To think that sex and gender are the same thing?

[StNinian]

I don't buy into the distinction many people make between the two terms nowadays. "Gender" was never a word used to describe how one feels/identifies behaves until recently. It has long been synonymous with "sex". Just curious to see if anyone else agrees with me.

Good point, no one can tell which sex The Rock is…

Ok, now I know you’re on the wind up.

Oh mate.
Thats pitiable.

I've answered repeatedly. I don't know how they decide to name animals or why only some of them.

Defining gender is the whole issue. People can't agree on it and that's why there is so much conflict. Who gets to decide? Who has the authority to define it? Sex is easy, it can be proven. But gender is a lot of opinion.

You wouldn't have a clue by their voice, size of hands / feet, presence of Adam's apple, breadth of shoulders, narrowness of hips, etc?

Sex is biological, e.g. chromosomes, internal and external sex organs so only 2 sexes. Gender is how you present yourself to the world so how feminine or masculine you present as.

It’s so hard to tell the difference isn’t it?! 😂

Why lol. My best friend looks like that. Although she isn't 6ft. She's a short ass. But people mistake her for a man (and then a lesbian) all the time based on how she looks. She keeps her hair short because it annoys her and she dresses like that because it's comfortable I suppose. She isn't any less female because of it. Yet people assume she's male.

I asked you how they decided which animals have a gender, not which animals have names. I’ve clarified this for you twice now.

So if no one can define the woman gender and the man gender, how can it possibly be important?! It’s an undefined idea. Meanwhile, everyone knows what sex is, so let’s just stick to that.

I dont get your point. I never said broad or mentioned muscles. Just tall. Women can be tall too you know.

You can’t see the height in these photos. Are you confused about their sex? Do you find it hard to tell which one is female and which is male without watching them perform gendered (undefined) stereotypes?

No, because bar the Adams apple, both men and women can be broad, narrow, high voiced, big/small hands and feet. And then there are variations in the size an Adam's apple can be.

It's stereotypes like that which make one gender think they can become another by changing the way they look.

I know who they are. Find a man and a woman who look the same then ask me.

I have read some amazingly ignorant posts on MN but this must be among the top five.

Ok. Couple of stock photos for you. Can you tell which is which?

What did I say that is wrong? Women can't have big feet? Men can't have high voices?

I don’t think you understand what stereotypes are.

Men and women have (primary and) secondary sex characteristics that make them identifiable.

I wear jeans and hoodies. I have short hair. I am a lesbian. I am 5'9 and quite muscular. From the back I have been mistaken for a man, but when I turn round and my secondary sex characteristics are observable - the error is instantly corrected and usually just elicits a smile and a "dont worry about it"

The pretence that male and female whether that be a man or a woman or a doe (no antlers unless a reindeer) or a deer (antlers and a cock) by the presence of sex characteristics is either pitiable or deliberately obtuse.

Sex and gender are of course two different things but I do agree that practically-speaking, those terms were used - and understood - interchangeably by the average person until the trans agenda. I'm very mindful to refer to sex only now.

Is it though? There are plenty of women that don't fit gender stereotypes- they might have short hair, wear a suit, wear no make-up, have hairy legs etc. yet still identify as a woman! Who decides which characteristics are masculine or feminine?

Oh I do. It's saying "because most males have XYZ, then anyone with XYZ must be male."

Most women want children. Therefore women want children.

Girls like pink. Therefore anyone who likes pink is a girl.

Most women have long hair. Therefore someone with long hair must be a woman.

Most men have bigger feet than women. Therefore someone with big feet must be a man.

Women wear makeup. Therefore if I wear makeup I'm a woman.

Agree with all the posters who have said:
Sex what you are born with - male or female
Gender is a choice and how you wish to be known
There are extremely rare cases when it is impossible to define a baby’s sex at birth, an entirely different matter.

Being masculine or feminine is not what makes you a man or a woman.

Female and male = biological sex
Feminine and masculine = Girls like pink. Boys like blue (stereotypes).

If you are female and you like the colour blue. Guess what? You’re still a woman because stereotypes don’t overrule biology/nature.

As to who defines what is masculine and what is feminine, well traditionally men have. Women didn’t get the chance to define femininity for themselves.

It's known as being gender nonconforming, or GNC.
Some people are gender non conforming because they do not adhere to gendered stereotypes, but are completely aware of and comfortable with their sex.

Society decided which characteristics are masculine and feminine, many people go against this because it is regressive.
But this doesnt stop the male hero rescuing damsels in distress in modern films, just like they did in the 40s. This is because gender stereotypes are still subtly enforced everywhere you look.

When I was at school in the Pleistocene, gender was a thing you had to learn about other languages. It's bloody obvious a table, a pond and a fork don't have a sex, so there was no confusion in our little schoolgirl minds.

By the time we got to sixth form (late Pleistocene, obvs), the concept of gender as sex-role stereotypes had become relevant. We'd never thought "feminine" equalled "female" so, again, there was no confusion.