The Difference Between The Fa Afafine And The Samoan Culture

1205 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: American samoa culture thesis statement

The Fa’afafine and the Samoan Culture

According to the website, Fa’afafine: The boys raised to be girls (2013), Those classifies as Fa’afafine’s make up an important and accepted part of the Samoan culture. Fa’afafine’s are men who are raised as females and identify with that gender.

The Fa’afafine, which is also known as the third gender, has always existed within the Samoan society. When translated, “Fa’a” means 'in the manner' and “Fafine” means 'women', which basically translates directly to 'in the manner of women'. The Fa’afafine's have a very specific role in the Samoan society and their culture, which is an interesting contrast to transgenderism in the Western society where people who are viewed and who see themselves as being transgender are usually discriminated against, making it a difficult reality for those who are transgender to have active roles in their societies and culture. When looking at today's society specifically, it is clear to see that the Samoan society have a certain appreciation for the Fa'afafine that the western societies lacks, in regards to transgenderism. (Fa’afafine: The Third Gender in Samoa, 2016).

It is therefore important to highlight the difference between the Fa’afafine and the western concept of homosexuals. In other parts of the world, …show more content…

Being a Fa’afafine or the practise of males adopting female gender roles and attributes is deeply embedded in Polynesia. Some Polynesian elders believe there are boys born with the “Fa’afafine spirit”, while others say it can be nurtured. Even though the Fa’afafine are highly accepted in the Samoan culture, there is still rejection that can occur against the Fa’afafine and it therefore all depends on how accepting the person’s family, friends and surrounding environments are (Fa’afafine: The boys raised to be girls,

Show More
Related

  • Gender, Technology and Identity in How Sex Changed by Joanne Meyerowitz

    614 Words  | 2 Pages

    In How Sex Changed by Joanne Meyerowitz, the author tell us about the medical, social and cultural history of transsexuality in the United States. The author explores different stories about people who had a deep desired to change or transform their body sex. Meyerowitz gives a chronological expiation of the public opinion and how transsexuality grew more accepted. She also explained the relationship between sex, gender, sexuality and the law. In there the author also address the importance of the creation of new identities as well as how medication constrain how we think of our self. The author also explain how technological progress dissolve the idea of gender as well as how the study of genetics and eugenics impacts in the ideas about gender/sexuality and identity. But more importantly how technology has change the idea of biological sex as unchangeable.

    Read More

  • Paradise Bent Film Analysis

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    They are working as men and in the house they are housekeepers (Paradise Bent 00:09:24). Fa’afafines believe that In the western world they aren’t respected today as they are labeled “Drag Queens” and are considered a different sex as they are known as transgender in the United States (Paradise Bent 00:09:00). In Samoa. fa’afafines are not classified as gays which is what the western world would classify them (Paradise Bent 00:45:05). Moreover, the fa’afafines are aware that the modern world would not be very accepting of them and that they would face racism and homophobia. (Paradise Bent 00:44:45) They perceive the western world as always trying to label people into social groups such as gays, transvestis, and/or transexual and doesn’t explain what a fa’afafines is. The lack of acceptance from the modern world of people different from the common gender ideologies would be detrimental for any fa’afafine (Paradise Bent 00:45:11) In the eyes of the fa’afafine, the western world is seen as closed minded as they attempt to label/analyze

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Article 'Learning To Be Gendered'

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s society, it can be argued that the choice of being male or female is up to others more than you. A child’s appearance, beliefs and emotions are controlled until they have completely understood what they were “born to be.” In the article Learning to Be Gendered, Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell- Ginet speaks out on how we are influenced to differentiate ourselves through gender. It starts with our parents, creating our appearances, names and behaviors and distinguishing them into a male or female thing. Eventually, we grow to continue this action on our own by watching our peers. From personal experience, a child cannot freely choose the gender that suits them best unless our society approves.

    Read More

  • The Stonewall Riots

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    homosexual liberation. Some have demonstrated their anger and concerns about prejudice against homosexuals in both riots and artistic forms. Therefore, these people seek to prove to the heterosexual world that homosexual ‘deviancy’ was a myth.

    Read More

  • Policed Masculinity and Sexual Identity Stigmas

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    1. In Riseman and Seale’s chapter Betwixt and Be Tween, they focus on how sexual identity can be used to police a male’s masculinity. It can start with something as innocent as a shy, quiet boy who starts to be picked on because he is no assertive or aggressive like the other males. The way he is picked on can be the other boy’s called him a: faggot, gay, homo, or boy lover. This means at a young age boys start to think they have to be a certain way to seem manly: assertive, enjoy sports, and be better than girls in all aspects; these are just a few ways boys try to prove their masculinity. One example that proves this was discussed in this chapter. Some students, both male and female, are given a hypothetical situation about a boy, Marcus,

    Read More

  • Transgender In Pop Culture

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    To conclude, I chose this article as I found the discussion point interesting and wanted to bring to more people’s attention some of the underlying discrimination that is embedded in U.S. culture. Although transgender people are in the minority, they are no less than myself. I believe strongly that they deserve the same rights and opportunities that are presented to me daily. This article is relevant to the issues of Cultural Anthropology as it addresses questions surrounding gender stereotypes, gender discrimination, gender performance as well as relationship ties and kinship.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Society

