facial ratios interact to predict male and female sex, which could have implications for optimizing facial feminization/masculinization outcomes and building algorithms for artificial intelligence analysis of faces.

"It is what we have been told to do": Masculinities and femininities crossing with sexual orientation and feminist activism in Spain.

Masculinities and femininities are often characterized by social inequalities and mainly studied from the perspectives of adult, heterosexual and non-activist people. This study explores the discourses on masculinities and femininities of young cisgender men and women, involved or not in feminist activism and of different sexual orientations (heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual) in Spain. Between 2019 and 2020, we conducted a qualitative study with 20 semi-structured interviews and 8 discussion groups in which 73 people participated. A socially dominant gender discourse was identified, which establishes a dichotomous understanding of masculinity in constant confrontation with femininity, as well as of heterosexuality against homosexuality, in a heteronormative context. Young people discursively position themselves differently from said discourse according to their sexual orientation and involvement in feminist activism. We encounter discursive positions that reproduce the socially dominant gender discourse, especially detected among non-activist heterosexuals. We also observe others that try to transgress it, mainly among activists of all sexual orientations and non-activist homosexuals and bisexuals. This study empirically adds to the knowledge of the configuration of inequalities in gender relations and how interactions with sexuality take place. The results also provide guidance for future gender-transformative interventions to promote gender equality and social justice.

Red background color biases gender categorization of human faces.

Color carries gender information (e.g., red-female). This study explored whether background color could influence the gender categorization of human faces. Visual stimuli were generated from faces whose sexually dimorphic content was morphed monotonically from female to male perception. The face stimulus was presented upright (Experiment 1) and inverted (Experiment 2) with three background colors (i.e., red, green, and gray). Participants were instructed to categorize the gender of the face stimulus as male or female by pressing one of two labelled keys. Results showed that a red background could bias the gender of an ambiguous upright face toward a female compared with green and gray background colors (Experiment 1). However, this red effect was diminished when the face stimulus was inverted (Experiment 2). These results suggest that red background color interacting with facial configuration features biases gender perception toward a female face, possibly through top-down processing of learned associations between the color red and femininity.

Stigmatization of binge eating disorder in men: Implicit associations with weight status and femininity.

BACKGROUND: Eating disorders are highly stigmatized, but stigma against binge eating disorder (BED) specifically is relatively understudied, especially in men. We compared perceptions of a male target with BED to one with alcohol use disorder (AUD), which shares the key characteristic of subjective loss of control over consumption. We also investigated how participants' eating and alcohol use behaviors and attitudes towards psychotherapy influence perceptions of these disorders. METHODS: Participants (n = 402) viewed vignettes describing a male target engaged in excess alcohol use or binge eating and rated the target on various attributes and as being responsible for or in control of their behavior and suffering from an addiction warranting treatment. Participants completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Binge Eating Scale, and questions about attitudes towards and experience with psychological treatment. RESULTS: The BED target was rated as significantly less "thin," more "overweight" and "obese", and higher on several positive attributes and traits traditionally associated with femininity; the AUD target was thought more likely to be suffering from an addiction and in need of psychological treatment (all p < .05), with no differences between targets in ratings of responsibility for or control over the problematic behavior. Ratings were unrelated to participants' attitudes towards or experience with psychological treatment and personal alcohol consumption or binge eating behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: BED in men appears less stigmatized than AUD but is implicitly associated with weight status and femininity, which may increase reluctance to seek treatment. Both AUD and BED were generally recognized as pathological and warranting intervention.