American Issues with Normalcy

In reading Chase and Kessler's articles on transgender genital reconstruction, I am faced with a question which I have never considered. As is noted in both articles, this minority is often silent, and the transgender condition is associated with embarrassment. I think that an aspect of American society is the desire to be "normal," and this desire is clearly reflected in the practice of cosmetic surgery on abnormal genitalia of infants.

As Chase pointed out, parents are usually eager to "fix" their child's problem quickly and early. It is generally accepted that without a clear, fixed gender, a child will not be able to function normally in society. However, as her personal experience goes to show, the surgical option is not really the solution to the problem. In fact, her life was more negatively affected by the attempts to fix the "problem" than the actual problem itself.

Kessler delves more into the concept of the desire to be "normal" in her discussion of elective cosmetic surgery. Through giving individuals the chance to look "normal," the concept of normal has changed. Kessler even claims that the "distinction between 'normal' and 'ideal' has collapsed." I definitely agree that the more our society relies on surgery to conform to social norms, this concept will become skewed. In a society where fitting in is idealized, it is definitely problematic to have a constantly shrinking perception of what is accepted as "normal."