    2016 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Boys will be boys, and girls will be girls”: few of our cultural mythologies seem as natural as this one. But in this exploration of the gender signals that traditionally tell what a “boy” or “girl” is supposed to look and act like, Aaron Devor shows how these signals are not “natural” at all but instead are cultural constructs. While the classic cues of masculinity—aggressive posture, self-confidence, a tough appearance—and the traditional signs of femininity—gentleness, passivity, strong nurturing instincts—are often considered “normal,” Devor explains that they are by no means biological or psychological necessities. Indeed, he suggests, they can be richly mixed and varied, or to paraphrase the old Kinks song “Lola,” “Boys can be girls and girls can be boys.” Devor is dean of social sciences at the University of Victoria and author of Gender Blending: Confronting the Limits of Duality (1989), from which this selection is excerpted, and FTM: Female-to-Male Transsexuals in Society (1997).

    Read More

  • Michael Levin and Abnormal Homosexuality

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    Homosexuality is a sensitive topic and often avoided in conversation. For centuries the human race has oppressed and persecuted others strictly because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual etc. Although it is disturbing to most of us, these actions still occur in our society today, as many believe that homosexuality is abnormal and disgraceful. One supporter of this belief is Michael Levin, who strongly believes that homosexuality is highly abnormal and thus, undesirable. Although his beliefs and theories supporting this claim are subjective, there is evidence that can support his stance on this topic; we will analyze this claim in further detail and how it relates to his other views mentioned in this essay.

    Read More

  • Personal Opinion Essay:The New Civil Rights Movement: A Fight for LGBTQIA Rights in the United States

    1419 Words  | 3 Pages

    The LGBTQIA community has faced strong opposition from groups falling outside this minority for years, primarily conservative and religious groups. This phenomenon is not particular to the United States, but spans hundreds of countries across the world. Religious leaders in varying religions not only oppose the act of marriage, but often times oppose the actual act of homosexual behavior. Often religious oppositionist will cite religious text, like the Bible as a means of opposing the LGBTQIA lifestyle. One of the most blatant oppositions to homosexual b...

    Read More

  • Learning Gender In a Diverse Society

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    This article was written to bring attention to the way men and women act because of how they were thought to think of themselves. Shaw and Lee explain how biology determines what sex a person is but a persons cultures determines how that person should act according to their gender(Shaw, Lee 124). The article brings up the point that, “a persons gender is something that a person performs daily, it is what we do rather than what we have” (Shaw, Lee 126). They ...

    Read More

  • The Gender Blur

    1540 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... drives. There are boys in the mountain villages of the Dominican Republic that lack testosterone and “are usually raised as ‘conditional’ girls” (681). Once these boys reach puberty, “the family shifts the child over from daughter to son. The dresses are thrown out. He begins to wear male clothes and starts dating girls” (681). These boys, also known as “guevedoces,” show biological features that produce in later stages of life rather than birth which determines gender role. My female cousin, who was raised by a single father, grew up acting and playing like a boy. She was very aggressive when she was younger but as she grew older, society and human nature has changed her. She is not only influenced by our culture to act in a feminine, lady-like way, but she is now an adult that wants to have a family and become a mother in order to produce off-springs and survive.

    Read More

  • The Third Sex in Eastern Civilization

    1341 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, Eastern and Western cultures clearly vary in the level of tolerance and acceptance they each have towards what is considered outside of the social norm for sex and gender. This is evident with the amount of acceptance of homosexuals and transsexuals in our everyday society as well as in some religious places of worship. There is also a great deal of tolerance for the idea of a third sex within the Indian and Hindu culture. Eastern cultures are definitely more accepting and open then Western cultures. Many studies have been done to prove this information and this paper draws on some of them.

    Read More

  • My Samoan Culture

    477 Words  | 1 Pages

    If I were to choose one place in the whole world which would be the best setting to learn the lessons of life, it would be at home with my family. I am from the islands of Samoa located in the Pacific. I grew up in a family of five people in a society of strong culture and religious atmosphere. I love being with my family because they play a vital role in my life. Most of my time was spent on helping out with the family chores, going to school and fulfilling my church callings. In this essay I will discuss how my culture, my family and my church has changed and molded my character for the better.

    Read More

  • Gender and Sexuality

    2683 Words  | 6 Pages

    There are different gender identities such as male, female, gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual that exist all around the world. There is inequality in gender identities and dominance of males regardless of which sexuality they fall under. The males are superior over the females and gays superior over the lesbians, however it is different depending on the place and circumstances. This paper will look at the gender roles and stereotypes, social policy, and homosexuality from a modern and traditional society perspective. The three different areas will be compared by the two different societies to understand how much change has occurred and whether or not anything has really changed.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Transformation of Intimacy by Anthony Giddens

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... decades ago. This book is one that will allow the reader to view many aspects of sexuality from a social standpoint, and apply it to certain social attitudes in our society today, these attitudes can range from the acceptance of lesbian and gays, and the common sight of sex before marriage and women equality. The new era of sexuality has taken a definite "transformation" as Giddens puts it, and as a society we are living in the world of change in which we must adapt, by accepting our society as a changing society, and not be naive and think all the rules of sexuality from our parents time our still in existence now.

    Read More

More about The Difference Between The Fa Afafine And The Samoan Culture

Open Document