That awkward moment when you stand with a bunch of cute guys at the CEU Welcome party and, surprise-surprise, there are rolled eyes and strange silence when you answer “Gender studies” to the question about your department. And then one of those debatably straight men makes a joke that makes you feel even more confused: “But you do not look like you are from Gender studies department! You seem normal!”
A facepalm.
After a week or two you understand what their first thought was. This girl is either lesbian or feminist. (And in my humble opinion, they would prefer me to be lesbian. It is somehow more exciting).
You remember this funny distribution of students between the faculties in Hogwarts? When the Sorting Hat is hesitating where to put Harry Potter, he desperately whispers: “Not Slytherin, please” for Slytherin had a negative reputation, with many claiming that it was the source of most Dark Wizards in Britain?! It looks like departments at CEU do have reputations as well. And what is there so special (or so obnoxious?) about Gender studies department that makes people make a strange face after we enter the room?
I would classify the negative opinions in three main groups related to (sorry, could not avoid it due to psychological background) people’s phobias.
First myth about our department is that we are all homosexuals there. Not that it was of anybody’s business, by the way. But, according to public opinion, only gays and lesbians (ok, let’s also give a chance to bisexuals) can be interested in queer theory. Or LGBT movement. Or in history of sexuality. Well, and if these people are by some accident heterosexuals, then, apparently…
They are feminists (or lesbian feminists). By the way, what is there so scary about a feminist?
Well, first of all they are ugly. Therefore, nobody wants them. Hence, they are disappointed in heterosexual relationships and this is how they become either men-hating feminists (who do not have any idea about style, fashion and hygiene) or convert into lesbians (yeah, didn’t you hear that lesbians become lesbians because men do not want them? That’s how it works). So, basically, what we are doing there, we are making plans how to kill all men (except homosexuals) and conquer the world. This is what my thesis will be about.
Oh, yes, and also we are all useless activists there. Because, instead of doing something worth the effort, we spend lot of time informing people about domestic violence, for example. As if people at CEU did not know about domestic violence. Or even worse, we dance against gender violence. On the street. In the middle of the day. Indeed, are these people crazy?
We also write papers about sexuality, homosexuals, masturbation and other queer stuff. And talk about Foucault and Derrida in public places. I guess already for that our department should be put into separate building. Let’s isolate them!
Well, I hope you read the irony between the lines. To be fair, I also want to tell you that we have a lot of friends from other departments. And we keep on recruiting people! (Because we have cookies!). But sometimes I really get pissed off when I hear some insulting comments towards my department or fellow students. You know, most of us are getting not the first MA here. And if people with legal, economic, literature, PR, journalistic, psychological, IRES, historical, sociological, anthropological backgrounds from different parts of the world decided they need another degree in Gender studies, doesn’t it seem to you that there is also something useful about it? May be something, you have never thought about it?
So, next time, please, before saying “oh, you are too normal for Gender studies department”, think one more time what “normal” in your understanding is. Or, better, come and get to know us. I guess you might like what you will see.
Maryna Shevtsova, Ukraine
Gender Studies Department
Editor's note:
The author's name was not on purpose missing from the printed issue, it was a mistake .
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