Snapdragon

In the 21st century, many cultural conversations revolve around the distinction between sex and gender. The author delineates the two, adhering to the narrative that, as Zuleyka Zevallos states in The Other Sociologist, sex consists of “biological traits that societies use to assign people into the category of either male or female, whether it be through a focus on chromosomes, genitalia or some other physical ascription” while gender is “an understanding of how society shapes our understanding of those biological categories” (Zevallos, Zuleyka. “Sociology of Gender.” The Other Sociologist). Leyh’s message is that the categorization of people into the binary of “male” and “female” is too simplistic. Many characters in Snapdragon think Jacks is male based on “physical ascription,” when neither her sex nor gender align with this.

Gender, according to Zevallos, is a distinct category concerning “how society influences our understandings and perception of differences between masculinity (what society deems appropriate behavior for a ‘man’) and femininity (what society deems appropriate behavior for a ‘woman’)” (Zevallos). Social norms differ based on the histories, cultures, and ideologies of people across place and time. Both gender and the norms, behaviors, and roles associated with it can vary accordingly.

Gender norms are different than gender; a norm is something considered typical or standard. Gender norms can become toxic if they are forced on people or if they perpetuate violent or hateful behaviors. The novel suggests that society sends stereotypical messages about what is considered normative. This messaging can affect people’s mental and physical wellness regardless of their gender or identity. Snap tells Violet that she feels like a girl but doesn’t act like it. The expected gender norms in Snap’s society make her question whether she is a girl or not. Even though she feels like a girl, she wonders if she is a boy because she likes things like scary movies and skeletons and doesn’t like skirts and nail polish. When she decides she actually is a girl, she thinks she is somehow subpar because she doesn’t act how society has told her a girl should act. She wants to find a reason why she feels different than other girls. There is nothing inherent to Snap that alienates her from others; it is the restrictive traditional gender roles placed on people and the way the roles position people who don’t adhere to these forms as outsiders.