Gender Stereotypes as Seen in Erica Silverman's Jack (Not Jackie)

Abstract

Jack (Not Jackie) (2018) is a heart-warming and gentle conversation starter about gender identity and gender expression for children. The book is made to show that children who dealt with transgenderism have the right to be accepted and loved, just like any other child their age. To showcase that one of the characters, Jack, is trans, the book depicted him to break the gender stereotype and break the ‘girl’ label of his identity. The book showcases the transgenderism phenomenon through rigid gender stereotyping. This paper brought up issues such as whether it is really right to call a child ‘trans’, how is gender stereotypes being showcased to children, and discuss the pros and cons of gender stereotyping for children.