HuSS: International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Gender Dysphoria, Body Image and Trauma: Hijra’s Rewriting of the Self in Living Smile Vidya’s I Am Vidya: A Transgender’s Journey


Affiliations
1 Ph.D. Research Scholar, School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
2 Assistant Professor, School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
 

Physical appearance and representation are the two key aspects through which gender identity is expressed. However, these key aspects are subjected to many expectations and standards framed by society. It is highly challenging for transgender people to fulfil heteronormative standards of body image and structure. Thus, the individual who is identified as transgender encounters a variety of physical and psychological illnesses in a wide range of social contexts. Due to the mismatch between their biological and psychological sexes, transgender people tend to experience gender identity disorder which is often addressed through the term gender dysphoria. As a result, transgender people undergo psychological trauma that creates an impact on their daily routine and makes them feel utterly uncomfortable with their bodies. Thus, this research article explores the gender dysphoria and body image of transgender people with special reference to Living Smile Vidya’s autobiography, I am Vidya: A Transgender’s Journey (2007). In addition, this research article investigates the deplorable situation of Hijra in India, their inner turmoil and their psychological trauma through the memoir of Vidya who had transitioned from a man named Saravanan to a self-realized female named Vidya. By critically analyzing the text through the lens of queer theory, this research article speculates on the impact of trauma on Indian Hijra’s psyche and identity in their arduous journey to redefine themselves as new being.

Keywords

Body Image, Gender Dysphoria, Hijra, Identity Disorder, Trauma
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Butler J. Gender Trouble, Routledge, 2006.

  • Davies E. Finding Ourselves: Postmodern Identities and the Transgender Movement. Third Wave Feminism. 2004; 110–21 https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230523173_10

  • Ho J. Embodying Gender: Transgender body/subject formations in Taiwan. The Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Reader. 2015; 7(2):363–79. https://doi. org/10.4324/9780203960981-27

  • Kavitha TA. Gender Dysphoria among Indian Third Gender in Laxminarayan Tripathi’s Autobiographies. Think India Journal. 2019; 22(5):108– 13

  • Nair, HRJ. Literary potential and reformative power of transgender self writings from India. Quest Journal. 2021; 9(7):13–7.

  • Ramesh R, Sreelakshmi N. Existential crisis: A Transgender’s Journey. Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology. 2021; 25(6):8940 – 4.

  • Sowmya BV. Gender performativity in a trans gender’s self-narrative: A study of self- narratives of Vidya, Revathi and Laxmi. Literary Endeavour. 2019; 10(3):54– 8.

  • Vidya Living Smile. I am Vidya: A Transgender’s Journey. Rupa Publications. 2014.

  • Zimman L. Other Kind of Coming out. Gender and Language. 2009; 3(1):53–80. https://doi.org/10.1558/ genl.v3i1.53


Abstract Views: 531

PDF Views: 223




  • Gender Dysphoria, Body Image and Trauma: Hijra’s Rewriting of the Self in Living Smile Vidya’s I Am Vidya: A Transgender’s Journey

Abstract Views: 531  |  PDF Views: 223

Authors

M. Gowri Shankari
Ph.D. Research Scholar, School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Manali Karmakar
Assistant Professor, School of Social Sciences and Languages, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract


Physical appearance and representation are the two key aspects through which gender identity is expressed. However, these key aspects are subjected to many expectations and standards framed by society. It is highly challenging for transgender people to fulfil heteronormative standards of body image and structure. Thus, the individual who is identified as transgender encounters a variety of physical and psychological illnesses in a wide range of social contexts. Due to the mismatch between their biological and psychological sexes, transgender people tend to experience gender identity disorder which is often addressed through the term gender dysphoria. As a result, transgender people undergo psychological trauma that creates an impact on their daily routine and makes them feel utterly uncomfortable with their bodies. Thus, this research article explores the gender dysphoria and body image of transgender people with special reference to Living Smile Vidya’s autobiography, I am Vidya: A Transgender’s Journey (2007). In addition, this research article investigates the deplorable situation of Hijra in India, their inner turmoil and their psychological trauma through the memoir of Vidya who had transitioned from a man named Saravanan to a self-realized female named Vidya. By critically analyzing the text through the lens of queer theory, this research article speculates on the impact of trauma on Indian Hijra’s psyche and identity in their arduous journey to redefine themselves as new being.

Keywords


Body Image, Gender Dysphoria, Hijra, Identity Disorder, Trauma

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.15613/hijrh%2F2022%2Fv9i2%2F218178