A Letter To My Younger Self: Grayson Perry
Liesbet Van Zoonen believes that, in her theory of feminism and study of female representation, that gender is constructed through discourse and that its meaning varies according to cultural and historical context.
The article is written by Grayson Perry who openly talks about his lifestyle as a Transvestite, claiming he had already began to explore this side to him by the time he was 16. This article paints an unconventional picture of what gender can look like, breaking the binary ideas of male and female that are typically presented to the audience in mainstream media. Furthermore, the magazine itself treats the subject of transvestitism as a normal and almost mundane subject, showcasing the magazine as forward thinking and progressive, as well as being an open platform for people of different sexualities, cultures, lifestyle and backgrounds to come forward and discuss without fear of judgement or backlash. In addition to this, it could be inferred that the Big Issue is a perceptive magazine that recognises the changing times and a growingly liberal attitude in youths. Van Zoonen talks of gender being constructed via historical and cultural context. Had the Big Issue published an article written by a transvestite 20 years prior, it likely would’ve been met with severe backlash and seen as highly taboo, however, in a time where, in the past 10 years, gender issues have been spoken about more than ever before and an increasingly open minded and progressive youth culture, this is not the case.