Reworking Mollywood

Gender studies, a form of scholarship with strong connections to women’s studies and LGBTQI studies primarily challenges what Gayle Rubin refers to as the “sex/gender system”, which positions heterosexuality as the only normal form of sexual relations and thus bifurcates humans into “males” and “females”. To better ensure the distinction of these two sexes, the sex/gender system demands that the males always behave in ways conventionally understood as “masculine” while females must behave in a traditionally “feminine” manner. By linking these sexes to these specific genders, Rubin argues, the sex/gender system works as a powerful regulator of individual behavior and social relations, particularly with regard to the subjugation of women.