: Re: How do I present a future free of gender stereotypes without being jarring or overpowering the narrative? My story takes place in a relatively near future setting where gender stereotypes have

@Nickens642

Vote Up Vote Down

Treat it as if it were normal

Where I live slavery is not considered normal. The notion that my neighbour had a slave in their house would probably end up on national news and cause public stir. On the other hand, the same people that would be appalled by such event have no issues with watching TV shows where slavery is clearly a pillar of the fictional world. They accept it, and it does not look like it is jarring. Actually, in some recent episode, there happened a slave rebellion, and that caused a stir.

When you write you have full control over your world. Moreover, you have full control on how you describe it, and how your characters move in it. If a certain element of our world does not exist in your fictional world, then write accordingly. There is no need to mention that it is a difference: as long as your characters behave coherently with your assumptions, the reader will understand.

For instance, medieval fantasy fiction does not need to begin with "It is the Middle Age, there are no cars, there is no electricity, and people have low hygienic standards". Quite the contrary, it begins by telling the story, and continues, coherently with its setting. A good story does not need any additional explanation.

Removing gender stereotypes

How to convey the concept?

First, you need to clarify to yourself what you consider it to be a gender stereotype. Then you need to identify what makes up the discrimination, and attribute these items to all the genders, so that no gender can be identified by having it. For instance:

Are names an expression of gender stereotypes? If so, consider calling your characters with numbers, or with sequences of letters that can hardly be associated with a specific gender, e.g. OneFive, or Monon, or simply H.
Is clothing an expression of gender stereotypes? Consider using the exact same descriptions for every one: "the fabric covered the hips with a gentle shade of purple" and later "the purple fabric was wrapped around the arms", and so forth. make sure that the clothing shapes are consistent, but they can't be easily compared to our way of clothing
Is there a division of labor?
Is childbearing and childcaring a gender stereotype? Randomize or make it a shared effort. "They had been expecting their first child with increasing joy. It had soon become big enough that they could no longer sleep on their backs, nor go up the six flights of stairs without halting halfway to catch a breath. Yet, the thought of what was to come made them ecstatic."
Is appearance a stereotype? Give a variety of looks to all genders, so that no look belongs predominantly to one gender alone. You don't need to mention this fact, the variety will make the reader unable to associate a look with a particular gender. Let thick moustaches grow rampant, bald heads everywhere, and make tresses the fashion item of the season.

(0)

Login to post a comment!